Anti-Glam Realtors (Portland, Beaverton, Clackamas: sale, rental, houses)

[fortunatus]

I heard that some realtors specialize in working with sellers who prefer to sell their houses as-is. (No home staging, no glamorous rental furniture, floor shot due to many pets over many years and the owner is too cheap to replace the floor "just for the next guy", same for interior painting - you get the idea).

Is it true that some realtors actually prefer to work with such anti-glam cheapskates? Please note: while I am asking in the context of Portland, my interest in purely academic. I am neither a seller nor a realtor.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Some agents specialize in finding fixer-uppers for their investor clients. Therefore they are happy to list fixer-uppers and have buyers waiting for them. Those agents also list well maintained houses and have a client base for that type also, so the fixer-upper is not their only business.

[fortunatus]

Years down the road when I'm ready to sell, I expect my house to be what it is today: in top condition structurally and on the outside, but lazily maintained inside. By no means will it be a fixer-upper, just in need of interior renovation I have no interest in paying for. Thanks for the hint in the direction of the right realtor crowd - I'll remember the advice.

[Luckystrike1]

When a friend of mine decided to sell her house, her living room carpet was atrocious. But she couldn't make herself pay for a new carpet for someone else to enjoy, so she had the price lowered to match the cost of new flooring.

With houses becoming a premium, I wouldn't be worried about it selling in less than perfect condition.

[SkyLark2019]

AFAIK it's frowned upon to let a seller list a house looking like a nightmare.

Life always gets in the way for sellers, it seems.... We accepted a less than great looking interior b/c overall, the place was perfect.

[texasdiver]

Honestly it doesn't really matter what realtors or sellers want or do. It is all one housing market. What do I mean?

Think about the process of shopping for a home. You decide where you want to live, say SE Portland, Clackamas, Beaverton, etc. You maybe narrow it down to neighborhoods. Then you decide what you can afford. Say $750,000 to toss out some random number. Then you are going to search your desired neighborhoods for homes within the price range that you can afford. And they will sort themselves out logically. Some will be overpriced relative to condition, size, location. Others will be underpriced. And some will be in the middle.

The best deals and your top choices will become obvious. If you want to sell a house that is trashed, go for it but you will be competing against homes that aren't trashed and will have to adjust prices accordingly. Obviously some buyers are more likely to seek out trashed homes. Flippers, people who are looking to build sweat equity, etc. But they will still need to be priced accordingly.

[SaltwaterTherapy]

Originally Posted by fortunatus

I heard that some realtors specialize in working with sellers who prefer to sell their houses as-is. (No home staging, no glamorous rental furniture, floor shot due to many pets over many years and the owner is too cheap to replace the floor "just for the next guy", same for interior painting - you get the idea).

Is it true that some realtors actually prefer to work with such anti-glam cheapskates? Please note: while I am asking in the context of Portland, my interest in purely academic. I am neither a seller nor a realtor.

Personally, I don't have a preference. I'm going to do my job and carry out my duties for every seller the same way, which ends in getting them top dollar and checking off as many of their expectations as possible. "Anti-glam cheapskates" sound like difficult clients. It's our job to educate sellers on the market and how their home compares in it's current condition. What they are willing or not willing to do is on them and may or may not be reflected in the traction the property receives in marketing and/or its potential offers. Difficult clients usually have unrealistic expectations. I've had a few over the years and they typically aren't worth the commission at the end. You'll spend more time and money seeing a Psychologist wondering why you chose this career . Seriously though! It's a thick-skin business and can be soul sucking at times. As for "...the next guy", that's not our problem when representing the seller. Our duties are owed to the side that we have an exclusive agency relationship with, whether that's the seller or the buyer. However, there is always a shared interest to come to a meeting of the minds and get to the closing table, which is where a willingness to negotiate comes into place.

[fortunatus]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Honestly it doesn't really matter what realtors or sellers want or do. It is all one housing market.

Yes, yes, yes - it's economics. The price is one magic number that reflects everything. That is understood.

My question was about whether Portland realtors work with sellers of houses that are not renovated inside. I got an answer that satisfied me (it's those realtors who also list fixers-uppers).

[fortunatus]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterTherapy

Personally, I don't have a preference. I'm going to do my job and carry out my duties for every seller the same way, which ends in getting them top dollar and checking off as many of their expectations as possible.

What a balanced response! Love it. Perhaps I'll reach out when I'm ready to sell my perfect-exterior-worn-interior house. I may be an anti-glam cheapskate, but I'm a reasonable and open person, if I say so myself. I overheard some others to have used the epithet "nice", but to the truthfulness of that I can't speak.

The only thing is, the time of the sale is not anywhere near.