Starting to Hate My REALTOR

[iLander]

So we're trying to sell this rental property. We've put marble in the kitchen, updated the baths with new vanities and fixtures, painted with neutral colors. The place looks great.

But my realtor keeps saying it needs a deep clean. In our area, that's easily $400.

My husband and I keep walking through it and seriously can't find anything dirty.

We ask other people, they look and it looks spic and span to them.

The realtor keeps saying vaguely "surfaces".

It looks CLEAN to me! What the heck is the problem?

Even if I pay yet another $400, that won't make the short sale down the street go away, won't make the market recover and won't make the lookey-loos stop wasting our time. And not one of the prospects walking through has said that it looks dirty. . .

Should I continue to ignore her, or should I shell out the $400?

 

[missy]

Honestly I would just do it. Is it worth saving the money and not doing and losing the chance to make a difference that could sell your home?

I hear you on the frustration with brokers though I really do. My dh and I put our shore house up for sale as we have a complicated plan for retirement (not for at least 15-20 years unfortunately though) that involves buying our dream home that is for sale now right on the ocean! However, we cannot buy a third home without selling one of our other homes. Long story short based on our RE agent's advice we spent a few thousand to get the home up to market speed and it looks great. But alas it has been on the market for 6 weeks and though we received an offer it was way too low and now our RE agent is changing everything she said and we are probably going to take it off the market and give up our dream home as the time is just not right for us. We would have to take too much of a loss to make it worthwhile for us but point is we listened to our RE agent and that is why we did what we did and looking back she gave us bad advice.

Ofc, hindsight is 20/20 and it is what it is but still frustrating. I share this with you because I think $400 in the long run is not anything compared to the chance it would make a difference and allow you to sell your home for the price you want. And hopefully your RE agent has better judgment than ours! Ofc, you could always get a second opinion from another RE agent about this as well.

Good luck!!!

 

[iLander]

That's the thing; not a single other person or realtor has expressed that the house is not clean!

We have vacuumed, cleaned thoroughly, and even the windows are sparkling! I am starting to wonder if she's getting a kick back from the cleaning company that she is recommending. . .

In this market, 6 weeks is no time at all. Ours has been for sale for almost a year. Granted, it's only been renovated for a month, so we lost quite a bit of time and opportunities, we should have renovated before.

The showing realtors are saying it shows beautifully, will show again, top of their list, etc. We keep losing out to bigger, cheaper, houses. They are in a less desirable area though.

This whole process is frustrating . . .

 

[zoebartlett]

It's odd that your realtor is being so vague about what needs to be done. Is she talking about just deep cleaning or is she thinking you need to declutter your house also?

If you have carpets (especially if you have wall to wall carpeting), I'd pay to have Stanley Steamer or a similar company come out and shampoo the carpets. Other than that, I'm not sure what else you can do if you've already given your house a thorough scrub.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

It is a buyer's market so the house needs to be perfect but since she is being so vague I would probably skip it. You can call her bluff and say you are thinking of hiring a different cleaning company (if you really think she is getting a kick-back) but then again how much could she REALLY be getting compared to her commission if/when she sells your home. Price it low enough and it will sell.

 

[anitabee]

400 bucks for cleaning??!!

that's ludicrous! we've got rental properties and usually hire a company to come in and clean and it's NOWHERE near that price! esp now if your place is pretty much perfect, you shouldn't need to pay $400.

if you know your place is as clean as can be then just ignore your realtor OR pay maybe $100 tops to ANOTHER COMPANY to do it again.

 

[PinkTower]

If it is vacant, how is the paint? Paint is cheap if you do it yourself, and gives a fresh smell.

We know a young couple in downtown Denver, they did this a couple weeks ago, and got an offer at 95% of the asking price on their little condo first week. They turned it down, and are holding out for full price. I was thrilled for them. This was the first example I have heard of in a while that sounded like things used to be.

 

[missy]

That's the thing; not a single other person or realtor has expressed that the house is not clean!

We have vacuumed, cleaned thoroughly, and even the windows are sparkling! I am starting to wonder if she's getting a kick back from the cleaning company that she is recommending. . .

In this market, 6 weeks is no time at all. Ours has been for sale for almost a year. Granted, it's only been renovated for a month, so we lost quite a bit of time and opportunities, we should have renovated before.

