Owner showings
August 1st, 2007 by KenricHaving an owner occupant / non-investor show us a property made me realize how a homeowner’s view of their property is so different than an investor’s.
This homeowner gave us the showing from hell. Ok, it wasn’t that bad… but remember that this is a small 750sf condo and it’s a short sale. We basically wanted to see if it was trashed or not. It was apparent though that he was going to show us everything… and I mean everything in the condo.
Here are just some of the things he said to us…
“It’s got a gas fireplace (proceeds to turn it on) and you can open up the glass here, the flame is close to the edge so you can roast marshmallows.”
“It’s got a moen faucet (points to the $15 cheapo faucet) and wood cabinets, not sure what type of wood it is, but they look nice.”
“It’s the only 1 bedroom with a pool view. You can’t see it now because those trees are in the way but in the winter when the leaves are gone you can see 1/3 of the pool.” Pool is literally 300ft away from the window also.
“The master bedroom has got a ceiling fan, light switch for a lamp and blinds.”
“In this closet is a water heater. I’m not sure what the size is but judging from it’s height I’d say it’s a 50 gallon. I’ve never run out of hot water taking a shower.”
“The washer and dryer is in this closet and it’s a large closet, you’ve got room for an ironing board.”
And then he started to go on about the amenities…
“There’s a pool, community center… have you seen the pool?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve got 2 pools here. What about the west pool? Have you seen the west pool?”
“No.”
“You want to go see the west pool?”
“No.” as we ran away as quickly as possible.
Posted in Real Estate | 1 Comment »
Stumble it!
Owners showing the property are the worst. They believe they are helping but actually make the potential buyer totally uncomfortable. Once during one of my trips to Tampa the agent I was working with got a call about a potential listing. As she and I had been working for long, she decided to go to see the place with me and told the owner I was a potential buyer. This outdated, trashed condo needed a lot of TLC, which was a great investment opportunity, but the owner decided to give me the tour and not let the agent do her job. After a terrible experience in the place, when the realtor and I left she told me that she had just decided not to work with this seller, as she could see this listing as being a nightmare. Just imagine that, being so bad that even the realtors do not wanted to work with the seller!!! not even the commission was enough motivation.
I learned my lesson and when I listed my properties FSBO or had to show them when the agent was not available I just open the door for the buyers and let them see the place by themselves. I learned to wait patiently (how can you be patient when this could be your buyer and you can cash out?) and wait for them outside or close to the door, and when they came back just ask them “do you have question or comments?” and also “what do you think about the place?” Just give the potential buyers some room. I don’t think you can talk them into buying the house by being pushy. I believe you should let them feel comfortable with the place, so they feel like home.
By Andres on Aug 1, 2007