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It happened again...
Please tell me why when my house is shown by a realtor other than mine, they leave all the light on and DO NOT locks the doors. I had a showing yesterday between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., I leave for work at 9:45...so I left all the lights on etc..thinking that leaving them on for a hour or so is no big deal.
I come home at 5:15 p.m....all the lights are still on and the back door is not locked. Would a realtor do that in his/her house?
With all of the showings that I have has only ONE realtor has turned off the lights and locked the doors. Do I have to leave notes?
And aren't realtors told to leave their card? That has only happened a couple of time. And feedback...forget it..it is like pulling teeth to get it.
I am beginning to think the main reason the housing market is so bad is because of the realtors...sorry to all you that are doing a great job, but I do feel that the sellers are not respected and for sure... taken for granted.
It happened again...
Please tell me why when my house is shown by a realtor other than mine, they leave all the light on and DO NOT locks the doors. I had a showing yesterday between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., I leave for work at 9:45...so I left all the lights on etc..thinking that leaving them on for a hour or so is no big deal.
I come home at 5:15 p.m....all the lights are still on and the back door is not locked. Would a realtor do that in his/her house?
With all of the showings that I have has only ONE realtor has turned off the lights and locked the doors. Do I have to leave notes?
And aren't realtors told to leave their card? That has only happened a couple of time. And feedback...forget it..it is like pulling teeth to get it.
I am beginning to think the main reason the housing market is so bad is because of the realtors...sorry to all you that are doing a great job, but I do feel that the sellers are not respected and for sure... taken for granted.
I agree. Anytime my house is shown all the lights are still on when I come back. As for feedback? I have to cally my realtor to find out what they thought.
And they wonder why FSBO's are becoming ever more popular.
I have problems with certain realtors, but please do not paint an industry w/a broad brush. I look at realtors like I would mechanics or Financial advisors. You really need to do your due dilligence on finding a good one. There are good and bad in ANY industry.
It doesn't seem like you researched your choice or asked the proper questions BEFORE you hired this person. Your realtor should've made all your requests clear to anyone doing a showing before hand. I would have a serious sit down w/your realtor if you are going to move forward.
ok, I know you are frustrated, but lets start with your first frustration: your agent showing your home. Usually your agent won't be the one showing your home. That is why there is a Multiple Listing Service. It came about a long time ago...
It used to be that a guy would hear in his town that a home or land was up for sale, the owner said to the guy, hey if you bring me a buyer, I'll pay you x amount. So, he kept his ear to the ground to see if someone was in the market. Then he built a reputation for being in the know. Other sellers told him about their properties, and soon he had a "list" of homes for sale. Buyers knew this was the go to man if you wanted to buy property. After awhile, it looked like a good gig, and someone else started making a list. Things grew and the frustrating thing for the seller is that only one guy knew about his property. There was no sharing... And the guys with the list were waiting for the one buyer to contact him. So those guys with the lists got smart. And they said, hey I will share my list of homes with you if you share your list with me, and if you bring the buyer..I'll share my commission with you. And thus grew the Multiple Listing Service, built by agents, managed by agents, for agents. I won't go into the growth and governance....
Anyway, those early guys figured it out. The more others knew about your listing, the more opportunity for it to get sold. In this day and age, with agency law, most buyers have gone out and engaged their own buyers agent. They don't want to deal with the listing agent for purchasing because they will either be in a dual agency situation (not good, IMHO, for either party) or, they are just a customer and do not get treated as a client. So, the chances of your agent actually being the showing and selling agent, is very low.
Now on to lazy agents. I try to leave a house as I found it. So, if you left the lights on, I will leave the lights on. I don't know if there is another showing after me. If you left the lights on (as the best way to show a home!! good for you!!!) and then I show your house at 10:30 and turn them off, then you have another showing at 12:30, your lights will be off and you won't get the best showing. If you want the lights off, leave a note, asking the agent turn the lights off. Understand that the next showing will be coming into the dark. And as we go into Fall and Winter.. it will be very dark and gloomy.
