Mistakes Agents Make With Sellers Who are Downsizing
I recently heard someone in the industry discussing the topic of mistakes that real estate agents make when working with seniors who are downsizing. I’m really passionate about this topic and love to talk about it. I really wanted to share it with you and hope you find some value in it. We came up with a list of the top 3 mistakes that agents make. Watch the video below.
What are the mistakes to avoid when working with downsizing sellers?
#1 Focusing only on the home sale.
Our team is well aware that there is a bigger picture at play. It’s not just about selling your home. It’s like a puzzle, there are lots of different pieces and parts along the timeline that have to be met, to ensure what needs to be downsized is downsized. This is both physical and emotional, this can look like working in tandem with vendors, or working alongside the senior living community that you might be moving into. So a huge mistake that real estate agents make is just solely being concerned with the sale of the home. But when you’re working with a senior who is downsizing it is so much bigger than that. Our agents are SRES certified, which means they have a senior real estate specialist designation. So they also understand the emotional side of the move, not just the selling of the house.
#2 Listing the house while the owner still resides there.
We’ve seen this over and over again. We understand why the agent does this and why they want to do this, but it causes so much unnecessary stress in an already stressful and emotional situation. So what we recommend, especially in today’s market where houses are selling quickly, is that the owner get the move over and done with and then put the house on the market. That way you take care of the downsizing piece first and get it out of the way and then with a fresh clean slate move into your new home and onto the next chapter of your life.
#3 Securing a purchase agreement before you know where you’re moving to.
This sounds so obvious and like something that would never happen, but we can give you real life stories and incidents of this very thing. You’ve made the big decision to downsize and sell your home, you’re all excited. You feel like the sale of your home is going to be one of the biggest roadblocks in your transition, so you want to get the process started as soon as possible. We’ve worked with numerous people who were excited about downsizing, got an agent, sold their house and didn’t know where they were moving to. It truly is an all encompassing conversation with the seller. Here at Senior Living Experience we are equipped and prepared to not only talk to you about every aspect of the downsizing process but we’re also here to walk you through it. We have an amazing team ready and willing to serve you and help make this next chapter a little easier. Give us a call today!