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"My mother planted those GIANT Junipers," the Seller said, nostalgia dripping from her voice. "I'd hate to take them down."
"That's unfortunate because the trees literally block the house," I said, "you could easily drive right past and never know the home was there at all. (That's no exaggeration - there's a very cute house waiting to be loved behind those trees.)
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"It's nothing to write home about," the gentleman loudly said into his phone while Face-Timing his out-of-town friend, "but for your purposes, it will do."
"Pardon me?" Listen, reasonable minds can agree to disagree, but it's probably NEVER a good idea to walk through a house in front of the listing Agent critiquing it while others are within earshot, especially as we've just spent weeks getting the property ready for the marketplace to make sure it shines and presents in its best light. "I'll meet you this evening for the BIG unveiling," my email said, and then I added, "fair warning, you may not initially love the work." (Let's just say I've traveled this road before.)
While Agents know that staging provides the BIGGEST and BEST returns on a a client's investment, Sellers don't always meet our improvements with the oohs and aahs we were hoping for. Even the most stunning transformations can illicit a negative response, and while that's not necessarily unexpected, it can feel like a letdown after we've spent weeks (sometimes months) preparing the property for market. (It's not every Agent that can professionally hang wallpaper, but we are truly hands-on.) I'm always a little amazed and amused when I get the inevitable question from the Buyer's Agent prior to the offer date: "What are the Sellers' expectations? (They're "great.")
With more than 20 years of selling Real Estate, I've yet to answer that query the way they'd probably prefer: "They just want a nice family who will love the house as much as they have. Price isn't really their driving force or even their objective . . . " (Yeah, right.) “I love the house,” the woman said, “but it’s the garden I can’t get over,” she gushed.
The compliment was well deserved. Artfully designed by a landscape professor from UC Berkeley, the front and rear gardens at our newest listing in Elmwood are spectacular. Featuring a graceful landscape that includes a wisteria-covered arbor, fig, apple, and pomelo trees, herb garden, blooming ground cover, lush beds, bubbling Zen fountain, gas fire pit, and expansive deck, it’s easy to imagine the hours spent here with fresh lemonade and a good book. |
AuthorJulie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 19 years and has published more than 850 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 
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