What Showing Feedback Really Means (and How to Use It to Actually Sell Your Home)
Most home sellers obsess over showing and open‑house feedback.
Why didn’t they like it? What does this comment really mean? Should I change the carpet, repaint the walls, or drop the price?
In a recent episode of the Talking Realty podcast, Glen Whitten and Taysia from Ohio Property Group broke down real feedback from real showings and explained what it actually means — and more importantly, how to use it to find your real buyer instead of chasing ghosts. You can watch it here or read on.
Here’s the big takeaway:
Most feedback is either vague, misleading, or emotionally driven. The only feedback that truly matters is useful feedback and offers.
Below, we’ll walk through actual feedback examples, what they really mean, and what you should (and shouldn’t) do with them.
“Not interested. Love the location and neighborhood. Unfortunately it needed more updating than they’re looking to take on.”
What It Really Means:
This buyer already knew exactly what the house looked like before they arrived. They saw the photos, the layout, the age of the home, and the condition. What they’re actually saying is: “For this house, at this price, it’s too much money for the amount of updating it needs.” It’s not about paint, cabinets, or flooring. It’s about price‑to‑perceived-value mismatch.
What to do with it:
Don’t renovate based on this feedback. There are too many variables like an individual’s taste/preference and no real set guide on what exact rennovations net you a positive return on investment.
Unless renovation is your full‑time job, you’ll almost always:
- Pay retail for labor and materials
- Guess wrong about buyer preferences
- Spend more than you’ll get back
If one buyer said this, ignore it and move on. If you see this comment repeated by multiple buyers, you should consider adjusting the price (not the house).
“First day of showings. Clients still figuring out what area of town they want to be in.”
What It Really Means:
Almost nobody shops for homes without knowing the area they want. This is polite filler language that usually means “we think there are better options at this price point.”
What to do with it:
Ignore the words. Look for patterns.
If you see several buyers passing while referencing price or value indirectly, the market is telling you something. You may need to look at more specific comparables in your neighborhood. If you based your price on 3 bedrooms but notice there is a clear preference for 3-bed ranch homes and you have a split-level, you need to find what the split levels are selling for.
There are a lot of variables that contribute to a professional price opinion. Let us use our expereince and Realtor-only tools to help you. You can get a free Home Value Report or book a free no-obligation call and we’ll talk through your property and situation to help you set your list price.
“Price is just right. Beautiful home. Thanks for the showing.”
What It Really Means:
This is what we call greeting‑card feedback. It’s designed to be polite and avoid confrontation, not to help you sell your home.
The real truth test is simple: Did they write an offer? If not, their opinion of your price doesn’t matter.
What to do with it:
Treat this feedback as emotionally comforting but strategically useless. Don’t use it to justify holding your price.
If you’re seeing plenty of showings, lots of “greeting-card” feedback, and no offers. The market is telling you that somethig is off. It’s usually 1 of three things:
- You’re attracting the wrong buyers – are you marketing an as-is fixer upper as a move in ready home?
- You are priced just a liiiitle too high. You’re close enough that buyers are coming to look, but high enough that they aren’t willing to write an offer. You may think they should just try to negotiate, but they may not bother if there are similar properties on the market that are priced more competitively.
- Something is wrong in the home. Your price and marketing may be fine, but maybe the (hopefully harmless) cracks in the chimney look scary, the basement smells mildewy, or a major appliance appears to be broken.
Speaking of number three, our next piece of feedback is…
“There was water in the basement and through the freshly painted walls.”
See also: “I don’t think the furnace is working. It was freezing.”
What It Really Means:
Finally — useful feedback. You have a serious issue that buyers will not ignore. This is a real objection tied to a real problem.
What to do with it:
Fix it immediately. Even if you have to take the home off the market, fix it properly, and relist it. This is the kind of feedback that saves deals later because you solved a problem before other searching buyers could come across it and be put off your home. Plus, you will update your Residential Property Disclosures to document the issue and the fix, which helps instantly gain buyer trust.
“Considering an offer” / “Making an offer” / “Offer coming”
What It Really Means:
Nothing until you see the offer in writing.
What to do with it:
First: don’t: cancel showings or change your strategy until a real offer is in hand. Too many times we see this feedback but the buyer changed their mind before signing the offer.
Second: Follow up, preferably via text or email. This feedback can be legitimate, which is why it is important to follow up. Remember, even if you are desparate for an offer, you don’t want to sound desparate here.
Thank you for taking the time to show (address). I hope you/the buyers enjoyed the showing. Let me know if you have any questions about the home. All offers can be sent to (email address). Thanks! -your name
Continue to show the home and engage with leads until an agreement is reached and the offer is signed by all parties.
The Most Important Truth About Feedback
Most of it is useless. The truth is the best feedback is an offer, because that is what you need to sell your home.
If a buyer is interested in your house, their actions will tell you more than feedback. Look for:
- Useful feedback you can use to start negotiations (Stalling due to price, may revisit. We loved it but the price is too high.)
- Specific questions about the home (Age of roof/windows/mechanicals? What appliances stay?)
- Offer related questions (How soon do you want to close? Do you have any other offers?)
- An offer
Most sellers react emotionally to feedback. It’s only natural and it can be hard to move past. So, take a step back when you receive feedback and ask yourself “if I read between the lines, what is this really saying?”. Never take one person’s feedback about your price, layout, location, etc to the extreme, but keep track of feedback so you can notice a pattern and adjust your price or marketing accordingly.
Want to dive deeper?
Listen to the full episode of the Talking Realty Podcast for real-world examples and deeper breakdowns of each scam.
Book a free no-obligation seller strategy call. We’ll help you build pricing and launch strategies, get massive MLS exposure, schedule showings and manage feedback with ShowingTime, and turn feedback into real offers.
In the meantime, keep sending your questions. Your best bet is to send a message to me and my team Support@OhioMLSFlatFee.com. We read and respond to every email, even if we aren’t the best people to help you we will point you in the right direction.
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