Three frustrating experiences that home sellers can expect

expect the unexpected
Stay calm. You cannot control everything Expect the unexpected when selling your home

Challenges

Selling your home can be a challenging and stressful experience. There are the challenges that we expect like: 

  • The work needed in getting your home in it’s most saleable condition
  • Interviewing Realtors
  • Setting the price and marketing plan
  • Disrupting family life for showings and open houses
  • Keeping the place clean and tidy
  • Negotiating 
  • The home inspection
  • Pets, kids…

The best thing to do is to get through the process as quickly as possible. A good start with lots of lead time, the right price, a “road map” of what to expect will help ease much of your stress.

Expect the unexpected

We can do the best we can with the expected. But we should always expect the unexpected and by definition we never know what that’s going to be. Knowing that we can’t plan for everything, that we can’t control everything is key in avoiding frustrations caused by situations that we don’t see coming. Here are three things that often happen that we can’t control or avoid.

Frustrations homeowners have to expect:

1. You may have to vacate for a last minute showing

We can set showing times and lead times for showings but it is still difficult to turn down a last minute request to show. Most home sellers will cave in (reluctantly) to a last minute showing request. It is annoying but it is hard to turn away a potential home buyer.

Part of the problem with last minute showings and short lead times is that homeowners have to keep their homes looking and smelling great all the time — and with busy families this is truly a challenge.

2. No shows

At the other end of the spectrum, just as frustrating is the buyer who does not show up to view your home. You’ve done a great job, making the place neat and clean. You’ve gotten out of the house and gone to the mall (again), a walk (again) or the coffee shop (again) and the buyer cancels at the last minute, or worse, does not show up at all. 

What a waste of time!

3. Negative feedback

Most Realtors will coach their home sellers about what to do to put their homes in their most saleable conditions and to keep them there until sold. This usually involves some or all of the following:

  • Paint
  • Declutter
  • Depersonalize
  • Stage
  • Remove pets
  • Update something
  • Repair something

Having done, some or all of those things, and then getting negative feedback is disheartening. It hurts to hear that people do not love your home and often it is frustrating that you cannot do much about it.

Conclusion

Stay calm. You cannot control everything

Further reading:

Mistakes that home sleeps make

Five ways to save money when you sell


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