A seller not taking my advice?

A buyer not heeding my advice?

Perish the thought!

With all of the information available on HGTV and the Internet, they surely know more than I do. I have only be in this business 23 years...so why would my knowledge, experience and wisdom be of value?

Had a seller insist he would be better off as a FSBO after an offer $3,000 off ask. Let him go FSBO. Got his asking price a little over a year later after paying taxes and utilities beyond $3,000. CD rates were around 12 at the time. Could not wait to tell me he was right. Could not help but laugh. Can't fix stupid

Wow! I'd tell good luck and be on my way. Some people just cannot help themselves Fred and think they know it all!

Sellers are people(even when they are under a corporate veil) and people do all sorts of things for many reasons.  I haven't experienced this particular example but there is no limit on frustration in this or any business if you let that be a part of the picture.  

Your last sentence made it all worth while.

Have I ever had a seller ignore my advice...

uh, yeah.

All the time this dynamic is about doing what it does. Remember: Real Estate is very opinionated. I have told people what should or should not be done based on what it needs, or takes or doesn't and still they want to do what they want to do. What most people tend to forget is the "negotiations" part in the transaction. That's where we do what we must or don't based on pricing and not emotions. Sellers have a fool for a client if they proceed and not heed a professionals been there and done that input

Typically they listen to me, since I have a track record with remodeled homes.  When they do, they sell faster and for more money.  Sometimes they argue about a paint color, but in the end we're trying to appeal to a wider audience, not the the person who is selling the home.

I only give generic advice without a signed listing agreement though.  After that, they are taken under my wing and even get access to my army of contractors.

Move on when they will not accept good advice.

Sellers of a certain generation often do not listen to me,  others do and wow does the deal go better for them. There's a generation of "I know better because I read an article on the Internet" I'm starting to experience, but they tend to fall in a particular age bracket I've noticed in my experience since it became an issue in my business about 7 years ago. Coincidentally, and ironically, 7 straight years of market growth has contibuted.

Yes. And I declined to work with said sellers.  Life is just too short Fred. 

Funny, but not surprising...

I am willing to bet that there are agents that would encourage him just to get the listing.

Eve

I was referred to a guy that did basically the same thing your guy did but over 3 years.  I did get the house sold but as for working with him again I declined, not a chance.  He was weird in many ways. Very strange dude.

Fred,

The only time a seller did not follow our advice was when we asked him to paint his pink building in a creme color.  He was so upset!  And we happily gave him the listing back.  A

Yeah, no, there's no way I'm going to deal with someone that won't do what I advise.

And that's why I have a 7-day mutual kickout in my listings.

I had a guy w a bunch of stuff in his commercial building; I told him get that crap out of there.

In the listing: *Marketing to begin once building is cleared.*

He then moved more stuff in there to where we couldn't even walk through it.

I pulled the listing, you're not hamstringing me. It takes long enough to sell those to begin with.

We see this far too often.

I haven't had a situation like this one, Fred... but I have had sellers not listen to me... I've been know to fire those or not take them on as a client. I don't need those headaches.

Of course, but maybe not quite in that precise way. The better question might be - do they ever listen? Yes, sometimes and come out "on top".

Welcome to the wonderful world of real estate. Most people ask for your opinion and some even pay for your opinion and then disregard it. Life moves on.

Fred, why do sellers NOT listen???   It is very frustrating, especially when they come back and are angry at you.  How dumb! 

They ususally listen when we give advice such as yours - don't spend money. They don't always listen when they can get a good ROI but have to part with some money to do it. So they usually listen pretty good when I'm telling them to not spend money but only about 1/2 the time when I'm encouraging them to handle some situation. We are in a strong sellers market.

It happens from time to time, but for the most part sellers listen.  

Seller watched TV, shopped on Amazon and Home Depot, looked up kitchens on Pinterest, and got advice from 30 contractors who were happy to bid and replace. 

You are probably correct the time and money may have been wasted. 

Why do you think he went through all this stress? 

I don't know why you didn't clairvoyantly see he was a genius.

Yes I have had this happen a few years ago with almost the same situation. Father passed away, kids had house. Brother says that the house will be worth $$$ more if we put in hardwood floors. 3 months later - hardwood floors not finished. They got a deal & it's hard to find wood to match. 2 more months go by before I see it. When the carpet was taken out, it hid (not the best word) the fact that some floors were uneven. Now with hardwood it sticks out like a sore thumb. No extra value .... 4 to 5 months down the road into the winter market. Just stupid.

Yes, it happens. They hire you for your expertise but, they know it all. When their plan doesn't work, they blame you. I try not to take listings from people who are not going to listen to me.Sometimes you don't realize it until it is too late.

In my experience, it's far more common for my sellers to do LESS renovation and repair than I advise!