The showing realtors are saying it shows beautifully, will show again, top of their list, etc. We keep losing out to bigger, cheaper, houses. They are in a less desirable area though.

This whole process is frustrating . . .

I know, it is incredibly frustrating for sure!
If a home is priced low enough it will sell but it just depends on how willing you are to take less.
We are not and as we don't have to sell we just won't. Our RE agent led us to believe it was worth x$ in this market and it seems as if she was incorrect. We trusted her assessment (and did our own research as well but we are not the experts) and because of what she recommended we did $5000 worth of renovations. Now the house is perfect and it is in one of the most desirable areas at the Jersey shore, but buyers in this market want perfect at dirt cheap and we are not willing to let it sell for less than a fair price. Of course it is only worth what someone wants to pay for it but I know if we wait for a few years it will sell at a fairer price. Though our dream home will be gone. What kills me though is we offered a fair price on our dream home (based on the contigency that we sold our shore home first) and the sellers accepted our offer as the price we offered was fair. Had I realized buyers expected to get dirt cheap prices we would not have even offered the price we did and just would have waited till we saw what our home was worth in today's market. However, based on our RE agent's advice we did make an offer. Anyway what's done is done but I share your frustration.

We also keep getting feedback at our beautiful our home is etc etc. However, the bottom line is buyers want an incredible deal and I see cheaper less fixed up homes in less desirable areas selling quickly whereas nicer homes that are more money are just not moving right now.

Best of luck. Sending quick selling vibes your way!!

 

[iLander]

Thank you all for your help, and thank you Missy, I need those vibes!

The house is vacant and completely decluttered. It has fresh paint. The carpets have been shampooed.

Here's another thing I don't get: she wants us to rent it out during vacation season, which is prime selling season.

Won't it get dirty and be full of the renter's clutter? Where's my $400 deep cleaning then?

This woman is confusing me!

 

[zoebartlett]

I don't understand your realtor's advice at all.

Here's one thought: since your house is vacant, would you consider staging it to help define spaces? I'm not in the RE business, so I can't say for sure, but I've seen staged homes that made a really great impression. I'm not sure what that would cost though, or if that's even something you'd consider. I'm guessing it would cost a lot more than the $400 your realtor's suggesting you spend.

 

[Hera]

I would not hire any referral that is from a realtor. They do make relationships and get a kickback and it can be a conflict of interest. Secondly, if a house is priced right, then it will sell.

 

[JewelFreak]

Hera's right. Good rule of thumb not to take a realtor's reference w/out at least checking out other options. It doesn't sound like you need to clean a darn thing, though, iLander! And $400 is totally off the wall for a house already spotless. This "cleaner" must be her out of work b-i-l or something. I wouldn't touch that. All RE advisors say never to use an appraiser on a purchase that the realtor recommends -- good principle to follow in any case.

Her advice to rent it out in prime season is nuts -- but I assume SHE would do the rental & therefore make a commission? Yaha. When is your contract up with this dame?

A shame to lose out on the other house. It is an exercise in craziness to sell a house now; I have a few friends trying & the demands from buyers are laughable if they didn't make you want to cry. One thing I've learned in looking for real estate on 2 continents over 30 yrs is that there will always be another dream house waiting for you. Timing is everything -- your dream will come true!

--- Laurie

 

[LGK]

Haha, we have a realtor we're working with regarding our commercial property and as far as I can tell, they're all quite happy to spend your $$ for you. Why yes, we will soooooo be installing an elevator. We'll get *right on that*.

I'd ignore the cleaning weirdness. Yeah, she may very well have some relationship with the cleaning co, or have some other thing going on that's not obvious on the surface. If you know that it's clean, it's clean. And if you have to get rather firm in telling her so, go for it.

Realtors are definitely not all created equal and a lot of them seem to have side agendas. Which may or may not conflict with your own.

 

[partgypsy]

The only thing I would mention is if your household has smokers. Smokes gets into everything, including on the walls, ceiling, etc. If so, that's what it is and she doesn't want to say it.

Other than that, sounds like what ilander is saying. People want perfect houses for insane deals right now. It is a buyers market.

We were considering buying, which meant selling our current home, but there is so much uncertainty we decided to stay put (plus we found a house that was "perfect" but would have been more perfect at 50K less, so we are staying put).

