Lavar Ball’s Bluster Won’t Sell Your Rental Home

“Ex-UCLA freshman LiAngelo Ball has no chance that he'll be drafted in June — and that was true before his shoplifting incident in China. ‘He's not on any of our scouting lists — even the extended lists,’ one GM told ESPN.”

Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN Senior NBA Insider)

 

“Gelo is the best two-guard in the draft on the fact that he can shoot better than anybody in the draft.  He’s stronger than anybody in the draft.”

Lavar Ball (father of LiAngelo Ball prior to the NBA Draft where LiAngelo was bypassed by all 30 NBA teams in both rounds of the draft)

 

Sometimes fathers get carried away with how good their sons really are at sports.  And based on how outspoken Lavar Ball is, it is no surprise how bullish he was on his second son’s, LiAngelo’s, ability on the basketball court.

 

Many people dislike Lavar Ball because he is brash and speaks his mind.  He said he could beat potentially the greatest player in the history of the NBA, Michael Jordan, in a one-on-one game in his prime.  He is an unabashed, vocal supporter of himself and his sons.  And his sons definitely have basketball ability, though at differing degrees.

 

His first son, Lonzo Ball, was the second overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers last year.  He proved to be the real deal.  He excelled in college for his one year at UCLA and had a promising rookie year in the NBA.  Some NBA scouts thought he was the best prospect coming into draft- an elite passer and competitor.

 

LiAngelo followed his older brother and also enrolled at UCLA on a basketball scholarship.  Unfortunately, he was arrested in China during a preseason trip with his UCLA teammates, and was suspended.  He later dropped out of school when the suspension did not go away.  He never played in a college game.

 

Lavar thought it was still a mistake that all the NBA teams passed on the chance to sign LiAngelo.  And he blasted them.  But the NBA scouts really have one job- to find the best players they can to help their organization win games.  And they unanimously agreed LiAngelo just wasn’t good enough.

 

Sometimes this type of scenario pervades rental home sales, especially rental homes that have been tenant-occupied for many years.  Landlords see other homes that sell near their rental homes and immediately slot theirs at the highest sales price.

 

Sometimes it’s justified.  However, often it is not.  The rental home is just sometimes not comparable.  Tenants have lived there and may not have taken care of the home.  The landlord might not have made any improvements to the home since it had become a rental and now it is dated with older parts (appliances, flooring, paint, etc.).  This is when the dearth of ongoing home investment can catch up.

 

And that’s fine.  I get it.  No one wants to spend money.  We hope that the house is good enough to sell “as is” too.

 

But buyers know what they like.  And when they enter a home that is priced at the top of the market and doesn’t compare to the updated and lovingly cared for homes also for sale, they will pass without making an offer.  And the home will sit on the market- unsigned like LiAngelo.

 

Despite Lavar’s bluster, the proof is in the pudding.  Is LiAngelo a good enough basketball player to compete and star in “The League”?  Is the rental home in good enough condition to catch buyers’ eyes and make them want to make the biggest investment in their lives for it?  Is there a “WOW” factor or is everything just plain?

 

We all want quick, high-priced sales.  But if the rental house can’t pass like Lonzo, it’s time to either lower price expectations (YMCA league?) or pay the money to make improvements to get to league standard. 

 

Can your rental home walk the talk?

 

Happy Landlording!