Now for leaving a door unlocked. Not good. I will go back and check doors, just to make sure. And every agent should. I would put a note on the back of the front door, please agents go back and check that all the doors are locked. great reminder.
feedback. that is a hard one. I wish agents were better at it. But some refuse to give feedback for many reasons. one is actually liability. A buyer sued his own agent and the listing agent for feedback that was given. He gave some harsh feedback, that was given to the listing agent, and to the owner. He came back to the house and made an offer. The sellers were upset over the feedback, and played hardball. Long story short, it hurt the negotiation. I am always very neutral in my feedback, so you may not get all the information. In this litigous society, we have to be careful.
We know you are frustrated. Hope some of this helps.
shelly is dead on regarding the lights. I try to leave a house as I found it. Occasionally a vacant home will have lights on. Those I turn off typically, but if it is occupied I leave them on.
As to the lack of cards---in my area leaving a card is a big NO NO! When I was a new agent I left my cards. I thought that's what agents do since that was the standard in the area I previously lived. One day I received a call from a very irrate agent about leaving my card. He had very little sympathy for the fact it was an innocent mistake, and I was new. (the irony here is that his wife has asked me several times to come work at their office---not a chance!) Perhaps your agent can put out a sign in sheet since this is important to you.
Doors unlocked is not acceptable, but it does occasionally happen. It might be possible that the lock is a little funny. I've left homes where I "hoped" the door was actually locked. I currently have a listing where one could very easily think the door was locked, but it's not. If I didn't know how the lock operated, I might leave it unlocked. It's one of those door handles with the lock built in. It automatically unlocks when it's opened. An agent that just opens it may not realize it's unlocked since they didn't physically open a lock.
shellytc - you made a good point about feedback. I hadn't really thought of that as being a negotiation tool. If I've received feedback from an agent that their client loved everything about my house, why would I consider a low offer if they've already told me how great and wonderful my house is. Note to self...don't put too much weight into neutral comments or agent's that don't offer any feedback at all. Thanks!!!!
Talk2u and others, I know agents that refuse to give feedback. They feel that the listing agent is perfectly capable of telling a seller what is right and wrong with their home and they don't feel that it is their resposibility to do the listing agents job for them. I don't feel this way, but I know agents that do.
Also, feedback is a professional courtesy. It is not mandatory. We, as listing agents, are at the mercy of the buyers agent and their feelings about feedback. I know some use the feedback form that goes directly to the agent and the seller, if the buyers agent will complete it online. I won't use it because I want to review the information first : ) Gotta protect myself from liability issues.
There was a post here recently about a trex deck and feedback. The buyers called it "cheap" and the buyers agent and the listing agent, passed that unfiltered, rude comment back to the sellers. Now, if those buyers decided to come back and make an offer, the seller is already ticked off. Oh, now you want to buy my "cheap" deck? Ok, let's play hardball. Not saying this smart poster here would do that, but someone could. Do you see the liability? Negotiations could be impacted. All over the word "cheap".
ok, I know you are frustrated, but lets start with your first frustration: your agent showing your home. Usually your agent won't be the one showing your home. That is why there is a Multiple Listing Service. It came about a long time ago...
It used to be that a guy would hear in his town that a home or land was up for sale, the owner said to the guy, hey if you bring me a buyer, I'll pay you x amount. So, he kept his ear to the ground to see if someone was in the market. Then he built a reputation for being in the know. Other sellers told him about their properties, and soon he had a "list" of homes for sale. Buyers knew this was the go to man if you wanted to buy property. After awhile, it looked like a good gig, and someone else started making a list. Things grew and the frustrating thing for the seller is that only one guy knew about his property. There was no sharing... And the guys with the list were waiting for the one buyer to contact him. So those guys with the lists got smart. And they said, hey I will share my list of homes with you if you share your list with me, and if you bring the buyer..I'll share my commission with you. And thus grew the Multiple Listing Service, built by agents, managed by agents, for agents. I won't go into the growth and governance....
