Margaret Rome's Blog

What do sellers want?

Sellers always want top dollar for their house.

That is not always the case!

Just like houses come in different sizes, styles, and uniqueness, so do sellers. It is most important to find out just what the seller wants and needs.

Here are a few examples.

-The seller retiring, because of illness.  It was in July. He gave me his bottom line, he wanted it listed much lower than the comps, a fast settlement so he could be fishing in upstate New York this same summer. 

-The sellers who have lived, for over 50 years on 34 acres,  in a home built in 1812 and meticulously maintained.  These sellers were looking for the right buyers who would take care of the land and lovingly maintain this special home. They had time to wait.

-The man who just lost his wife and did not want to go back to the house again. When he called and shared this...I suggested he wait a while to sell. He shot back with: 'Lady if you don't want to sell my house, I will find someone who does.'  What he wanted was someone to bring love back into the house. We found the perfect first-time buyers, recently married and blissfully in love. This is who the seller wanted in his home and even gave them a break in price.

-A seller who was a world traveler announced he was going to get a new agent because he wanted a fast sale. I told him I could sell in two weeks but we needed a $50,000 price drop. He said to do it. We had competing offers and a sale that first week. Obviously, money was not his main concern! 

-The older couple, original owners for many years, who could no longer manage their house. Deferred maintenance and in disrepair,  they were overwhelmed with getting the home in selling condition.  We found out their bottom line could allow this. Found an investor who bought AS IS, allowing the seller to take anything they wanted from the house, leave everything else and gave them time to find a new place. The sellers did not need to fix anything, they did not need to declutter and did not need movers or a cleaning crew.

We removed the stress, no showings, and no open houses. We got more than their bottom line.

As a listing agent...make sure you know what your seller wants and needs.

It's not always about the money!