Buying an old house – emotional issue for the Seller

March 29, 2015

Buying-an-old-houseYou want to buy an old home in a great area, an area you always dreamed you would live. Let’s say it is an old house in an older area of the city. This means areas in Vaughan and Toronto where the lots are huge and invite you to build your dream home.

There may be personal reasons for the seller to sell the home. The inhabitants might be older, making it harder to maintain the home. For those owners, the stress and emotional ties to their home are very powerful.

Sometimes if not always, negotiations for these older houses are very stressful for the buyer as well. The buyer offers a great price and would expect the seller to agree without much difficulty. Yet in these situations, it is important to remember that there are other factors besides the financial offer.

Put yourself in the seller’s shoes for a second. It might be difficult, but we can look at it from their perspective. The seller might have bought this home many years ago. Their first-born child might have been born in the house. The shelves in the basement might have been put there by their grandfather. The mother in law might have planted the large trees in the backyard, despite the fact that they are now destroying the underground pipes. They may have seen their grandkids grow up in the home and many of the furnishings have emotional attachments as well. They might be friends with the neighbors, might have been for years. The list of emotional attachments never ends – which should prove why some sellers are emotionally attached to the house.

The worst experience I have ever had in this type of situation is when an older woman (the seller) was unable to support herself in her home. Because her daughter bought a large home, she was taking her mother in to live with her. It was difficult to negotiate with the seller because she was literally crying before my eyes.

If you are buying a home, you cannot just show up with a great offer and expect it to be accepted. People are selling more than ‘just a home’; they are selling part of their life, their memories.

The sellers are more than likely interested in the following questions:

  • Who is going to live in the home?
  • Does the buyer plan to live in the current home or make massive renovations, even build a new home?

There are an endless number of questions that people might have about the potential new owners of the home. Remember that it is important that you are patient. Be patient. Leave that negotiation process to your agent. Sometimes it takes longer to buy an old house. As an experienced real estate agent, I know how to negotiate with different parties, including those who are more concerned with their home being in good hands than with the actual price that they get.

I believe in win-win situations. Both parties in any real estate transaction have to be happy. I have the ability to make that happen.

For more information you can call me right now: 416-825-7888 or email angela@azgta.com

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