Home Sellers Skeptical of Private Listings
Home sellers are experiencing confusion and skepticism regarding private listing networks and promises of increased revenue. They feel misled by the suggestion that keeping a property off the open market will generate special demand or higher prices, highlighting a lack of transparency and potential exploitation. This creates distrust and uncertainty in the selling process.
SOURCES (60)
“Just curious, how much do you feel Zilliow estimates are off? I see a lot of homes in markets aren't selling... I always heard, "It's the price!" Then I check the history and see several reductions.... Some as high as 20K in a month. And…”
“I came to find out my agent never actually visited the property, I found that out after he admitted it to me when I got to the home for the first time and called him. This and the appraisal are your most actionable issues. Unfortunately, the inspector almost certainly has a clause that limits their liability to the fees paid. First, you can file a grievance with the VA about the appraisal but it must be done through your lender. Your lender has some way to review an appraisal. You must document”
“Requiring disclosure seems obvious.Using AI for these pics is also not inherently deceptive though.I live in an extremely overheated housing market where properties are usually sold/rented long before they actually get completed. I'm fine with landlords using AI in their renders to make claims about how the place will eventually look.You also see people using AI to put furniture into the image (I assume they are also taking out the furniture that's actually there, belonging to the previous tenan”
“I don't advertise the exact street address nor do I post exterior photos. Works very well.”
“So my husband and I are selling our home through a brokerage because we did not get great equity on the house. My brokerage posted all pictures on MLS and I did edit some of the pictures that were professionally taken because we changed the wall color and lights to be more appealing. Every other detail in the photo is the same. It does make a big difference. The issue is, on Zillow only, when you click on the pictures individually, it reverts back to unedited version. My broker who loaded them o”
“This actually happened to me recently as a buyers agent. Working for buyers in a very specific area to purchase. Not many homes come on the market, maybe 5 in 2 months time. We look at them all and I find a coming soon that is ready for 7 days out. The love the pictures - but the location is bullseye which made it highly desirable. We are the first group in the door when it’s active and they love it even more. Their feedback is we can’t lose this house - I pull comps and show they should offer 1”
“I’d start by separating this into two questions: does she want to keep the property, or does she just want a clean exit? If she wants to keep it, the first move is probably talking to the lender while she’s still current. A hardship option, loan mod, or temporary plan may buy time before things get worse. If she wants out, I’d look at: true as-is value today payoff amount liens/taxes/utilities actual rehab scope whether the lot can legally be split ARV after repairs whether the garage/alley acce”
“I’ve had my pics posted on Facebook marketplace a few times. I periodically search there and report. To the shock of literally no one, Facebook doesn’t care and won’t remove the scam posts, claiming they don’t violate TOS. The next time I list I’m thinking of watermarking my photos with “this property not listed on Facebook marketplace”. I will only post on Zillow, apartments.com and Redfin and their associated sites. Don’t pay someone to look at an apartment. See it first and meet a human befor”
“Some websites (StreetEasy/Zillow, Avail) now ask that the lister provide documentation to prove either ownership or a contract with the owner allowing for listing services.”
“Annoying answer: the agents are half right, and the half matters. A house + ADU is still a single-family for appraisal purposes, so it'll be valued on comps, and the buyer's lender anchors to that appraisal - which caps what income-based pricing can achieve no matter how well you market it. Cap-rate pricing only really functions for 2-4 unit product where the buyer pool underwrites income by default.”
“A lot of owners want the info more than the deal. They take the call to learn price and ideas then get busy or scared to say no so they ghost.”
“Is this a legit company? I found 3 LLCs in CA. Random miss spellings across the US. As a buyer, is it even something to be worried about? Like I feel for the misguided sellers for sure, but hell it’s a good deal. submitted by /u/Legal_Audience_4931 [link] [comments]”
“You say she's retired and wants to move, but also that she doesn't want to deal with tenants. Is the house her primary residence or an income property? It makes a difference.”
“Might want to specify which Birmingham you’re talking about. From your comments it seems like UK?”
“Regarding #3, what issues were these that you didnt realize until later but you could have seen from the start? Im having issues seeing this and taking too long on each property”
“Would i be better off going through a different realtor than the one the seller listed with? Or could going through a different realtor just end up with myself having to pay more? submitted by /u/nomad2585 [link] [comments]”
“I am selling a house representing the current owners which are multiple siblings. They inherited the house. We went to market and had two really strong offers. Most of them wanted to take it (which was smart because it was 8% over asking and waived everything) except a couple of the siblings felt like they could get better and wanted to wait a week. The offers expired and one of them came Back and pressed them again to take it (again, it was a really good offer). They countered and took an extra”
“My realtor toured my home, recommended work, had his handyman give me a quote. He said the house cant be posted online until the photos are taken. But the photos can’t be taken until his handyman finishes the work. And now I’m being told that I have to pay the travel fee for the photographer. The one that I didn’t choose and that the agency uses for all their homes. Is this normal? submitted by /u/youareasnort [link] [comments]”
“Hey all, first time home, er, seller here. And am looking for advice if I'm overreacting about my perceived poor choices of my realtor, or if I'm on point. And if asking for a mutual parting of ways now that the house is on market (as of Friday) is a good idea or not. Feedback from any professionals if agents themselves a bonus. Basically, I've felt like I had to do most of his job for him, and I don't feel confident that he feels confident in his actions. Basically, my complaint”
“I amthe seller. House went under contract June 16th. But we get that the closing is much later and was set to July 27th. Now we are told it will be even later than that because the buyer has to request stuff from the IRS and then they can do some more paperwork. My real estate agent says she is on leave 8/16-9/20. Basically everything is done. The house is ready. It's just so much waiting and paperwork. Our house was being fixed up with no one living there since March 14th. So now we are loo”
“that deal definitely raises some flags, especially the part about not seeing language regarding default and foreclosure rights in the contract. it sounds like the buyer walks away with a lot of cash, and that could create a risky situation for you if things go south. been looking at options like 1st nationwide mortgage, along with others, just to compare financing solutions. be sure to consult with a solid real estate attorney before moving forward.”
