Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

One of my favorite surefire deal killers is the clingy mother. The mom who doesn’t want her son or daughter to grow up and move away from home, so they reject everything that comes down the line.  Or the jealous friend. Buyer finds a home, falls for it, and brings a friend back for a second or third look. Buyer’s friend is jealous because her or she is not the center of attention, and axes the deal with discouraging words like, “this bedroom seems kinda’ small”, or “your potential new neighbor seems kinda’ creepy”. 

I once had a couple who desperately wanted to buy a home…or so I thought. Every time we got close to finding their dream home, the female of this couple got a really serious, almost frightened look on her face. I couldn’t sell them a home. They broke up a month later. Turned out the female realized that buying a home with her boyfriend meant a long future with him. Guess she just didn’t have the heart to tell him during the home shopping process. Fear is a real deal killer. One of the most difficult issues for a realtor to overcome is the fear a buyer has of simply buying.

Some buyers may not actually be looking for a home when they call. My favorite story is of a handsome co-worker who used to place his for sale ads, along with a photo of himself in the local gay paper.  I am not sure how successful he was with this marketing approach, but I do believe he was successful in netting more than one heavy breather kind of phone calls. Nothing more. Just some heavy breathing on the other end of the line. Funny how heavy breathing rarely translates into a sale of a Society Hill condominium.

Equally amusing is the overly supportive friend/parent, who are all too eager to help pull the trigger. They want to be so helpful and positive, that they can’t seem to find any possible downside to the house or condo. Suggestions such as “any closet is a walk-in closet if you try hard enough, Dorothy”.   Or, “do you really need a window in your living room”?  Such folks are a slick realtors’ dream come true!  Kidding.   

A good friend or good parent knows their place when looking at a home or condo with a loved one. They should be there to be supportive. Supportive in an honest, straightforward kind of way. Don’t let yourself call a hellhole a doll house, and vice versa. And if you don’t want your child or roommate moving out,  then perhaps you should just let fate take its course and get yourself a kitten like a normal person might.  Please don’t hesitate to voice your opinion, but maybe throw your opinion out for discussion, instead of presenting it like the gospel.  You will be doing much more good than you might think!