Dear Wendyl,
Recently my husband and I decided to sell our house. our children have all moved out and it just makes sense to buy something smaller that doesn’t need so much work. We might even have some money left over for a holiday.
The only problem is that my husband has decided to save on real-estate agent fees and sell it himself by listing it on Trade Me and taking out ads in the newspaper. I am horrified at how bad a salesman he is. Every time someone comes to look, he keeps pointing out the work we haven’t done and how much is needed.
In my opinion, he is being too honest and we should let an agent handle it. It’s been on the market for a month and we’ve not had one offer! How do I get him to let the experts do it?
Holiday Hoper, by email
Dear Holiday Hoper,
Has it occurred to you that your husband might not want to sell your house? Because from where I’m standing, that seems to be the case. Pointing out faults and defects is being honest but it sounds like he’s doing it in such a way as to prevent a sale rather than encourage one.
I think you need to go back to the drawing board and have a good conversation where your husband gets to express how he feels about all this. Could he have been railroaded into this decision by you or for some other reason?
After this discussion, if you honestly think he’s actually okay with selling the family home, tell him how you feel and suggest a deadline of three months. If it hasn’t sold in that time then you will both agree to get an agent in. That way he has some time to refine his sales skills and prove you wrong – if he wants to.
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