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Well, my wife and are stuck choosing between two agents after meeting with them about listing our home for sale with them. We were impressed with them both, as I had expected. They both are longtime, well established(30 and 40 yrs experience here), reputable, knowledgeable agents/brokers and familiar with the area, but I knew that when this began. Each offered good feedback and had similar answers, high energy and personable.
We are waiting for the CMA's, expected within the next 24 hours. If they both return comparable values, which is also to be expected, what might we consider, or ask that may sway our decision short of a coin flip?
There are two notables; one agent had her phone ring a good half dozen times in the 1.5 hours we visited, so there was several interruptions, she answered and was very brief with promise to return the call. The other never had her phone ring, whether that was because she had it silenced out of courtesy, or simply did not get a call during her time with us, we do not know. I like to think the former.
Both told me to stop making repairs the home inspector indicated should be made so that the buyers home inspector has something to nit pic about, which I completely understand. Fortunately, I had done the "major" repairs by this point.
The busy phone pointed out one item (aesthetic) she felt needed enhancement to up the value and ease the sale. She went so far to call a handyman, who incidentally was near by, and asked him to come by for an opinion, which he did and freely offered advice.
The other agent singled out a few things (aesthetic) and also offered solutions to increase the value and ease the sale.
Both were impressed with what we had done, and are doing, to ready the house for market. Between the both of them, those items they picked out were things of concern to me and there were no surprises. I was happy with that.
Both said that there commission was negotiable, one did bring up the possibility of dual agency(legal in Alaska and I am familiar with it), she said as many as 1 in 5 of her deals are thus. I was surprised it was that common.
My question is; If you felt equally comfortable with either agent, what would you ask them in order to separate them and make a choice?
...one agent had her phone ring a good half dozen times in the 1.5 hours we visited, so there was several interruptions, she answered and was very brief with promise to return the call. The other never had her phone ring, whether that was because she had it silenced out of courtesy, or simply did not get a call during her time with us, we do not know. I like to think the former.
This is rude of the agent. I never answer my phone when I'm on an appointment. The person I'm with should have my 100% attention. Even though she ended the calls promptly, it still interrupted the flow of your meeting.
There are exceptions in cases of emergency, but I always let my appt know ahead of time. "I have my phone on because my child's school might call..." or "I have my phone on because I'm waiting to hear about a closing that's supposed to happen tomorrow..." That way, if those calls do come, it's understandable if I have to answer. Otherwise, I swipe to decline and continue with the appointment.
Do you feel you had this agent's attention? Do you feel that if you needed to call and talk with her about an issue with your listing that she would give you her attention, or would she constantly be clicking to the other line to take another call?
This is rude of the agent. I never answer my phone when I'm on an appointment. The person I'm with should have my 100% attention. Even though she ended the calls promptly, it still interrupted the flow of your meeting.
There are exceptions in cases of emergency, but I always let my appt know ahead of time. "I have my phone on because my child's school might call..." or "I have my phone on because I'm waiting to hear about a closing that's supposed to happen tomorrow..." That way, if those calls do come, it's understandable if I have to answer. Otherwise, I swipe to decline and continue with the appointment.
Do you feel you had this agent's attention? Do you feel that if you needed to call and talk with her about an issue with your listing that she would give you her attention, or would she constantly be clicking to the other line to take another call?
She seemed very attentive and indicated that she is always available, even at 10-11pm. She was very prompt in acknowledging our invitation for interview, as was the other agent we favor. I agree it was rude, it did interrupt the flow and my thoughts.
This is rude of the agent. I never answer my phone when I'm on an appointment. The person I'm with should have my 100% attention. Even though she ended the calls promptly, it still interrupted the flow of your meeting.
There are exceptions in cases of emergency, but I always let my appt know ahead of time. "I have my phone on because my child's school might call..." or "I have my phone on because I'm waiting to hear about a closing that's supposed to happen tomorrow..." That way, if those calls do come, it's understandable if I have to answer. Otherwise, I swipe to decline and continue with the appointment.
If they were both equal this would be a deal killer for me. I'm in complete agreement with you. Unless there is something I know I have to handle right away, then I do what you do and give them a warning.
If I were you, I'd go quiet for a few days or a week or so. See who follows up the most attentively. That's the one asking for your business. The one who doesn't follow up . . . well, to me, either they are too busy or weak on following up with prospects.
Did either of them give you a marketing plan? It's great that they know the area and have quite a bit of experience and it's even better that you seem to have hit it off with both but I would want to know what they're actually going to do to help sell my house if I were in your shoes.
