Thursday, October 24, 2013

Great advice for senior sellers


Great Advice for Senior Sellers During Showings



Posted: 24 Oct 2013 04:00 AM PDT
Today we are honored to have Nikki Buckelew, the Founder and CEO of the Seniors Real Estate Institute, return as our guest blogger.  Nikki is considered a leading authority on seniors real estate and housing. - The KCM Crew
Seniors
If there is one that frustrates real estate agents the most, it is when homeowners decide to stay home for showings!
So, how do you get a senior homeowner to leave when their home is being shown?
First, let’s consider why they are choosing to stay there in the first place.
Even though it may feel like they are just trying to make our lives difficult, there may be in their minds very good reasons for staying put.
Ask yourself these questions... Is it possible they:
§ Don’t drive (or shouldn’t) - especially near dusk or after dark?
§ Have a pet that requires attention and taking them in the car is unsafe?
§ Need to stay near a bathroom?
§ Have scheduled in-home care at certain times during the day?
§ Cannot go out due to inclement weather?
Or, it’s entirely possible that they...
§ Want to meet potential buyers to see if they appreciate their home like they do
§ Are lonely and enjoy the conversation that showings bring
§ Believe it is their role to point out features of the home if their agent isn’t there
§ Are concerned about theft or having others look through their belongings
§ Have some prejudices about who is a good fit for their home (generationally common)
Regardless of their rationale or reason for wanting to stay home for showings, it is our job as agents to get to the bottom of it and provide potential solutions for making showings productive.
This requires a conversation -- a very intentional conversation.
While most of the time and with most clients, we can merely say, “Be sure to leave the house during showings,” and they do, you may need to have a more thorough discussion with senior home sellers and provide your procedure and rationale in writing.
Revisiting this conversation is not a bad idea either, putting them at ease regarding concerns, fears, or questions.
Provide alternatives.
If you are serving an older adult, especially a frail older adult, who doesn’t have family support nearby, you may need to go above and beyond what you normally do relative to showings.
This little bit of extra effort is not only beneficial to the home sale process, but it can also be an amazing gift and value add setting you apart from the average agent.

 


 
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