Unique Seller Questions
The questions behind every listing
I hear it all the time. “Robbyn, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be asking you.” That fear of the unknown is real, especially for someone who has lived in the same home for decades and has never gone through this before. The truth is, you’re not supposed to already know the questions. That’s my job.
Why does Robbyn Battles ask so many questions when she sits down with a seller?
This page is where I share some of the most unique, most unexpected questions I’ve asked sellers over thirty-eight years. These aren’t just questions, they’re the questions that turn uncertainty into clarity, and clarity into an actual plan. Two sellers can be at the exact same stage in life, both retiring, both ready to move on, and still walk away with almost none of the same questions between them. What feels like the outcome, retiring, downsizing, moving closer to family, is often just the beginning. My questions are about making sure we’ve covered the what-ifs. Did you think about this? Did you think about that? The goal is for you to walk away thinking, I didn’t even know I needed to be asked that. We won’t think of everything. But after thirty-eight years, we’ll think of ninety-nine percent of it.
What do these unique questions actually sound like?
“Robbyn, I just want you to come over and tell me what I need to do to the house.”
When I got there, there really wasn’t much to do. He’d taken great care of the place. So I asked him where he felt stuck. He pointed to the garage. Tackling the garage turned out to be the actual starting point, not the house itself. Once that was organized, everything else started falling into place. “Yeah, Robbyn, I just gotta tackle that garage.” One sentence, and suddenly there was a plan.
“Robbyn, I’ve lived here for fifty years, and I have so much stuff, I don’t even know where to start.”
Sometimes the next question isn’t about the house at all. It’s about who’s going to help sort through it. Do you think you might need a senior move manager? That one follow-up can turn an overwhelming project into something manageable, broken into rounds instead of tackled all at once.
“Robbyn, how can I sell my house off market? I don’t want a bunch of strangers walking through my house.”
Behind a question or comment like that, I immediately had so many more questions of my own. What’s going to make you comfortable? Is privacy the real concern? How do you feel about safety, is it the strangers themselves, or something else entirely?
Getting to the real reason is what shapes the right approach.
“I don’t ask questions to get answers. I ask questions so sellers can find their answers, and make the decisions that are actually right for them.”
That’s how a plan comes together, not a list of answers, but decisions a seller actually feels confident making. It’s how the fear of the unknown I mentioned at the very start turns into clarity instead.
Where do these questions lead?
These are just a few of the real questions that have come up in thirty-eight years of conversations with sellers across La Crescenta, Tujunga, and the surrounding foothill communities. Each one is part of building that path, the one that turns the fear of the unknown into clarity, and clarity into confidence.
To see how this plays out in a real transaction, start with How Two Retiring Couples Had Completely Different Sets of Questions and Circumstances, where two recent sellers, both retiring, asked almost none of the same questions along the way.
This is an ongoing series. Every time I represent a new seller, there are new questions worth sharing, so check back here often for the latest.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve lived in my home for decades and don’t know where to start. What’s the first step?
Usually not the house itself. It’s often the smallest, most overlooked space, a garage, an attic, a closet nobody’s opened in years. Once that one space is organized, the rest of the plan tends to fall into place.
Do I need a senior move manager to sell a home I’ve lived in for decades?
Not always, but it often helps. A senior move manager breaks the sorting and packing process into manageable rounds instead of one overwhelming push, so the homeowner can focus on decisions instead of boxes.
Can I sell my home off market without opening it up to strangers?
It’s possible, and the right approach depends on what’s actually driving that request, comfort, privacy, or safety. Getting to the real reason is what shapes the right plan.
Robbyn Battles
The House Agent
818-388-1631
More Unique Seller Questions
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