Imagine a buyer looking online for a home. They examine the inventory, veto the ones they dislike, dutifully check off their favorites, and compile a list of homes they'd like to see. It has taken over an hour, but final choices are made and one of my listings made the cut. They like the photos, the property description is enticing, and the house looks like a winner. The buyer want to see my listing!
Next, they call their buyer agent and request to schedule a showing.
I have succeeded, right? I am bringing another set of eyeballs to my listing thanks in no small part to my marketing prowess. We are one step away from selling a house.
Are my sellers happy? I think they should be.
YET...
Some sellers, for reasons I still have yet to grasp, are critical of their listing agent when they themselves have not shown the house themselves! On a number of occasions, I have actually had clients criticize me because I didn't show the house. Leaving aside the irony that many of these same people are vocal about not wanting dual agency, they just feel as if the listing agent is not earning the paycheck unless that listing agent also showed the house.
I have sold many a listing where I never got a call on it. And it was ubiquitous- enormous exposure on all the websites, enhanced and featured in many, and copious, quality photos in tandem with written descriptions that make the mouth water.
But no calls to my office. Other agents have shown it plenty, but not me.
Am I am bad agent?
Am I not doing my job?
Am I lazily sitting back and waiting for the cooperating agents to "do my job for me?"
Or...is it possible, that if a listing is getting showings-just not with me- that the serious buyers in the market already have representation and choose to call their agent instead of me?
Is there any marketing out there that is actually good enough to make someone approach the largest transaction of their life without an advocate?
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Why yes! All kidding aside, the seller should be glad that you have been doing your job well. As long as buyers are looking at the property & you've given it excellent exposure, your job of marketing is going well. Just the first part of the selling feat I'm afraid.
This is great. Sellers so often do not see what we are doing, and yes, they do wonder why we don't show it! Thanks for voicing the truth of the matter!
There are an endless array of reasons someone can become disgruntled with your service should they so desire. The way to stave that type of onslaught is copious and continuos communication. Even then, that doesn't always work. The client isn't always right, but they do have the right to pick and choose. If Caveat Emptor (buyer beware) is on one side of the fence, shouldn't Agentus Emptor (agent beware) be on the other side.
Phil, We recently ran into a similar situation lately where the expectation was that the listing agents should be showing the home. Fortunately, we were able to get them calibrated on what should happen,... but just the same, wasn't disappointed that we showed the listing Sunday afternoon.
Too funny ! But not really !
If something sells so fast, so many sellers think you got a quick buck, and were overpaid, instead of being thrilled that you GOT THEIR HOME SOLD QUICKLY !!!
... sometimes ya just gotta laugh !!!
Good questions. I think we would all like the opportunity to bring a buyer to our own listing, however, this has only happened in less than 5% of the listings I've had. It's usually because I dont have a buyer for this particular type of property at the moment. Maybe I won't at all until after we have finally sold it.
Woud the seller like to pay you the full commission on both sides if you brought them a buyer? Perhaps they are hoping that they will get a discount if you do.
With the number of places your listing will now be found online, chances are another agent will capture that buyer.
Most of my sellers who have brought this up have been in their late 60's and older. Perhaps this is how they perceive our industry and what their expectations are when having hired us. I think I will make it a point to discuss this in the future when taking a listing.
Ah! Those are the folks who drive around on Sunday afternoon looking at Open Houses.
Also, just because the seller didn't want to agree to dual agency doesn't mean that they don't expect you to "market" their home for sale and bring buyers. Consumers don't understand agency. They just want you to spend a bloody fortune advertising their home through every conceivable medium, which they have been sold will bring buyers and then, with no thought of agency, want you to sell it.
The consumer just can't make that leap. Besides most serious buyers, with the exception of a few, attach themselves to a buyer's agent.
I've watched this system the way it is since the very early 1990s and nothing has changed. Not a single thing.
I think you are right on...I also think there is a fundamental misunderstanding among seller clients about what to expect. I wonder if it may be helpful to try to set expectations in that regard up front--of course, it may even confuse them even more thought.
We recently had an experience with the seller who despite the fact that in our listing presentation we explained to him that our job was to mobilize the real estate community and get their house sold - he still expected us to show the house at least once a week. Then he resisted any price reduction suggestions, critized other agent's feedback, etc. The guy clearly was not serious about selling, so we moved on by choice, he still hasn't sold his house.
It just sounds like the sellers don't understand the process. And while you haven't done any of the things you've listed "wrong," perhaps you might be faulted for not having sufficiently educated the sellers on how the process works.
You're a good agent. You've done your job. But make sure the sellers understand up front what being a good agent and doing your job means. Try explaining it like this: "Mr. and Mrs. Seller. I've shown you the marketing plan that I put together for your house. Listing it with pictures on the MLS. Using many other web sites to get your listing out. Electronic flyers. A sign in your front yard and around your neighborhood. Promotion at our company's weekly sales meeting. And more. Now, I want you to understand: If I've done my job properly--letting all the other agents and individual buyers know about your property--it's likely that most of your prospects will be brought by those other agents. And that's a good thing. It means that we've gotten the word out about your home. Now, I'll be here with you every step of the way through the sales process. But many of the buyers will be coming here with their own agents because our marketing plan is working."
You are right on the money with this. i don't know what the answer is. I am trying to explain this exact situation to my mother, who thinks her agent isn't doing her job because she hasn't shown.
J Phillip I too found this to be true for quite some time until I made it part of the listing presentation. I let them know the likelyhood of myself or another one of our agents showing/selling the home is slim. Our job is to market to other agents and they will bring in the client as that is a HUGE base of potential buyers coming from them. The get the 'odds' of this every time. If we do 'happen' to sell it - well that works too.
I have had simliar comments. But hey - I did get you a load of showings, am providing feedback, am shwing you the comps, doing the Open Houses - I just haven;t found the right buyer yet and don;t want to waste your time.
Maybe it's just late, but I didn't understand what you were saying. After reading all the comments, I do. Fortunately, I haven't had a Client like that yet.
Um, no. What a wacky way of thinking. Do they want you to do duel or expect a buyer to be unrepresented? Some people cannot be pleased.