Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Interested real estate agent seeking list of services clients expect from full service realtors, marketing, answering phone calls, knowledgeable of local real estate market
I expect them to be honest and up front with their knowledge of the area and the business of selling real estate. It's a tough market and they should be able to tell me at any given time what is selling, where, why and how much. I want to know about any homes that are comperable to mine in the area and how long they were on the market, what price they started at and what price they sold at. I expect to be shown the market analysis, what homes were used and why as well as the data. I expect a "realistic" suggestion on the price and the strategy to sell within the time frame of the contract.
I expect them to "coach" me on what to do to make my home more appealing in this market. I want to know what people are looking for, other than a great deal at a great price. Everyone's idea of a great price is different.
I expect phone calls to be answered and/or at least returned within a reasonable time which I would think would be anywhere from 2 - 24 hours.
I expect marketing marketing marketing.... and more marketing.
A great description or two or three of my home and it's amenities. Rotate the ads to make it "fresh" and possibly appeal to someone who has looked at it before.
Pictures... DECENT ones of every room. Without my dog in them or the boxes piled in the corner or the heating vent big as life in the center of the photo ( my current realtor has posted all of these in my ad)
Get creative... use all aspects available with the enphasis on the website.
I want other ideas about Open Houses and Caravans... and if you don't do them then why not.
I want them to earn the money I will be paying them when / if they sell my house.
I think there are many realtors in today's market that are so used to just posting them on their web or in a magazine and then sit back and wait for the calls. They don't really know how to go out and do more aggressive marketing.
I expect:
1. listing to be available on realtor.com WITH pictures and on all other sites
2. to be called with weekly updates-even if nothing is happening. i want to know what you are doing to get the house sold
3. open houses-yes, most times they don't work BUT sometimes they do. i expect one once a month
4. brokers open and/or caravan
5. honesty (this is my #5 but is my #1)
6. staging advice-if you don't know exactly what to do then refer me to someone who does
7. look out for MY best interests (our buyers agent kept sympathizing with the seller telling us how they had no money yada, yada, yada...well, we had to take a hit too!
8. feedback
Well in my case.. I want all of the above and for the agent to be sincere and listen to what we say. Our old agent was somewhat deaf in the listening department. Example:
ME: I was so sick the night before (stomach issues) and had the 11 Am showing.. I literally crawled around getting the house ready ... what a nightmare but I did it LOL
HIM: Great!!! SUPER CHOICE.... ok gotta go.. appointment in 1 minute
Great? Super choice? Um what was great ??? What was super choice?? I just felt like he didn't hear me and I was talking to a Ferris Bueller programmed recording.
I would have preferred.. "oh man.. that stunk.. but hey.. good to hear you got through it. I feel for ya.. I can't imagine doing that" AND If he had an appointment then DON'T call me 4 minutes prior to it. OR if you MUST do it then.. well say "Hey I got an appt in like 4 minutes but didn't want to miss a chance to call you today"
Being an agent is like a doctor. You need a bedside manner. When you are sick you are stressed out and need your doc to be kind and understanding. When you sell a house.. you are stressed out as well. Agents need to remember to have compassion for their clients. It makes a difference.
I expect honesty. Don't coddle me and tell me my home will be under contract by Christmas because "you just feel it". As realistic as I try to be in this market, it is hard not to get caught up in your enthusiasm. Now, one week before Christmas, I feel disappointed and lied to.
Do not call on December 8th, the day after an open house, to tell us no one is currently interested in our home, Merry Christmas, and you'll be checking in with us after the new year. While I realize this is a slow time in an already terrible market, I have a hard time swallowing the fact that you are doing nothing for almost a full month and will still get 5% of the sale of our home if it ever sells. How many people take 3 weeks off from work before the holidays?
I expect some advice on how to stage my home. Although we already staged it ourselves, I'm sure there are things we are overlooking. A "yes, yes, yes, your home looks perfect" does not help. I want to know everything I can do to improve our chances of selling.
Oh, and it's been 2 months since we listed with you. Do you think you can can finally find some time to put in a description of our home on the mls and realtor.com? It can't be that hard to do.
Oh, and it's been 2 months since we listed with you. Do you think you can can finally find some time to put in a description of our home on the mls and realtor.com? It can't be that hard to do.
You must have my realtor!
Also, stop whining about how hard it is out there for buyers. We don' care. Besides it makes it seem like you think you're working for them.
Honesty.Nothing sugar coated,please don't puff things up when they are nothing to start with.If its slow/not moving/dead call it what it is.When a home owner signs a contract we give the agent/broker our full trust.We open our familys wide open.I want the same in return trust me.
