Teaching Sellers How to Sell The Family Home

This morning I drove to Independence, Mo. to talk with a group of widows and a widower. This

group is a part of Skillbuilders which is a program designed to assist widows and widowers

in adapting to a new lifestyle and teach them life skills which they suddenly need, One

class has to do with personal safety, another has to do with managing finances, another is geared

toward maintaining an automobile, a couple are geared toward grief support. It is a wonderful program

where people who are dealing with deep painful emotions can find safety and share their experiences,

pain, and achievements.

I talk about the real estate market and getting your home ready to sell. Generally, these

people are not ready to sell their homes. Their grief is too fresh. I encourage them to

take time and make their own decisions and not feel pressured by someone else who "means

well". Not all of the widows and widowers are older. There's no guarantee that you will

have a long life together before you're faced with widowhood. Today, most of the audience

were older and had owned their homes for several decades.

I explain a little about the real estate market, the way to choose a good real estate agent,

and the importance of pricing the property to sell. Then I talk a little about improvements

that make sense,staging and home warranties, as well as the home buying process including

inspections and appraisals. Many times these people have lived in their homes 30-40 years.

Some of the questions they asked today were:

• Should I choose a friend to list my home? (My answer- I don't know. Sometimes it can be a

good choice. Sometimes your friend is selling real estate as a hobby and not a career. Do

you feel comfortable if your friend knows about your finances? Do you feel comfortable with

your friend telling you that you need to lower your price, clean your shower, or any other

type of honest feedback that real estate agents must give if they are doing their job.)

• If I find a house that I want to buy, do I call the listing agent so that I have to make

multiple phone calls to see multiple homes? That lead to a great discussion of buyer agency

and seller agency and designated agency.

• If I list my home and someone wants to see it, should I leave? Should I answer questions?

How can I explain all the idiosyncrasies of the house and how to take care of it.

• I don't want to do extensive fix up work. Can I still sell my house? That lead to a great

discussion about the market and how buyers think and who the competition is and who the

target buyer is, as well as the observation that price overcomes all obstacles.

I'm writing this post to remind agents that this particular market segment may have very

basic questions. As real estate agents, we tend to think of first time home buyers, but

sometimes first time sellers have those same basic types of questions.