You also mentioned that they both said "commission is negotiable." That's good because it should be, but did one offer you a lower rate? Personally, I'd be wary of an agent who rolls over and offers a lower commission rate whenever you say "boo!" If they're willing to so quickly cut their own paycheck how good are they going to be at getting you the money you're looking for in your sale?
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
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I agree with Mike on both of his points.
As to marketing, did you look at the 2 agent's websites to see how they market their listings?
What do the photos look like? Good, mediocre, bad? How many photos for each listing?
What impression did you take away from looking at the agents sites? Are they marketing the homes or themselves?
What other types of marketing are they going to include in marketing your home besides Internet?
On the commission, if the agent is willing to give away his/her earnings up front, with little effort, you may want to rethink whether that agent has the negotiating skills you want going up against another agent when an offer comes in on your home.
As to the agent who's phone kept ringing, I consider that rude. On listing appointments I put my phone on vibrate so as not to be a distraction during our meeting. Most callers are fine with calls being returned within an hour or so.
1. I seldom take my phone into a house on a listing appointment. Half a dozen times? Ouch. Not acceptable.
2. I disagree on the repairs thing and leaving stuff for the inspector, but it is a common attitude. If you know it, fix it or disclose it.
3. I disagree with the unsolicited advice you are being given on commission. A business person knows what they need to make a deal worthwhile, and with your admirable willingness to present a good product, you make it easier for the agent.
The old "How will they defend your money if they give their own away that easily" is a tired old school script that should possibly be a deal breaker if you hear it from an agent.
3. I disagree with the unsolicited advice you are being given on commission. A business person knows what they need to make a deal worthwhile, and with your admirable willingness to present a good product, you make it easier for the agent.
The old "How will they defend your money if they give their own away that easily" is a tired old school script that should possibly be a deal breaker if you hear it from an agent.
Amen. A capable agent who agrees to lower their commission may, in fact, be demonstrating good negotiating skills.
As to marketing, did you look at the 2 agent's websites to see how they market their listings? What do the photos look like? Good, mediocre, bad? How many photos for each listing? What impression did you take away from looking at the agents sites? Are they marketing the homes or themselves? What other types of marketing are they going to include in marketing your home besides Internet?
I would ask to see samples of their marketing materials both print and online. It would be especially useful to see marketing material from a current listing if possible and then you can go and see the actual house. You want to make sure the agent is portraying the house realistically. If the house is made to look nicer in the marketing than it is in person you'll get disappointed buyers. Alternatively, if it's not nice enough looking then people will steer clear of the house. It's a fine line that has to be walked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
2. I disagree on the repairs thing and leaving stuff for the inspector, but it is a common attitude. If you know it, fix it or disclose it.
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this. Mine is that it depends on what the defect is. Absolutely, if you know about it then it should be repaired or disclosed. However, depending on what it is you may be throwing away money on a repair unnecessarily. I've seen many buyers just not care about a repair or quickly roll over with some minor negotiation. GFCI outlets are a great example . . .
We have a lot of older homes here in MA. While the state's building code requires GFCI outlets in what I would call "wet" rooms (rooms where there is a high likelihood of water being present - bathrooms, kitchens, and garages to name a few), many homes still have standard outlets in these rooms. Inspectors always cite this "defect" and recommend that GFCI outlets be installed. I've had many listings where the request was made. I've never once had a client that actually ended up making the "repair."
If the defect was a giant hole in the roof or a leaking pipe then that would be a different story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
3. I disagree with the unsolicited advice you are being given on commission. A business person knows what they need to make a deal worthwhile, and with your admirable willingness to present a good product, you make it easier for the agent.
The old "How will they defend your money if they give their own away that easily" is a tired old school script that should possibly be a deal breaker if you hear it from an agent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackmichigan
Amen. A capable agent who agrees to lower their commission may, in fact, be demonstrating good negotiating skills.
I don't want to take this discussion too far off track but I'm going to say we're going to end up agreeing to disagree on this one. When negotiating commission, the agent is their own client. They are responsible at this point for getting themselves the best deal possible. If they can't do that for themselves how are they going to do it for you?
It's one thing if at the end of a negotiation a middle ground is found. It's another thing if an agent walks in and immediately offers to work for significantly less than the competition. My experience is that these agents have little to offer in terms of helping you get your home sold which is why they can only compete on price. They also put little effort into negotiating your sale because they just want to get it done and move on to the next one. They offer a low price because they also offer a low value. Of course, there are different models of agencies because there is no one size fits all model. I personally only offer full service agency and I strive to offer my clients an excellent value for their dollar. If someone else comes in and offers to do it for less chances are, they're not offering what I'm offering. I charge more so that I can afford to give each client as much time as they need and give them my best effort.
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