The Real Difference Between Real Estate Reality TV and Real Life

I get asked a lot if I watch any of the real estate reality TV shows and if they are anywhere close to reality. You know the ones— where a buyer chooses a home from a set of three properties, gets an exceptional deal, then begins to renovate the property with minimal hiccups? Or on the seller side of the deal, where the homeowners make a quick decision to list the property and almost always sell at the open house?

Well, as you might imagine, these TV shows don’t really depict the reality of most Atlanta area buyers and sellers. There are a few “myth-understandings” (coined by Gary Keller himself) we’d like to set straight so you can better prepare for how your experience may pan out.

Myth-Understanding: Buyers Only Look at Three Houses
One common theme of the TV shows is that the buyers only look at three properties. However, these shows typically only have 30 minutes to an hour to lay out the story and the home search aspect is only a small part of that time slot. Heineck & Company buyers look at anywhere between 5 and 8 properties before they make their final decision— usually more than the three depicted on these shows.

Myth-Understanding: You Can Always Get a Low Ball Deal 
When you watch these TV shows, you may begin to think that all buyers ask for much less than the listing price and score the home. In reality, low ball offers can risk turning off the seller and then could reject your offer entirely, even without a counter offer. Heineck & Company is just a call, email or text away, so be sure to reach out to get some guidance about the best offer you can submit as low ball “deals” are rare.

Myth-Understanding: Open Houses Sell Houses
Reality TV shows commonly show sellers that have a quick five-minute conversation about listing their property and the next day, the For Sale sign is in the yard, with 25 people lined up to see the house. Remember that they have to skip showing you how long it actually takes to get the house market ready or open house ready. As we’ve mentioned before, it takes time and effort to prepare to sell your home and it pays in spades. Failing to check the necessary boxes prior to going to market can result in weeks sitting on the market longer than it should, thereby reducing your net-net in the end. Luckily, Heineck & Company is seasoned in Listing and Selling, not Listing and Sitting.