We MUST Go To Extremes to Protect Our Sellers' Best Interests
Do we go to the same extremes to protect our sellers that we do our buyers? We dig and dig and do more digging to be 100% sure that the property that our buyers are purchasing property with no hidden defects, no hidden freeways proposed to run through their backyard and even no hidden bugs!
But, are agents protecting their Sellers? I enjoy keeping my hands on both sides of the real estate transaction, representing both buyers AND sellers. THE most frustrating thing that I encounter in my business is dealing with listings that are represented by, let's call them 'ABSENT Listing Agents.'
These absent agents are not just the ones who charge a small fee to list the seller's home in MLS but, FULL time agents who charge FULL price to represent their Sellers. Some of the MOST frustrating things that we all encounter are:
[] Slow or NO return phone calls--especially when I'm holding gold in my hands (A BUYER FOR THEIR SELLER'S HOME)!
[] Poor coaching/teaching of properly staging or presenting their homes for SELLING
[] Lack of proper (COMMISSION-REQUIRED) documents available for the Buyer
[] Not presenting Offers to the Sellers in a timely manner (or not at ALL!)
[] Not having Supra lockboxes on homes and having combo locks that DON'T work!
Yes, those things do affect both my buyers and me! We've all hashed these over and over again but, what about consideration for the SELLER. Here's my beef--
While searching for a home for a buyer, I pulled all of the homes available in a particular area--specifically ONE neighborhood. What I found would be horribly distressing to any seller:
- Several were grossly misrepresented and some had very basic, bland, non-enthusiastic descriptions.
- One had the MAIN photo taken from the driver's seat of the car! The agent was so lazy that not only did he/she not bother to step out of the car but, they didn't even CROP the photo to get the car rear view mirror out of the picture!
- There's more...one home has been on the market for over 500 days and is priced at OVER twice the next-highest-priced home in the neighborhood! Now, if disclosure is important to this agent, there is no notation that the seller is an agent. Which brings me to the question--What are these Sellers drinking? They've been on the market for over a year with the SAME agent who has priced their home as though they would be happy to sell 20 years from now...not NOW! I know that some of you are going to think that probably the Seller just won't lower the price and it's not the agent's fault but, if you saw the lack of marketing on this home...
- I also received a referral who wants us to sell her home after over one year on the market with no showings in over TWO months! As it turns out, their agent has decided to leave the business and has obviously been contemplating this for some time as evidenced by the poor manner in which this home has been marketed and shown over the past few months.
WHO is protecting these poor Sellers? Both of these homes should have LONG since been sold. They are both great homes and they both should have been sold a year ago. Unfortunately we have no recourse for these Sellers as we are not allowed to contact them directly to let them know how poorly they're represented. 
Doesn't this just make you want to shout it out to the world--SELLER BEWARE?!
(THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)
Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310
Love this post.... but even more, I love that moving bug. Where did you find that? :-)
Thanks, Kat! I have no idea--I found it in an old file of mine on PhotoBucket! Hope you have a great day!
Debe --- you are absolutely spot on! I have noticed every single point you made and if it were not so TRUE we could say it was unbelievable. Suggested.
Debe,
So true I cannot tell you how many times I get listings or buyers from those types of agents. While it is my chosen profession and I love it I cannot help but look at my new clients and simply say I apologize for Realtors® everywhere and that sorry but it does not take much to get a license.
Nod to you Debe, all I can say about this is that I have come across way too many of these lazy, lazy, lazy agents! Poor sellers...
Especially the Sellers that are older and not computer savvy that do not follow up on the listings.
Excellent post.
Later in the rain~Deb
Thanks, Michael! It really is sad but, true but, sellers DO need to be protected and it just makes me ill to see sellers so poorly represented out there.
Hi Larry! I do to and they are always so appreciative of the high level of customer service that they now receive!
Hi Deb! Thank you so much! Those are the ones who are most taken advantage of also. SO sad.
Debe, I think I've run across this lazy agent! ;) It IS infuriating, isn't - would love to have a chance to show these sellers how it should be done. Suggested, dahling!
Wow, I love the photo from the car, how lazy can a person get?!
You just can't make this stuff up!! I don't know how these agents stay in business. Great post, I hit the suggest button.
Hey, Debe — There’s a surprise for you in my blog today. Let me know when you find it. What? You thought I was going to tell you where? Ha!
LOL Russel! I just happened upon your post--I did not receive your comment notification (#10 above) from AR and was just checking up on you today! Thanks for the mention--again, I'm honored!
Debe, love the .gif file pictures! I didn't think about that before, and the bug made me want to read this right away!
I agree, some agents just aren't on the lookout for the sellers. Their best isn't being put forth. Especially with something so simple as GETTING OUT OF THE CAR to take the picture! Wow, I can't believe that one!
Give me their address, I'll let them know for you. ;)
Debe - I couldn't agree with you more. First, let me say I too like to represent both sides. I think it keeps us in better touch with the market. Second, I feel bad for some of these sellers when I see the photos they have or the lack of marketing and/or staging. Unfortunately, it is sometimes a reflection on all of us.
Talk about lazy!!! The main photo from the drivers side window!! C' man!! Really. Well personally it never ceases to amaze me as to how many bad agents and lazy agents are out there. What concerns me is that numerous of these types of agents are making a good living from real estate. why do consumers pick these agents in the first place?? Thanks for the blog. I read it from Russel's re-blog..
An interesting blog post that I enjoyed reading! Thank you for sharing!
Jeremy: That seems to happen more frequently than not--and you just never know what you're getting into until you preview the home! If only the sellers knew about these photos? And, WHY don't they?
Carla: That's right--and we're not supposed to point out other agents' negatives so, you wonder why the sellers haven't noticed this themselves! Sometimes I just print out the old listing and then one of mine to show them a comparison. That's the best I can do to keep from asking them, "What WERE you thinking?!!"
Robert: TRULY! My car is chocolate brown--that is not a photo taken to prove a point--it's REAL! Can you believe it? And, thanks for stopping by--I love Russel's new series!
SaraMana: Thanks!
Debe - I love the bug too. Turns out they're .gifs.
As to the sellers, I so agree with you, but there's not much we can do about it except our sellers as best we can.