“My agent has QI available. What if there is no appraisal to establish FMV at the time of passing?”
“Have you considered targeting more investor focused realtors? Additionally, If you do have your license posting on MLS may be a better option.”
“If it's currently leased out. Buy your own appraisal and tell them to factor in the NOI. Show it to your broker, Or market the home yourself.”
“Another challenge you may run into is the appraisal, not just the marketing. Unless your market has a lot of homes with ADUs, many appraisers won't simply add the ADU's square footage to the main house and apply the same price per square foot. They often value the ADU separately and look for comparable sales with ADUs, which can be hard to find in smaller markets. The rental income absolutely has value, but depending on the loan type and the appraiser, it doesn't always translate dol”
“It feels like they're trying to answer two different questions with one listing. The home itself should absolutely be marketed as a home, but the ADU is a feature that can appeal to a completely different buyer. Some people will see rental income, others will see multigenerational living, a guest house, or a home office. If that isn't being highlighted in the listing, there's a chance you're narrowing the audience more than you need to.”
“Is it the pricing and strategy recommended that is discouraging you from hiring any of these agents? You can solve this mystery by paying for a FMV Appraisal . Make sure the appraiser has experience with income properties, etc. You determine the flow. If you have permits, floorplans , etc. for the ADU.. the buyer for this property is likely another owner occupant/investor or /combo multi gen family situation. You need to include all the improvements made on the property to the appraiser. Done. m”
“I would stop trying to make the agent understand the ADU as a concept and give them two clean packets. Packet one is the normal house comp story. Packet two is the investor story: legal ADU status, current lease or rent roll, separate entrance, separate meters, parking, utility responsibility, insurance note, actual expenses, vacancy assumption, and the net monthly number after repairs and reserves. If the investor packet supports a better value at the local cap rate, market both buyer pools. If”
“I’ll market it as a home with an income producing ADU, not just extra square footage. Buyers should see the separate rent potential, current or projected income, utilities, permits, and privacy/setup. also look for an agent who has sold duplexes, multifamily homes, or house-hack properties. A regular single family agent may not know how to present the value properly tbh”
“the agents might actually be right here, even if they not explaining it well. most buyers in smaller markets look at an ADU and think "cool extra space for mother in law or something" not "rental income" so marketing it purely on that angle narrows your buyer pool too much. you could list it with the square footage approach but mention the rental potential as bonus in description, like "ADU currently rented for $X/month" so the numbers speak for themselves without s”
“We had our friend list our home for us (March 2026). We always knew her plan was to move and she turned our listing over to another agent. Both have been great. We are under contract to sell (YAY) and I'm wondering what kind of financial compensation I can legally "gift" them in this situation? I want to send them both something, but I know that I can't just send cash? Or can I? submitted by /u/Wonderful_Habit_ [link] [comments]”
“Depending on the market the ADU may not have the same demand that you’re thinking of or hoping for. You consider it income, but the average buyer in that area may be more likely to consider it just extra space like a man cave or guest room. If you’re trying to limit your buyer pool to ONLY those people who will use it as an income source, then your pool of potential buyers is going to be much smaller and drive the price down.”
“I think both points can be true. I probably wouldn’t market it as a straight duplex to a traditional multifamily buyer, because an ADU over a garage is not the same buyer psychology as two equal side-by-side units. But separate meters, separate entrances, separate garage access, and a clear parking setup are still strong selling points. That makes it much easier to explain as a house-hack or income-producing property. I’d probably position it as: “live in the main house and keep the ADU income,””
“I wouldn’t market this as just a larger single-family home. The ADU is the value driver, so the listing needs to clearly explain the income/house-hack angle . You’re probably not selling to a normal “I just want more square footage” buyer. You’re selling to one of three buyers: owner-occupant who wants rental income, multi-generational family, or investor. I’d package it like this: Main house rent: $X ADU rent: $X Total current/projected monthly income: $X Separate entrance: yes Separate meters/”
“You can market the home as an investment property or you can market the home as a home. My guess is the home is worth more as a home than an investment property which is why all of the realtors are trying to market it that way. You want it both ways and that is not how things work. If you post the expected sales price versus the rental income of the ADU and a home combined and I’ll bet the answer is clear as day in those numbers.”
