RealTown's RealTalk

Hi, gang. This is syndicated housing columnist Lew Sichelman, once again polling RealTalk members for inclusion in a future column. Here's my question this time:

What do you find most irritating when showing houses? Missing light bulbs? Pet deposits? Unfriendly odors? Sellers who want visitors to remove their shoes? And why are these things annoying, or disastrous to sales?

Also, what are some of the craziest things you found in houses, i.e., closet doors falling off their hinges? Political signs, either still up or stuck away in a closet or basement? One agent tells me found stumbled upon an open casket in a basement one Halloween, not just open but occupied by a full-size skeleton.

As always, thanks for your input. Please feel free to respond here or to e-mail me directly at lsichelman@aol.com. I need your name, company, town and state, please.

What do you find most irritating when showing houses? Missing light bulbs? Pet deposits? Unfriendly odors? Sellers who want visitors to remove their shoes? And why are these things annoying, or disastrous to sales?

Annoying... first place for me goes to the seller who won't leave for a showing. Nothing intimidates a buyer more when the seller is there watching them look at their home. They won't open closets, etc. because they feel uncomfortable. In fact, they usually speed walk their way through. Even worse is when the seller insists of 'showing' the home and pointing out what they consider to be the best features.. usually the carpet they just replaced five years ago or something like that.

I don't know about crazy.. but finding a full sized mannequin in a closet when I opened the door scared me to death! I think I jumped a mile.

7/22/2009 @ 11:53 PM HST

>>
@Lew Sichelman
What do you find most irritating when showing houses?
<<

This was somewhat irritating but in a cute way. :-)

I was showing homes to a client who had just moved to Hawaii from the East Coast, the son of a general or admiral . He was extremely polite and INSISTED on opening and closing my car door every time I got in and out of the car (I was driving).

He did the same when we entered each property. I didn't actually mind but it took a lot longer to view properties. We ran late for most of the appointments that day. The next time we went out to view properties I factored the door opening into my timeframe. LOL

>>
@Glory Bee Costa
Reply: Taking shoes off does bother me, my clients are not the type
<<

In our area removing shoes is customary and considered a sign of respect. Very rarely do we not remove shoes. In a document we give to our buyer clients called "To Our Valued Buyers", we have a paragraph that addresses removing shoes. It also encourages our clients to wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off.


With Warmest Aloha,

Ruth A. Gabbard (R), CRB, CRS, SRES, PB
Gabbard Hawaii Properties | Honolulu, Hawaii
808-534-1850 | 877-ALOHA HI (256-4244) Toll Free
Listserv E-mail: hawaiihomes@alohamls.com

"Nothing is better than coming home to your Hawaii home."

Most irritating to me is showing homes to buyers who do not keep track of their children and expect the realtor to entertain the children as the buyer views homes. After a couple of times with different buyers (and an expensive antique dish broken which I took care of) , I now set down the ground rules when buyers show up with their children.

>>>What do you find most irritating when showing houses?>>>

Naked people running around. Seriously, it's happened more than once in my career (people getting out of the shower, and other nekked folks running around) and definitely puts a damper on a showing; and usually the subsequent 2 or 3 houses afterwards too.

A real close second on my list is unexpected (and not real friendly) dogs on the loose in a house when we're showing. Even "dog people" are affected; especially when we're not told beforehand. Snakes spook most people as well.

After that would come smelly houses we're not forewarned about, then comes all the litle things others may have mentioned.

On the buyer's side of the equation is their young kids running wild - Very distracting and irritating. One quick house showing I wouldn't mind, but when you have the better part of a day planned for viewing I personally would rather the kids stay home with a sitter so the parents can really look without the distraction.

Hope this helps.....

Al in CT, JIM

Al Napier GRI, e-PRO, Broker
Napier Realty Group
Newington, CT
al@NapierRealty.com
(860) 209-0766

Lew & My Realtown Friends,

What a great way to vent frustrations. Here are a few of my annoyances to add to the list: 1) owners who insisit on being present for showings & prevent you from talking with your client; 2) dirty laundry all over the floor; 3) high-end homes with nails still left in the walls or nail holes that are not filled in & repainted. 4) the friend or relative who accompanies the client and takes the role of real estate consultant. They always believe they know more than you; and 5) clients who discuss the property (& you) in another language as you are trying to gain their confidence..

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest...

Deb Proctor, RE/MAX Sauk Valley

www.Debproctor.com & deb@debproctor.com

Pet deposits and unfriendly odors will kill any sale. There is no excuse for listing a property without doing something to mitigate odors and pet deposits (as you euphemistically refer to them).