This may seem like an obvious thing. After all, most listing clients are chomping at the bit to hear what people have to say about their home (some love it so much they leave their cameras and microphones running during showings — a conversation for another time). Therefore, as list agents, we spend an exhaustive amount of time and energy in an attempt to get said feedback, a process best described as an advanced endurance exercise. We call, we text, we email, we email again, then we send a shrug emoji below the text already sent, followed by another phone call emphasizing the importance of a simple response. We even send a picture of the listing along with any memorable characteristics in case the buyer agent showed several other homes that day as well. We continue to bug until, like a mosquito in a quiet room, we become impossible to ignore, and the buyer’s agent finally breaks and gives us minimal feedback. This is the part where I dig deeper than a racoon in a dumpster until I get the detailed feedback I would want if it were my house.

I sympathize. I, too, have been the buyer’s agent who has spent the day showing 10 different homes to a buyer before. It is difficult to remember all the homes and spend the time giving specific feedback. However, since I know my sellers appreciate that, I know it is part of my job as a buyer’s agent to provide feedback. After all, the sellers did accommodate my request for a showing as well as making the home showcase ready for us to walk through. It is the least we can do.

On the other hand, it is the seller’s obligation to listen to constructive feedback. Selling a home is personal. It’s where life happened. Buyers, however, are making a financial decision. Feedback bridges that gap by replacing guesswork with data. It removes the “why isn’t this selling?” mystery and replaces it with actionable insight. Thus, even if you did spend weeks, or even months, painting a landscape masterpiece above the fireplace, it may be considered “too personal” for another buyer. Although you may not want to quit your day job, it doesn’t mean you are a horrible painter. It might mean, however, that you need to provide a little more neutrality to that spot to attract more buyers.

Even positive feedback is useful. It tells us what buyers love, so we can highlight those features more aggressively in marketing and showings. Utah buyers are wonderfully pragmatic. They walk through a house with a mental spreadsheet running in the background, quietly comparing your home to the five others they saw between school pickup and soccer practice. However, Utah buyers are also very polite as well. Perhaps too polite. They will complement the home, thank the agent and leave generalized feedback, even when they knew in the first five minutes that this wasn’t “the one.” While pleasantries and affable remarks are nice to hear, we need the cold hard truth. This is not the time to walk gingerly atop the eggshells. It is the time to break them.

Nevertheless, I’m providing an interpretation just in case the proverbial eggshells are still intact yet no offer is forthcoming. When feedback states, “Feels a little dated for the price,” it isn’t an insult, it is simply a comparison. Buyers are simply stating what else they’ve seen at that price point. So maybe a price adjustment is in order. Other common translations: “Loved the home” = It was nice, but not nicer than the others. “Great layout” = The layout worked, but something else didn’t. “Not quite the right fit” = Price, location or condition didn’t align.

Feedback fills in the blanks between a lot of showings and no offers. If one buyer, for example, mentions an odor, perhaps they just came from a hot yoga class and they are smelling themselves (speaking from personal experience), but if five buyers all mention it, it is constructive criticism that should initiate a change. Some feedback indicates simple presentation issues, not fatal flaws. Perhaps the lighting is dim, and the bulbs need to be changed out and the blinds adjusted. Maybe furniture placement is making the room feel small. Often a professional cleaner and a little handy work with touch-ups is all that is needed.

The market itself will always give feedback, even if the potential buyers don’t, if given time. Listening early, however, gives sellers options. Waiting gives leverage. Homes that are adjusted thoughtfully based on feedback tend to sell sooner with less stress and without the slow drip of price reductions that feel far worse in the long run than an honest comment ever could.

Although we may be kind in Utah, we are also educated. Buyers are informed, cautious and value driven. They are not looking for perfection, but they do expect alignment between price, condition and competition.  Showing feedback isn’t about agreeing with every buyer. It is about understanding what the majority of buyers are experiencing when they walk through your home. You don’t have to love feedback; you just have to use it. Because in this market, clarity beats guesswork hands down.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.