Some sellers immediately grow tense at the thought of buyer feedback.  Others remain unconcerned, feeling that their home is already perfect and will easily attract a new owner. However you may feel about it, it is undeniable that feedback is an important part of getting your home sold.

After a showing your Realtor will contact the buyer’s Agent and request feedback.  They will try to discern how well the home “showed”, what the buyer thought of the price, and any glaring issues that the purchaser noticed.  Not all feedback needs to be taken to heart.  If only 1 out of 5 prospective buyers complain about the design on the kitchen linoleum, you can safely assume that it’s not something that is a problem for the majority of prospective purchasers. If 5 out of 8 of the buyers who have seen your home mention that the ugly carpeting in the living room was an immediate turn off, it would be a good idea to rip it up and refinish those hidden hardwood floors – or re-carpet.  

An Agent tour is also a great way to get good, solid feedback.  Most offices have meetings at least bi-monthly, and those meetings are usually followed by a tour of listed homes.  If your Realtor’s office has a tour, you should request that your home be a part of it.  Having 15-20 Realtors examine your home and offer critical feedback is invaluable.  If only 2 of the Realtors say they think the home is overpriced, you don’t need to be concerned; however, if the majority of Realtors who tour your property think the price is too high, you need to immediately sit down with your Agent and talk about a reduction.  If the Realtor is giving you that feedback, you can be sure she would tell a buyer the same thing.

Open houses are another great way to gather important feedback.  Many Realtors believe that open houses are a waste of time and will not sell your home.  While that issue is debatable, there is no question that a well attended open house is a useful way to get feedback – especially if you are not getting many showings on your property!  Your Realtor will probably receive more feedback information from people who come through an open house then they will from an Agent who showed the property to a buyer.   Through the questions people ask about the home, to the comments that your Realtor can overhear, she will get a good idea of what kind of first impression your home makes and the concerns that people have about it.   

Unless the Real Estate Market in your area is booming, you should consider the first week or two your home is on the market as time to gather feedback.  Your Realtor should try to hold an open house and have Agents from her office tour the property in those first few weeks.     

Separating your emotions and your own personal attachment to your home from the feedback is one of the hardest things to do.  It’s important to remember that you are not trying to sell the home to yourself.  The opinions of others do matter in this situation! Making at least some of the changes that your Realtor tells you buyers want to see will guarantee that your home sells faster than if you just ignore the feedback you receive.  

For more information visit: www.realestateone.com/maureenwebber