You know about the stress that your clients who are selling their homes are experiencing. They’re stressed over whether they set the right listing price, how quickly their home will sell, how many times they’ll have to leave the house for a showing, and the list goes on and on. Here are some things you can do to help reduce seller stress.
Make Sure Your Clients Really Want to Sell
One of the stressors for sellers is making the decision to sell their home. Unless they’re moving for a new job or something similar, they may feel uncomfortable with their decision. Talk to your clients in your initial discussions about their motivation for selling. If you think there are doubts in their minds, don’t be afraid to explore the idea of waiting until they’ve resolved any outstanding issues.
Once the sellers have clearly defined their reasons for selling, you can remind them of how they came to the decision to sell if the going gets tough.
Help Your Clients Prepare Their Home to Sell
Every homeowner wants to sell their house as quickly and for as much money as they can. The only exception is typically the person who just wants to rush the sale and sell “as is.”
The biggest problem you face is suggesting changes without insulting the seller. It’s best to explain that they must stop thinking of the house as their home. If they’re selling, the house is a product, and they want to get as much for it as they can. Explain that they can’t take anything you or a buyer says personally. Just because they don’t notice the faucet dripping, it doesn’t mean that buyers will ignore it, too.
Many homes need at least minor maintenance items addressed before you put the home on the MLS. The issues could include squeaky doors, dripping faucets, paint peeling off the garage door and other minor things that the owner needs to fix.
If you notice anything that you know prospective buyers will react to negatively, it’s your job to encourage the owner to fix it. That will eliminate the stress of needing to fix things while the house is being shown.
In some situations, there may be major things the owner needs to do to be competitive. For example, if every other home in the neighborhood has an updated kitchen, and your seller’s is from the 80s, you need to point that out. Again, emphasize that you’re not being critical, but they already love the house and you need to get someone else to love it, too.
You can also explain that they won’t get top dollar. If the buyer isn’t convinced, schedule some showings of other comparable homes. Hopefully, they’ll see for themselves that they either need to do some updates in the kitchen, or list the house for less.
Reduce Showing Stress
One of the biggest stressors when anyone is selling their home is the showing schedule. Not only do they need to keep their home in excellent shape, but they feel like they’re out of control when it comes to scheduling showings. The best way to address this issue is with a real estate showing service.
When you use a showing service, it helps your sellers because they won’t be the victim of missed phone calls and won’t need to remember every showing time. In fact, they’ll be able to accept or reject proposed showing times very easily right on their phone.
In addition, your sellers will see the showing feedback that their home is receiving. They’ll understand if they need to fix things around the house to make it more attractive — or why you’re suggesting a price reduction.
Next Steps
Reducing stress for your seller clients will make you look like a hero. Besides that, it will reduce your stress at the same time. Try these tips for your next listing!
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