How Sellers Make Their Home Hard to Sell

Are there signs you are going to be dealing with a difficult home seller? There sure are! When you are thinking about buying a new home, you can run into all sorts of challenging scenarios. Not every home seller you are going to meet is going to be easy to deal with. In fact far from it!

It is a good idea to let your buyer's agent take control of any awkward situations. It's actually one of a buyer's agents duties. But, at the same time, you want to analyze each and every situation to make sure you'll want to be involved with the party. As with any home purchase or sale, there are some points that are more important than others.

In many cases there are blatant signs you'll be dealing with a difficult seller throughout the process. This is why real estate agents get paid the big bucks. Not every transaction is an easy one.

Sellers make mistakes all the time even before the for sale sign hits the lawn. Some of these blunders are easily discernible even from a laymen.

Can You Tour the Property Easily?

One of the things that real estate agents explain to sellers all the time is that a missed showing is a missed opportunity. You can't sell a house if a buyer can't view it. Unfortunately, some sellers are under the mistaken impression that everything in life revolves around them. If you want to sell your home for the most money in the least amount of time, you need to be flexible.

If you feel that you are not being allowed to tour and look at the property easily, you should ask yourself why. It could be that there is a perfectly plausible explanation. Maybe the homeowner is handicapped and has had a hard time getting the property ready to sell. That is understandable and sometimes there are extenuating circumstances for some clients.

Other times it is nothing more than a difficult seller who wants everything done on their time. It will usually start with something simple like a twenty-four showing notice. When it goes beyond that you know things will probably be dicey.

Not Ready to Move

If the selling real estate agent has done his job properly, the seller should be ready to move. However, moving is a psychological thing, as well as physical. It is said that the best homeowners to deal with are the ones who move in their mind before they physically move. They are the ones who are truly ready to sell their home.

Sometimes you can tell the moment you enter a seller's home that they aren't prepared to move. It could be that the house is a cluttered mess with things all over the place.

You want to access all of the areas of any home you're considering purchasing. A basement stacked up with moving crates and furniture is not going to give you access. You need to see what is there and so will a home inspector. Don't be shy, remember that this is a business transaction.

What's Happening with My Offer?

If you have made an offer but the response time for the owner coming back to you seems to be taking a long time, you should ask yourself what is going on. Do they have other offers or have they changed their mind? Again, it may be none of these things but the classic scenario of divorce where the agent needs to reach and discuss the offer with both parties before a directive can be given.

You may miss out on other property while you are waiting around for the owner to come back to you. That is a situation you don't want to find yourself in. Not being responsive could certainly be a sign of sellers remorse.

Not Willing to Negotiate

Some homeowners have a price in their head and are not willing to negotiate. That happens more often than you may think. It is easy to presume that you are going to do a deal, but that does not always happen.

There are two ways of looking at this situation. Perhaps the home is really worth the price the owner is asking. On the other hand, the owner may have lost touch with reality. This is where an exceptional real estate agent comes in handy.

Some owners get really emotional about their home and see any attempts at negotiating as an insult. Clear this up with your real estate agent and simply call the owner out if they are out of tune with the current real estate market.

What are his or her terms and conditions and do they actually want to sell? It is really as black and white as that.

Working Directly with a Seller

When a homeowner decides to sell the property themselves as a for sale by owner, it can make things more difficult for you as a buyer. Most will try to micromanage everything and it simply does not work. Typical signs of micromanagement are making it hard for you to tour the property and that it has been on the market for a long time.

The selling process can often take too long and it could be better to move on and look at other properties. Those who are selling for sale by owner quite often underestimate the complexity and challenges of a real estate transaction.

Many think they can do it on their own but then realize just how much hard work goes into selling a house.

Lack of Information or Too Complicated

The home seller needs to give you certain information about the property. If they refuse to disclose everything or are attempting to hide things, you should walk away. This is a serious red flag and before you pay for a home inspection, you should ask yourself if it is worth the money.

One of the common problems found in real estate sales is a lack of proper permits when a home has been remodeled. That is a big no-no and something you will want to investigate completely before moving ahead with your purchase.

Is the homeowner trying to hide damage or potential problems? Another situation that can be problematic is when you are trying to purchase a home from a couple going through a divorce.

When a couple is selling a home during divorce quite often it can be challenging. If you happen to know the divorce is taking place be prepared to potentially be waiting longer than normal for answers to things especially when it comes to negotiating. It's not unusual for both parties to be consulted before final decisions can be made.

Purchasing a home from someone going through a divorce is not easy. It can take a long time, and even cost you more money in legal fees. But, if the property meets your expectations and you like it, there is no reason why you should not try to buy it.

Just be sure there is nothing in the seller's divorce that is going to hold up the purchase of the home.

Lots of Parties Involved

Another example of what can be a difficult real estate transaction is buying an estate home. Buying a family home from several children can be challenging. They may not be able to agree on the offer you made them. Just be very clear and set a deadline. Simply tell them that you have a deadline and are not going to wait around.

Also, buying a home from a builder can be more complicated. Perhaps they are waiting to finish the home and you may even want to change some of the specifications. Negotiating with a builder may take a lot longer than you think. In cases like these it is important to try to find out the exact situation with the seller.

Is the seller going to mess up your plans to get into a home by a certain date? Are they not going to be flexible? Sometimes it is hard to find these things out before you are in an actual transaction but it's best to try if you sense any potential problems on the horizon.

Don't get too involved until you are sure that a deal can be done with the homeowner. You may love everything about the property, and just want to pay the asking price, but you need to make sure the home seller meets their legal obligations. It is your money when all is said and done.

Final Thoughts

Nobody ever said that buying and selling a home was a breeze. Real Estate sales can run the gamete from being effortless to stressful beyond belief. Anything can happen and when explosive personalities clash it can be disastrous.

Sometimes patience is a virtue in real estate. It's one of the reasons why you always want a skilled real estate agent fighting hard for your best interests.

Other Helpful Real Estate Articles Worth Reading

• How to go green in a home - see excellent tips for living an Eco-friendly lifestyle in your home. You will learn how to save energy, money and the environment by following the going green tips.
• What to do when a home inspection goes poorly - whether you are buying or selling a home nobody wants to run into a roadblock in their transaction. Home inspections quite often are one of the most significant stumbling blocks in a sale. See what you need to know about when the inspection does not go as planned.

Have a look at the above articles for more helpful advice when you are buying or selling a house.

About the author: Bill Gassett is a nationally recognized Real Estate leader who has been helping people buy and sell Metrowest Massachusetts real estate for the past thirty-two plus years. Bill has been one of the top RE/MAX Realtors in New England for the past decade.

In 2018 he was the #1 RE/MAX real estate agent in Massachusetts. His real estate advice has been featured on, CNBC, RIS Media, National Association of Realtors, Inman News, Placester, RESAAS, Credit Sesame and others.

Bill covers real estate sales in the following Massachusetts communities: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

Reach out for his advice anytime.