I hope more sellers will post what they expect of realtors because the realtors on the forum do listen.
Below I've made a summary of what sellers have said so far that they want from their agents:
The Loyalty, Obedience, Disclosure, Accountability and Confidentiality issues weren't mentioned specifically by the name, however, the desires that were mentioned actually was an implication of these items.
Those 5 items are the Fiduciary Duties that a realtor owes to his/her client. If you have hired an agent to list your home, then you have an Agency Relationship, and the agent owes these duties to you. In addition, the agent owes you and your buyer the duty of Honesty and Good Faith and Fair Dealing. That's why I have Honesty set in the lower section separate from the 5 Fiduciary Duties owed to the client.
Let's distinguish a "client" from a "customer". When you sign an agreement with the agent, then you are the "client" and you are owed those Fiduciary Duties plus Honesty. If you have not signed an agency agreement with the agent, and no actions have been taken to imply that an agency relationship exists, then you are a "customer". An agent only owes a "customer" the duty of Honesty and Fair Dealing.
Under Honesty below, you'll see "No misrepresentation of the property value" which is a rewording of what one poster said. It is actually a violation of the Realtor's Code of Ethics for a Realtor to misrepresent the value of a property to anyone. The Code of Ethics is not just something we talk about, it is serious business, and there are some heavy fines involved for violators.
I expect them to be honest and up front with their knowledge of the area and the business of selling real estate. It's a tough market and they should be able to tell me at any given time what is selling, where, why and how much. I want to know about any homes that are comperable to mine in the area and how long they were on the market, what price they started at and what price they sold at. I expect to be shown the market analysis, what homes were used and why as well as the data. I expect a "realistic" suggestion on the price and the strategy to sell within the time frame of the contract.
I expect them to "coach" me on what to do to make my home more appealing in this market. I want to know what people are looking for, other than a great deal at a great price. Everyone's idea of a great price is different.
I expect phone calls to be answered and/or at least returned within a reasonable time which I would think would be anywhere from 2 - 24 hours.
I expect marketing marketing marketing.... and more marketing.
A great description or two or three of my home and it's amenities. Rotate the ads to make it "fresh" and possibly appeal to someone who has looked at it before.
Pictures... DECENT ones of every room. Without my dog in them or the boxes piled in the corner or the heating vent big as life in the center of the photo ( my current realtor has posted all of these in my ad)
Get creative... use all aspects available with the enphasis on the website.
I want other ideas about Open Houses and Caravans... and if you don't do them then why not.
I want them to earn the money I will be paying them when / if they sell my house.
I think there are many realtors in today's market that are so used to just posting them on their web or in a magazine and then sit back and wait for the calls. They don't really know how to go out and do more aggressive marketing.
Yes pictures that have no realtor in the picture taking the picture.I had no idea that she was going to take pictures that day.Hubby's office is cluttered also and in my kitchen the counter has creamora on the counter. I wanted a picture of my laundery room because it is big and has great tile in it but she said a laundry room is a laundry room. Not mine. I had her change one picture of our bed room but she only changed it in the slide show.I will address all of this in two weeks. I love your idea about changing the pictures so the site looks new I would like her to take a picture at dusk when the three palm trees beyond the pool have spot lights on them.
Open homes and caravans they do not do.We went the open house route with our first realtor and it was a waste of her time but the Caravan I would like.That is also a no. They do not do them here.
I expect honesty. Don't coddle me and tell me my home will be under contract by Christmas because "you just feel it". As realistic as I try to be in this market, it is hard not to get caught up in your enthusiasm. Now, one week before Christmas, I feel disappointed and lied to.
Do not call on December 8th, the day after an open house, to tell us no one is currently interested in our home, Merry Christmas, and you'll be checking in with us after the new year. While I realize this is a slow time in an already terrible market, I have a hard time swallowing the fact that you are doing nothing for almost a full month and will still get 5% of the sale of our home if it ever sells. How many people take 3 weeks off from work before the holidays?
I expect some advice on how to stage my home. Although we already staged it ourselves, I'm sure there are things we are overlooking. A "yes, yes, yes, your home looks perfect" does not help. I want to know everything I can do to improve our chances of selling.
Oh, and it's been 2 months since we listed with you. Do you think you can can finally find some time to put in a description of our home on the mls and realtor.com? It can't be that hard to do.
Our realtor said she and her partners never take Dec off. If someone is looking at homes in Dec they are buyers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
