For some time now, our house has been on the market.  Despite the doom and gloom, I remain optimistic we are going to sell.  We are getting a lot of traffic and people seem to like the updates we have made.  In fact, we’ve seen a real pickup in showings as of late, so maybe people are getting off the fence now that, despite the Gov’t and Media’s desire for alternative results, the world hasn’t yet had a catastrophic meltdown.

One of the more interesting pieces of selling the house this time is that the Realtors in the Triangle here use a service called Centralized Showing Service.  Basically, the service coordinates showings amongst all the Realtors in the area and also provides a means for giving feedback to the Sellers via a website.  This part in particular has become my favorite part of the whole process, as often times the comments leave you scratching your head, as I’ll show below.

First, however, let me set the stage.  We own a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house, 2600 (and some change) sq. ft. in the heart of Cary, which is this idyllic little burg near Raleigh that always ranks well in national rankings as one of the best places to live.  We are asking $284K.  It is centrally located to RTP and all major thoroughfares in a nice, quiet neighborhood on a wooded lot.  Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are both less than 5 minutes away, as is plenty of other shopping.  The lot sits on .4 acres.  We’ve updated most major systems including HVAC and Water Heater, as well as painted, etc.

Now that you have an idea of the house, here are some of the comments, most of which, in my mind, fall under the category of “why did you even bother to show the house?  Don’t you know your customer?”:

Buyers were here on their first trip and have not made the decision to move as of yet. However, they have decided they do not want to be in Cary. They need more land and more privacy, therefore Fuquay, Holly Springs, Willow Spring will be the spots.

Here’s a real classic:

My buyers have decided that this home is out of their price range.

This one, in fact, came from people WHO GAVE US AN OFFER! They offered us $269.  Not bad, seems like we could negotiate and meet in the middle.  We countered with $280.  They walked away.  What, did you think this process doesn’t involve negotiation?   I mean, seriously, isn’t that all part of the game?  Why go to the trouble of making an offer?

Another good one that falls under the category of Knowing your Clients:

My buyers’ space requirements and growing family knocked this one off the list.

What 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a large bonus room and a full walk up attic aren’t big enough for you?  How fast are you growing?  Didn’t you bother to look at the specs beforehand?

And, sometimes the comments range to the more enjoyable:

Sweet gum tree – ugh.

Anyone who has one of those trees knows what I’m talking about.  They produce, for seeds, these annoying little spikey balls that drop EVERYWHERE, all year round.  Ugh indeed.

And another good one:

clients just felt it was too old for them, didn’t like popcorn ceilings

On the MLS, the house shows it’s age (1984, but with LOTS of updates).  I suppose it’s reasonable, though, b/c you never know what to expect inside.  The popcorn ceiling comment, however is funny.  I mean, if that is the only thing holding you back, just ask.    Geez, we’ll take $2K off the price and have them removed.

Which, of course, reminds me of the lack of savvy of some Realtors.  One potential buyer came to see the house 4 times.  We figured they were the one.  Then, they go cold.  Furthermore, they were actual clients of our Realtor (at the time, we have since changed.)  Three weeks later, she informs us that the major thing stopping them was they wanted a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom, otherwise they loved the house.  I about lost it on her at the time.  Isn’t your job as a Realtor to present that to the sellers?  I mean, if that is the only thing holding them up (and according to her, it was), why wouldn’t you ask?  Other than the fact that most people who have those things don’t use them in the long run, they don’t cost all that much.  We’d gladly have installed one if it meant selling the house.

At any rate, if you are looking to move to Cary/Raleigh area or know someone who is, drop me a comment and I’ll point you at the actual MLS listing.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, NC, Raleigh, The Triangle, real estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.