Please Don't Take Offense
One of the hardest things about a listing appointment is trying to delicately tell our potential clients that they really need to do certain things before the house goes on the market. It is really quite easy to insult someone's taste without meaning to do so.
A few years ago, before Staging was all the rage, I had a listing appointment with a delightful couple to whom I had been highly recommended. We walked through their meticulously cared for home and had a very good discussion. Their home had been on the market with another agent for a year without any offers while they watched their friends' home (listed with me) sell quickly.
I had to ask them to do two big things with their house. One was to expose the hardwood which I knew would be just as pristine as their red carpet, and the other was to please remove the wallpaper in all eight rooms. They really were ready to move on to the Carolinas, so they appreciated my honesty.
Five weeks later they called to let me know the house was ready. They also told me they now understood why buyers would walk in the 
house for an open house, take one look and say "too much work" and leave. They discovered just how much work it was.
I made the mistake of saying, "Doesn't it feel great?" They said "Well, no. We really liked our red carpet and all the wallpaper, but we know it had to go."
So the next time you are confronted with this type of situation, think before you speak, and try to be sensitive.
Chris K. Canfield
REALTOR®, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GREEN, MRP, SRES
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
2890 E. Skyline Drive, #250
Tucson, Arizona 85718
Good job.. The home likes great.. I am sure it well sell fairly quickly.. Kudos to you!!!
Definately a subject that requires handling with care. Many sellers just don't understand that other people just don't like their taste in paint color, wallpaper, and carpet, etc. And buyers and their agent many time over estimate the costs of repainting, remodeling, etc.
Hi Robert - Thanks - it did sell quite quickly--this was a few years ago. They are now happily living in the Carolinas!
Hi Jeff - Yes, it is a touchy subject. We must be honest about what needs to be done, but we must also be sensitive to what we are saying.
Chris, So true! Being sensitive to the seller's feelings, yet honest at the same time is not an easy task, but very important.
Chris, Good advice! It is a fine line and requires much tact!
Hi Simone - It is always wise not to call someone's collection "clutter." It is dear to them though buyers look at it as "stuff."
Hi Tony and Darcy - A very fine line. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, just those two changes made a huge difference! I think giving that kind of advice is especially hard with older folks who treasure all of their belongings. They might not have liked the changes, but I'm sure they liked the fact that you sold their house so quickly for them!
Chris.....That's a great point...we often just think about the way we see things.....Really nice post and advice! Thanks!
Hope you have a great weekend!!---Rob
I have made that mistake a few times over the years, Chris. I think it's because I wasn't focused in the moment and let slip something silly.
Hi Chris,
Big difference before and after, almost no comparison! It is a hard topic knowing that this is someone's home and they may think it is great the way it is.
Lisa
Hi Rose - Yes, they did like that part. They are very happily living their new retired life now.
Hi Rob - Yes, all those "things" are comforting to people. I understand it a lot better having gone through it myself, now; but it gets SO MUCH easier to let go once you get started!
Hi Toni - So true. You have to be careful about raving too much about "how much better it looks" after. It probably looked great before; just not the taste of "the general buying public."
Hi Lisa - I wish I had room for more pictures, because the wallpaper was in all the bedrooms, too. This was a fabulously clean and decorated home, but it was decorated during a different time period.
Good topic for discussion. Making needed changes can be very difficult for home sellers.
Hi Roy - It is a difficult process for all of us. We let our kids pick their bathroom color in 2002 when we remodeled the first time. The younger one just couldn't understand why the cerulean blue had to go when the house went on the market in 2011! : )
Chris,
That old say, "it's not what you say but how you say it," is so true!
Patricia
Hi Patricia - You are right - it IS so true!