Some sellers forget what they looked for when house shopping. Ardell (You don't want to know her last name!) in Kirkland, Washington, posted the top ten reasons a buyer doesn't buy. The list made me chuckle. Been there and done that! There's a couple more I might add to the list.
Dead or dying mice: Truly, it's hard to convince Mrs. Buyer that this house meets her criteria when she's doing the panic dance on the dining room table. The fluff of fur at first appeared to be a cat toy, but it moved!!!! The mouse didn't scurry away as I approached, however. Definitely a sign of impending doom for the mouse. We left the mouse trapped inside an upturned heavy glass mug. On the upended mug was my card with the note, "My clients are going to pass on this one. I think you'll understand why." Bad timing for the sellers. Bad timing for the mouse.
Skeevy creepies (Ardell's term): Dirt is one thing, but smelly dirt is even worse. When the stench of soiled clothes and house is apparent on the front stoop through the screen door 1/2 hour after the open house, buyers always reject the house. This particular house had sheets that had not been washed in years, and we did not take our shoes off to climb the mountains of dirty laundry. The only reason the buyers went in was because the seller was home, and they thought we had to be courteous. We changed that misconception very quickly after that showing!
Unemptied garbage: It doesn't matter if it's 4 day old food, cigarette butts, or disposable diapers, if it's fermented, the buyer will pass on the house.
Neighbor prejudice: The "helpful" elderly neighbor announcing to the Hispanic elementary teacher and Jewish social worker buyers that the neighborhood was getting "darker" and then adding more stupidity to her ignorance by turning to the teacher and asking, "You're not Negroid are you?" is guaranteed to start a stampede for the car.
Sellers caught in embarrassing situations: Truly, answering the door in underwear is not going to sell your house. Sleeping through a showing usually won't either, as the buyers feel they are imposing on the sellers' space. Same applies to all the other terrible situations in which a seller can be caught unawares because they forgot or weren't informed by a significant other of the showing.
Flushing but leaving the smell behind: Inability to locate the source of the sewer smell probably is not a good marketing tool.
High water line: Seeing several marks on the basement stair supports at 12", 18" and 2 feet labeled with dates and "High water line" eliminates buyer interest.
Dirty dishes: Buyers who note the mold floating in the unwashed coffee cup assume the household maintenance has been handled the same way.
Plants growing in the gutters: See dirty dishes.
May 12, 2006 - Reasons Buyers Don't Buy
My pet peeve is when you ring the bell, use the door knocker, yell Hello when you come in the door and then find someone is there when you walk in. Once there was a "body" with the sheets and blankets over their head in the bed. Probably a teenager home sick. Cats walking on her. It was creepy.
Once I determined she was breathing and not dead, we quickly left.
Posted by: Ardell | January 14, 2007 at 12:34 AM