Oh and I was going to say, the $400 for deep clean doesn't sound unreasonable. Around here it takes $150 to clean your house and that's not including windows, walls, baseboards, ceiling fans, etc. A deep clean costs more.

 

[iLander]

I don't understand your realtor's advice at all.

Here's one thought: since your house is vacant, would you consider staging it to help define spaces? I'm not in the RE business, so I can't say for sure, but I've seen staged homes that made a really great impression. I'm not sure what that would cost though, or if that's even something you'd consider. I'm guessing it would cost a lot more than the $400 your realtor's suggesting you spend.

Thanks, Zoe, but it is fully furnished, with beautiful Ethan Allen and Lexington furniture, that all goes with the sale. It's a vacation home, so it's completely turn key, sheets, towels, whole bit.

 

[iLander]

Thank you, everyone, I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't sell it.

It's a vacation home, and we don't NEED to sell it, it can sit for another year or two, it's just that it might degrade or develop maintenance issues, or something.

I'm worried about renting it, renters could just trash it and it they may be more trouble than they're worth.

Do you think the market will go up or down from this point?

It's priced in the middle of the Zillow estimate, if that helps any.

 

[JewelFreak]

iLander, no crystal ball, but real estate is sort of a hobby with me. The market may move up in specific areas in the next couple years -- and a turnkey house on the Jersey shore would certainly figure there. Employment is bound to get better w/in that time & then buyers will be looking -- speculators even before them. I presume that as long as you get your price, selling to a speculator wouldn't bother you? For the average house, maybe not so much, as more foreclosures hit the market, but yours isn't average.

As for renting it, depends on how you feel personally. It's extra $$ but you'd at least then have to get the famous "deep cleaning" afterward! Think taxes too -- the tax situation is so unpredictable right now -- what would the rental income do to yours; would it be possible or better to structure it as a business investment then? An accountant could tell you.

The house hasn't been on the market long for this market -- maybe you should take it off now, during winter, and try again in the spring. Your buyer pool from now till then will be limited. Houses that sit for sale over a long period get a kind of "old" feeling attached to them, so if it were my house, I'd pull it till around April. You'll have a better picture of what the economy may look like by spring too.

--- Laurie

 

[missy]

I vote for you to wait and not sell unless you get a fair offer since you are in the same situation as us. It is your vacation home and you do not have to sell. We will not rent it out either as I don't like the thought of strangers living in our home. Plus, we go there on vacations and some weekends throughout the year. I am fairly confident that the market will improve but I believe it will be at least another year or two with the improvement coming more quickly in certain areas of course and slower in others.

Basically, if you do not have to sell now and you do not want to take a loss you should hold on and enjoy it as your vacation home until the RE market improves enough for you to get a fair price. Best of luck and my fingers are crossed for us both!

 

[zoebartlett]

I don't understand your realtor's advice at all.

Here's one thought: since your house is vacant, would you consider staging it to help define spaces? I'm not in the RE business, so I can't say for sure, but I've seen staged homes that made a really great impression. I'm not sure what that would cost though, or if that's even something you'd consider. I'm guessing it would cost a lot more than the $400 your realtor's suggesting you spend.

Thanks, Zoe, but it is fully furnished, with beautiful Ethan Allen and Lexington furniture, that all goes with the sale. It's a vacation home, so it's completely turn key, sheets, towels, whole bit.

Oh, okay. It sounds gorgeous by the way.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

If you can wait, do. Don't trust zillow. It is not accurate. They only way to fully understand the market value of your home is through realtor's comps (recently solds, days on market, etc). Otherwise lower the price and keep lowering it until it sells. Everything sells for the right price.

 

[Steel]

I would not hire any referral that is from a realtor. They do make relationships and get a kickback and it can be a conflict of interest. Secondly, if a house is priced right, then it will sell.

I tend to agree with this. Very strange.

Is it possible she was fobbing you off with a general comment because she had no clue who you were or what property you were referencing? Cleaning (surfaces) is such a universal critique it almost sounds like a get out of jail free comment to me.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Where is Dee*Jay? I'd like to see her weigh in on this...

 

[iLander]

Where is Dee*Jay? I'd like to see her weigh in on this...

Is she a realtor? I'd like some imput from a realtor, that would be helpful. Mine is so vague!