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Dancing on the Edge

A question from Trulia Voices popped up in my RSS reader this afternoon, a seller asking for ideas on why a home's still on the market after a year, and I discovered this at the top of one of the agents' replies:

"If I were your agent you would know why your home is not selling."

Am I the only one who finds this statement problematic? It's also probably all too common, as I've heard from sellers in the past (the ever popular, "I can't believe this hasn't sold yet! I would think it would be long gone ...") but should statements such as this ever be made?

After spending several frustrating minutes poring through the COE, I can't find anything that prohibits such things. Yet I'm hard pressed to believe statements akin to "dump that bonehead and list with me" are permissible.

Posted by Jonathan Dalton on 05/30/2007 07:10 PM

Comments (3)

coe

3 Comments on Dancing on the Edge

MAY

2007

Well I gotta disagree. The agent should educate the seller on why the house isn't moving. There are reasons and I bet if we did some research we could all figure out why it hasn't moved. I think when someone goes to a public forum and asks questions they are free game to talk to and to go after their listing. They are contact you not you contacting them.

Frankly, I think that comment has lost its balance and tipped over the edge, myself. But there are rude and marginally ethical folks among agents as there are among the rest of the populace. I just take note and move on, myself, figuring what goes around comes around.

It is a practice of many agents and brokers and builders and politicians to engage in negative advertising of their own services.

I got one such comment on one of my Localisms last week and I wrote about it.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/107992/HOW-TO-GET-YOUR

I believe it does violate the "do not disparage" part of the COE. But, it's so common.

Fact is, the agent could have done everything possible to get the price down, which is the only real reason the house hasn't sold and it is quite likely the SELLER wouldn't or couldn't. Making such a comment shows an agent with no class and no manners.

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