Buying or selling a home comes with a lot of questions. Whether you’re trying to figure out whether you should do those repairs before putting your house on the market or navigating home buying steps for the first time, the real estate process can quickly feel overwhelming.
To help clear the air, we’ve asked our Principal Broker, Chris Rooker, to share his advice on some of our most frequently asked questions. With more than two decades of experience guiding clients through every kind of market, Chris is known for providing clear guidance and straight answers.
Today, he’s breaking down some of the most frequently asked questions into simple, practical insights so you can make your next move with total confidence. Let’s get into it!
Q. Is this defect a serious issue?
A. That depends on when you're asking.
If you're asking before you go on the market, it's really a marketing question. Picture how it lands with a buyer. If you were the one house-hunting right now, would it bother you? If you'd decided to stay in the home another ten years, would you fix it? And think about when a buyer encounters it. Something they see from the curb, like mortar joints that need repointing on the front stoop, reads differently than a stain on the living room carpet they spot the second they walk in, which reads differently again from something tucked away in a basement corner or a back bedroom. The closer it is to the front door, the more it shapes the first impression.
If you're asking after a buyer's home inspection request comes in, it's a risk management question. There's no right or wrong answer. It comes down to what the repair costs, and whether saying no is worth losing this buyer. That's where the history matters. How much activity did you have before you went under contract? How many offers, how many other interested parties? If you had one offer after sixty days, you weigh a repair request very differently than if you had three offers in a weekend.
Q. My neighbor's property is hurting how mine shows. What can I do?
A. This one's delicate, so I'll be honest with you about what's in and out of your control. You can't do much about the condition of the house next door, the dated siding or the peeling trim. But the stuff that tends to drag down a showing the most, an uncut lawn or a yard full of clutter, is often the stuff a neighbor will fix if you ask. Most people don't realize it's affecting anyone. I've seen plenty of neighbors mow more often or clear out the yard once a seller mentions they're going on the market. I've even had sellers offer to do the work themselves, and that's not the worst idea if it gets you a cleaner backdrop for your photos and showings.
Q. What happens if the appraisal comes in low?
A. First, some reassurance. Appraisals come in low less often than people fear. But when it happens, it stings, partly because the appraisal lands well into the process. By then you've likely made plans for where you're going next, and you've spent real market time getting here. Going back on the market after being under contract is the thing we're trying to avoid. Just not at any cost.
So you take stock the same way you would with a heavy inspection request. How much interest did you have before going under contract? How many offers, how many other buyers in the mix? That's your best read on how likely you are to get back under contract if this deal falls apart.
Your agent should also walk through the appraisal with you and pull the comparable sales from the last six months. There's more subjectivity in an appraisal than people assume, even though appraisers work within established formulas. A lot of that subjectivity sits in which sales they choose to compare your house to. So it's fair to ask whether a different appraiser might land higher. The catch: if there genuinely aren't many comparable sales, the next appraiser may put you right back where you started.
Your options usually come down to three. Bring your price down to the appraised value. Hold firm and concede nothing. Or meet somewhere in the middle. Most of the time, it's the middle.
Q. What do I do with my pets during showings?
A. Pets and showings don't mix, and I'd rather you hear the reasons than just take my word for it.
The first is your pet's safety. A cat or dog that bolts for an open door is a real risk during a showing. Your agent will tell buyers and their agents to keep the doors shut, but that message doesn't always make it through, and I've seen what happens when it doesn't. There's also the chance your pet gets frightened, feels cornered, and lashes out, even one that's never shown a hint of aggression. The liability there is serious.
The second reason is simpler. You don't want a buyer's attention on your pet, good or bad. A barking dog or a hissing cat is an obvious problem. But even a buyer who loves animals is now thinking about your golden retriever instead of your kitchen. You want them focused on the house.
So get the pets out for showings, however you can manage it. Some sellers board them, some hand them off to a friend or family member for the day. It's a hassle, but it's worth it.
Q. Do I really have to leave for showings, and for how long?
A. Yes. This is one of the few questions in real estate without a gray area.
Two reasons. A buyer needs to picture themselves living in your home, and they can't do that while the current owner is standing in the kitchen. That imaginative leap is most of what a showing is for. The other reason is your negotiating position. Some buyers and their agents will take your presence as an opening to pepper you with questions, and a few of those questions are designed to learn things that weaken your hand. You hired your agent to be that buffer. Let them field the other side.
I tell sellers to be gone at least fifteen minutes before the showing window opens and once it starts to give it a full hour. If you're anxious, you can always drive by and see whether the cars have cleared out.
Q. Is it worth updating dated features before I sell?
A. This is a genuine "it depends," and the honest answer is that you want an experienced agent to look at it in person before you spend a dollar.
Here's the lens I use. How updated is the house overall? If it's almost entirely current and one feature sticks out like a sore thumb, I'll usually push you to fix that one thing. If the whole house needs work, it's much harder to know where to start and stop, and a full renovation rarely returns what you put into it.
On that note, carefully consider the return on investment. When I recommend a repair or an update, I'm not looking for you to get a dollar back for every dollar in. If that's all it does, skip it. The goal is to get two, three, even five times back on the specific thing we choose to touch. That's the difference between spending money and investing it.
Every real estate journey is unique, and you likely have a few more questions specific to your situation. If you do, reach out! We’re always happy to help you navigate your next move.
