Occasionally I get a call from a seller looking to sell their property however said property is currently occupied with tenants or a future ex. No matter whether it is a normal resale or distressed short sale, I have a strict no tenant policy in place. This means if you have a home you want to sell and someone other than the owner is occupying it, call me when they move out!
Let’s face it, I am an aggressive Realtor. My combination of traditional and online marketing blitz is really unparalleled which results in showing traffic and offers. It is a frustrating experience to get the momentum ball rolling only to have it crash at the front door of an uncooperative tenant.
If I have learned one thing in real estate over the years, that lesson is that exes and tenants really do not care about a seller selling their house. Sorry but it is true. I have had sellers tell me that tenants have promised, even in writing, that they will comply with all showings with 24 hours advance notice however what I have experienced is nothing less than the opposite. House is left unkept ranging from as little as unmade beds and dirty dishes to hoarder type filth. Tenants avoid phone calls, refuse to open the door, sometimes even abusive to the agents calling. Once I had a tenant add an extra lock so even though the key in the lockbox opened 2 locks, the tenant installed a third so we could not enter.
Let’s face it, if the house sells that means one thing to the tenant or ex wife/husband – It is time to move out in 30 days or less! The longer they can prolong the expense of movers and finding a new place to live then they will! There is no motivation for them to keep the house spotless much less sell the house. I have even had buyers avoid looking at tenant occupied homes in fear of facing the eviction process in the event they do not move in time. The only instance where tenants occupying the property is a plus is for investor purchases but the pool of landlord investors has dwindled in this market.
I am positive that there are wonderful tenants out there who do comply with showings however it is my personal choice that I do not take those listings. Good luck and let me know when the property is vacant!
Respectfully,
Realtor Extraordinaire
