Ocean Breezes Blog

An Open Letter to the Sellers I am Blessed to be working with:

You, my dear Sellers, are the greatest thing since sliced bread!  I love working with you!  That you trusted me, out of all the qualified REALTORS® out there, to list your home is the greatest compliment! 

I remember well the day we met about listing your home.  You gave me the grand tour and told me all about the updates you've done or had done.  I could see your pride in this home.  We talked about your reason for selling, what you needed to net, what your goals were once you had sold the home.  We discussed market conditions and pricing. 

We went over some ideas for making your home more appealing to the public -- they can be finicky, so it's rare that there isn't something a Seller can do to help with the saleability of their home.  We talked about cleaning up the yard and how important that first impression would be to Buyers.  We discussed how I would market your home, the where, when and why.  We went over how important it is to keep the home in showing condition.  We talked about showing instructions, --  the key to getting your home sold is getting it shown! -- and I agreed that notice is important.  But, please remember I explained that does not always happen, and the more flexible you were with it, the better it would be for YOU!

I left with a signed Listing Agreement, my promise to you that I would do everything in my power to get your home SOLD, and your assurances that you would do your part to get the home ready, and keep it ready, for showings.

Imagine my surprise when I received a call this morning from another Agent who had shown your house (after trying for 2 days to get the okay), and she reported that while her Buyers thought the house had good bones, they just couldn't get past the mess in the house or the uncut grass.  She wasn't calling to tattle, she was calling to do me, AND YOU, a favor. 

Now, I have been out to your home any number of times since we listed it, and it has always looked fine.  So I have to assume this is a one time aberration.  But this may have been the one time we could have SOLD your house! 

I want to SELL your house.  You want to SELL your house.  We are a team, and we must work in concert to get it done.  I have done, and will continue to do everything in my power to get your home SOLD.  But -- and this is really important -- you MUST do your part as well.  You must make it available for showings, you must cut the grass and sweep off the front porch, you must NOT leave a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, you must NOT leave items strewn about the floor.  If potential Buyers have to step over your teenagers clothes or your tot's toys, they are going to ignore the room and move-on to a home where they can navigate easily. 

We have priced your home competitively, we are advertising it in all the right places and it is being shown.  What a shame to do all of that and then not have a home show well. 

Remember when I told you that if you didn't keep it up while it was being shown you may still get an offer, but it would probably be a low-ball offer based on their impression that the home has not been cared for?  We both know that you have taken great care of your home, but Buyers are not aware of that.  And when they see a home which is untidy and a yard that is unkempt, they assume the Seller has ignored all issues and wonder what else may be wrong.  They will also most likely assume you are desperate and will take any offer.

You have a beautiful home, and there is no reason to think that it can't be SOLD fairly quickly -- unless you have decided that you don't want to sell and you are sabotaging our efforts?  I hope that's not the case.  I hope that I am correct in believing that this is a one time thing.  But even if it is a one-time-thing, it may have been one time too many. 

Now, I am going to do my best to see that your home is in top showing condition.  Then I am going to contact the Agent who called me this morning, and beg her to take her Buyers back out there.  I will do this because getting your house SOLD is my goal.  I hope that it is your goal as well.

I hope you will read this letter in the spirit in which it is intended.  I want to work with you.  I want to SELL your home.  But, I need you to be on the same page, and we need to be working together to accomplish this goal. 

So, are we?

Respectfully,

Your REALTOR®