And This Is Where I lose All My Credibility….
Being a confessed Real Estate condo junkie in town for 26+ years gives me a lot of credibility with buyers and sellers who come across my website or are referred to my from friends, past buyers, etc. However, there are a few instances when clients look at me like I am blowing smoke up their ass. And often clients will indeed kill the messenger when these truths needs to be said. Here are a few:
- Suggesting exposed brick is really cool when painted. It is….and every time I show a condo with painted exposed brick- my buyers flip and fall in love. Especially when it is painted something other than white. But the looks I get when I make a suggestion to a buyer or seller that they should paint their exposed brick. You would think I just told them that I was a leper…
- Staging Really works. It does….but most sellers think I am somehow out to just waste their money. But buyers don’t usually make logical purchases- they make emotional purchases and they much rather buyer the sizzle than the steak. This is pretty much Real Estate 101 though sellers rarely believe me.
- Letting a buyer know when they need to pay full price for a condo. And this is probably the most difficult for me as well. Sometimes a condo comes on the market that is going to sell THAT DAY- and I know it for a FACT. But getting buyers to believe me is another story. Sometimes they think I am just making that part up when in fact I am telling them the truth. I don’t say it often because 95% of the time, a condo is NOT going to sell that day for full price….but on rare occasions it does happen.
- Telling a seller that their first offer is their best offer. Almost always the case. But many sellers think there is a better offer just around the corner. In reality, a growing “DOM clock” (days on market) means listings can grow stale and can do so fairly quickly. I can’t tell you how many times a seller has rejected a first offer only to have their unit sit on the market for an extended period of time. More frequent than you might imagine.
- Telling a buyer that they really are not going to walk as much as they think they are when they move into Center City. It is hard to tell buyers too…most suburban buyers think that they are going to become walking fanatics and never use their car again. But there is no way in hell someone buried deep in Fitler Square is going to walk to the movie houses at 2nd and Walnut. It just isn’t going to happen. Sure- you will walk more than you USED to….but you aren’t going to magically change your life and walk everywhere. I usually try not to tell people this as they take that truth out on me. They do.
So if I say something you don’t want to hear or don’t believe…then take it with a grain of salt. You may then find out for yourself. No hard feelings!(aka- don’t kill the messenger)
