Knowing When to Move On — or Skip Altogether
First, a definition: a “deal breaker” to a prospective Buyer is anything that, all by itself, rules out a particular home.
Exactly what that is, though, varies by Buyer.
So, from past experience, I know that deal breakers can be anything from a dated Kitchen, to an especially offputting odor, to the wrong school district, to a backyard pool.
“Next!”
From a Realtor’s perspective, there’s really no such thing as a deal breaker: in each of the above cases, money can correct/overcome the objection.
So, the Kitchen can be remodeled; the family can open enroll their kids or send them to private school; the pool can be filled in, etc.
However, if the prospective Buyer isn’t willing or financially able to do those things, the only appropriate response is: “Next!”
P.S.: sometimes, deal breakers can be overcome incrementally — for example, updates (or more accurately, lack thereof).
However, other deal breakers — like a pool — can’t really be addressed that way.
