Handling Feedback on Your Home

Imagine you are shopping for a used car with a friend. During the course of the day, it seems that everything they like, you hate. Features they are searching for don’t seem important to you (does anyone really need heated seats in New Orleans?). The color that they have their heart set on makes you gag and you begin to question whether you should continue this relationship. At the end of the day, they are proudly driving a car and you are left wondering “what were they thinking???”.

Now, imagine that same friend is shopping for a new home when you happen to have a (in your opinion) perfectly perfect house for sale. What would you think if they weren’t ready to write an offer and plunk down a deposit?  You’d probably wonder why they would choose any other home and question their choices.  It’s natural – we all have pride in our own little nests and assume that everyone else will love them as much as we do.

Guess what?  You can’t take buyer opinions personally!

No matter how perfect, your house is not going to be a good fit for every buyer out there. Wants, needs, physical restrictions and budget all play a part when a buyer chooses a home.  Sometimes, it just comes down to the one that “feels” right to them, even if it looks like a dozen other homes they have toured.

When selling, keep these things in mind if you get feedback that you might not agree with:

• Your taste is not going to match with every buyer’s taste
• Move in ready means something different to every buyer
• If the location doesn’t work for a buyer, you can’t change that
• If the floor plan doesn’t work for a buyer, you can’t change that

Focus instead on the feedback items that you CAN change:

• De-clutter to allow buyers to see the house, not your stuff
• Paint colors are personal and if your walls are a very personal color, you might want to consider toning it down
• Clean, clean and clean some more for the best first impression
• Worn flooring is a big turn off, so consider replacing worn out or stained carpets
• Outdated appliances make buyers see dollar signs and often are reflected in lower offers

Above all, remember that competitive pricing is the most important factor when selling your home and if all of the feedback is about the price, it’s time to make a change.

Need a starting point?  See how we help sellers.