“list it on loopnet or crexi alongside mls, those platforms are where small multifamily and investment property buyers actually look. residential agents default to comps because that's what appraisers use for owner-occupied loans, but investors run their own numbers on cash flow and cap rate.”
“if the ADU is legal and generates income stop marketing it like extra square footage homebuyers buy square footage investors buy cash flow those aint the same buyer”
“Unit above the garage is a tough sell as a duplex/investment property. People searching for a duplex likely won't pay a multifamily premium for a unit above garage. Do they have separate driveways? Does the garage unit also have sole access to the garage?”
“That is not what they were telling me. If they were telling me an ADU situation is not a marketable property, I would have a different concern - they were looking at me like they did not even know what an ADU was or why it made selling a house different and just wanted to plug in a total square foot number and multiply it by the price per square foot that they use and it is a done deal.”
“If you’ve truly spoken to every brokerage you would consider using, and none of them see value in the ADU, there is a good chance it’s simply not something that buyers commonly seek in your area. They are trying to make your property appeal to the actual buyer pool, not to develop a strategy to appeal to a single/sub digit percent of buyers.”
“I'm running into a weird situation. I'm exiting a market area and trying to sell my house + ADU. It is a smaller market and all of the agents I have interviewed were all "single family" oriented and do not seem to understand the ADU aspect. They all have wanted to just lump the ADU square footage into the house square footage and market it for a "per square foot" price. I cannot seem to get them to understand the rental income aspect. I've talked to all of the age”
“Has anyone had a realtor refuse mutual termination? I have a license, used a recommendation for a realtor in a state across the country I wasn’t licensed in. Property was inherited and burning a hole in my pocket so I was willing to be extremely flexible, really throughout the whole process. Until I felt the realtor was simply not doing enough after 8 months. When I had to start quarterbacking price drops and analyzing marketing trends myself I decided to move on. They refused, and the local boa”
“The good ones disappear instantly problem is usually more about analysis speed than secret access. At a $300k price point in CT/PA you’re often competing with people who can underwrite a listing fast and make a clean offer while you’re still building the spreadsheet. So the first edge is getting quick at your own numbers purchase price, rehab, real rent comps vacancy and capex. Once you can trust your analysis in an evening on market deals become a lot less impossible. Are you looking at house h”
“I have seen alot of you talk about homeowners doing the facebook/ craigslist, I know what i got line. On their houses where are they getting the evaluations to justify high pricing? Zilliow redfin, or just (hopeful delilusional minds? submitted by /u/peniswrinkle345 [link] [comments]”
“I have been thinking a lot about why some listing posts feel interchangeable, even when the property itself is interesting. The quick check I keep coming back to is: Lead with the buyer situation, not the room count. Example: "For buyers who want a quieter street but still need a short commute..." Name one specific tradeoff. Every home has one. If you ignore it, the copy starts sounding like a brochure. Use one local detail that a portal would not know. A nearby school, walking route,”
“This guy is based in Florida and is an agent but he's working under "Real Broker LLC" I also used AI image search to find the homes he shoots content in front of, and a lot of them were active listings with different agents. I called one of the agents and they had no idea he was going to shoot content at this house, and actually didn't even have a buyer he just made a video and left. Who actually allows this? I see no benefit to let this guy film content in your home, he's”
“Generally that's true. In this case, the buyer is funding the purchase with a loan so the check would come directly from the bank. I still would prefer do that in person at the bank rather than trust USPS with a check.”
“There have always been investors with no money looking for creative financing. However, the creative financing was not as scammy as it is now. I think the investors who are looking for this type of sale are looking for sellers who have no idea that the buyer/investor would take advantage of them to strip their house of equity. I agree that the sellers get blinded by the price and don't understand that the buyer can default and just walk away without any recourse. This is why these buyers pre”
“So the seller is asking nearly $50k above almost anything that is sold nearby now . I know where this conversation is heading, especially after the first few weekends with no offer, but it is not easy to turn down a potential business when things are going slow. In the middle of chaos, I feel it is better to walk away than let it turn into long term frustration submitted by /u/Equivalent-Group3835 [link] [comments]”
“Hey all! It’s been a rough year for me of many terminations. I’m curious if any of you would take this listing or walk: Seller bought home a month ago for $380k. Due to an injury, needs to sell it one month later. Got all new carpet and appliances in the house and wants to list in the low $400’s cause that will get what they paid for the house after closing costs. No home has sold in the neighborhood over $380k in the last two years. The average DOM is 60 days. They seem to not be holding their”
“Would love to read that when you publish! This has been my take, too, but I only looked at it for one provider.”
“Between the bank rates and everything else it just seems like buyers and sellers would both profit so much more If they just cut the bank out of it completely or only ask for a supplemental loan to carry what’s needed. There are lawyers and CPAs and real estate agents who are savvy enough to accomplish all this without a bank and protect interests of all involved, right? Why is there not a huge upswing in this, especially for those downsizing? submitted by /u/Rrenphoenixx [link]  ”