Why are they selling ?
EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW? Why are they selling anyway?
Yes, this is the most common question we receive as Agents/Brokers. The “Why are they selling?” question comes most from both agents and their buyers as well.
We find this the most interesting and confusing question we receive as it gets to the seller’s MOTIVATION.
As agents, we all know that sharing motivation of the seller or buyer for that matter, is a big no-no in our industry. Motivation, pricing strategy and timing are protected in our agency relationship with our clients. Therefore, we usually answer a question with a question and ask…. “why is your client buying?”…. signaling to the other agent that their question really is off limits.
Rarely do our clients want the specifics or intimate details of their life plans shared with a potential buyer and their agent. Not unlike everything in Real Estate there are exceptions to the rule and some of our clients want motivation to be known and shared as they believe it will expedite the sales process. In that scenario, a documented conversation or email is important to ensure everyone understands what is being shared in the way of motivation and who has approved it to be let known.
Another thought that arises and causes us some concern when the question of motivation is asked by peers in the industry who should know better, is that there often seems to be an under tone of discovery…and the question that is really being asked amounts to …. what sinister agenda is your seller involved in? This becomes especially true if they have purchased the home 9-18 months earlier and now have it back on the market. So…. what sort of nefarious deeds could our sellers be up to in wanting to sell their home?
We know we live in an interesting community and lots of agents have wild imaginations about what goes on in this little town. Fueling the imaginative bent, is the rise in reports of alien abductions in the area. However, we do not believe there should be grave cause for concern about such visitations. We do sense however that agents just really want clients to share the sordid details of alien encounters, their recent difficulties with government officials, blood / urine samples and what not. I mean we all know that certain areas of town are being tested for electromagnetic pulses at the subterranean level which attributes to the malfunction of microwaves and tv’s and other home electronics. And isn’t it our duty as agents to ensure we differentiate between alien encounters and hauntings and protect our community and its people from stigma and harm? Certainly contact from the other side must be disclosed and would be considered a stigma sale. We must be ever vigilant and take all of these issues into consideration when evaluating the seller’s motivation to move now shouldn’t we?
But seriously though, most if not all sellers, just like buyers, are moving for the usual more benign reasons: downsizing, upsizing, marriage, divorce, birth, death, finances, getting/losing a job, health and our TOP TRENDING REASON (drum roll please)….
… moving to another town or even province to be closer to their growing extended family and new grandchildren! These sellers, just like buyers, roll with the life changes like the rest of us and whether they are moving in response to alien visits from outer space or the call of family ties and the birth of a grandchild, the motivations of our clients is and remains CONFIDENTIAL!
If you want to work with an agent that keeps your private things private but also has a sense of humour…we have the agents for you… call 250-545-9039.