Anyway, those early guys figured it out. The more others knew about your listing, the more opportunity for it to get sold. In this day and age, with agency law, most buyers have gone out and engaged their own buyers agent. They don't want to deal with the listing agent for purchasing because they will either be in a dual agency situation (not good, IMHO, for either party) or, they are just a customer and do not get treated as a client. So, the chances of your agent actually being the showing and selling agent, is very low.
Now on to lazy agents. I try to leave a house as I found it. So, if you left the lights on, I will leave the lights on. I don't know if there is another showing after me. If you left the lights on (as the best way to show a home!! good for you!!!) and then I show your house at 10:30 and turn them off, then you have another showing at 12:30, your lights will be off and you won't get the best showing. If you want the lights off, leave a note, asking the agent turn the lights off. Understand that the next showing will be coming into the dark. And as we go into Fall and Winter.. it will be very dark and gloomy.
Now for leaving a door unlocked. Not good. I will go back and check doors, just to make sure. And every agent should. I would put a note on the back of the front door, please agents go back and check that all the doors are locked. great reminder.
feedback. that is a hard one. I wish agents were better at it. But some refuse to give feedback for many reasons. one is actually liability. A buyer sued his own agent and the listing agent for feedback that was given. He gave some harsh feedback, that was given to the listing agent, and to the owner. He came back to the house and made an offer. The sellers were upset over the feedback, and played hardball. Long story short, it hurt the negotiation. I am always very neutral in my feedback, so you may not get all the information. In this litigous society, we have to be careful.
We know you are frustrated. Hope some of this helps.
shelly
Great post! Also, a lot of times buyers keep their feedback close to the vest to put them in a better negotiating position (they even keep it from their buyer's agent or will lie about things). Especially my Middle-Eastern brothers and sisters out there, who commonly use harsh negative feedback to beat down a seller, and then praise the house after the deal has been struck.
Selling a home is a business deal.
But definitely leaving doors unlocked and lights on is rude. Do a lot of buyer's agents go back through a house to make sure that the buyers didn't leave lights on in rooms? And that patio sliders and garage doors are all locked again? Just wondering if the experts on here have a mental (or physical) checklist that they go through after each showing.
As far as the guy calling and chewing out the agent for leaving a business card (rrah), don't take that kind of abuse from another agent. I'm utterly amazed at the lack of professionalism in this business sometimes. A simple explanation of local practices would have been sufficient (and probably much more effective).
Talk2u and others, I know agents that refuse to give feedback. They feel that the listing agent is perfectly capable of telling a seller what is right and wrong with their home and they don't feel that it is their resposibility to do the listing agents job for them. I don't feel this way, but I know agents that do.
Also, feedback is a professional courtesy. It is not mandatory. We, as listing agents, are at the mercy of the buyers agent and their feelings about feedback. I know some use the feedback form that goes directly to the agent and the seller, if the buyers agent will complete it online. I won't use it because I want to review the information first : ) Gotta protect myself from liability issues.
There was a post here recently about a trex deck and feedback. The buyers called it "cheap" and the buyers agent and the listing agent, passed that unfiltered, rude comment back to the sellers. Now, if those buyers decided to come back and make an offer, the seller is already ticked off. Oh, now you want to buy my "cheap" deck? Ok, let's play hardball. Not saying this smart poster here would do that, but someone could. Do you see the liability? Negotiations could be impacted. All over the word "cheap".
Shelly
I couldn't really tell from your response to my post, but I was agreeing with what you said and appreciated it. Now I won't get so upset if an agent doesn't offer good/any feedback. Just wanted to say that...sorry for hijacking the thread
Talk2u and others, I know agents that refuse to give feedback. They feel that the listing agent is perfectly capable of telling a seller what is right and wrong with their home and they don't feel that it is their resposibility to do the listing agents job for them. I don't feel this way, but I know agents that do.
Shelly
Wow. Are you kidding here? And you wonder why people are starting to stray from using agents. What a joke.
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Hmm...
