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A solution to the feedback dilemma

By Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Shoreline New Hampshire & Maine

June 06, 2007 01:31 AM

A recent post dealt with feedback and a brewing lawsuit about some remarks made by one of the agents involved; one of those "loose lips sink ships" moments.

Serendipitously I came across a potential solution to the feedback problem: Home Feedback.com that will automate feedback for the listing agent and make your life easier.

For a mere $19.95 a month the Home Feedback.com folks will:

Let you set up a separate account for each of your listings on their servers.
When a showing is scheduled you just log the showing agent's name and email into that listing's account.
The system then takes over and sends an email to the showing agent with a short (7 multiple choice questions and 1 comment blank space
The system sends a total of 3 emails to each showing agent until they respond.
When they respond the system sends an email to your sellers (if you tell it to) with the questionaire filled out with a copy to you and also keeps a graph of the answers so if you get the same answer to one question, i.e. "Price too high" the sellers can see that visually and perhaps call you suggesting a price reduction.
It (the system) also reports on unfulfilled showing feedback requests so your sellers can see where you tried multiple times to work on their behalf but that ol 'other agent' just won't cooperate.

Another great feature is if something changes on your listing, i.e. a price reduction, you can send out a 'blast' email to everyone that's ever showed it notifying them of that change.

I signed up yesterday and have already used it on 5 showings and got one feedback form already. It's still pretty early to make any judgements about how it will work for me but I'm impressed so far.

21 day free trial if you're interested.

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R. B. "Bob" Mitchell - Loan Officer Raleigh/Durham

Bank of England (NMLS#418481) - Raleigh, NC

Bob Mitchell (NMLS#1046286)

I always thought the best feedback was a contract! ;-) I recently called an agent back for some feedback and she told me that she thought that the plants on my front stoop should be removed. About an hour later an agent called to set up an appointment and told me that her clients had seen the plants and then the yard sign and wanted to see the house...go figure?

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.

Jun 06, 2007 01:38 AM

Jo-Anne Smith

Oakville, ON

In theory it is a great idea and tool, Jim. However, in my area here in southern Ontario, Canada, the biggest realtors are against it and will not give feedback of their showings via email since they are concerned that you WILL forward the email to your client and that it will colour their (the realtor's) reputation in the community (ie. if it is a negative feedback ).

The majority of my peers still want to go by the method called 'Pick Up The Phone'.

Jun 06, 2007 01:48 AM

Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

RE/MAX Shoreline - Portsmouth, NH

Buying or Selling? Ann & Jim are the local experts

Bob, I agree completely, bringing an offer is a sincere form of feedback.

Jo, I'm OK with other agents not responding to my feedback requests. I'm going to look good to my seller because I asked and the other guys are not because they refused to reply. I'm for any tool that simplifies my life and playing telephone tag does not do that.

Jun 06, 2007 01:54 AM

Tim Maitski

Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage - Atlanta, GA

Truth, Excellence and a Good Deal

I don't understand how this gets around the liability of giving feedback that negatively affects the seller's perception of the buyer. You could offend them by saying that the price is too high.

I think the best feedback is "no comment"

Tim, it's a fact of real estate life that sellers want feedback on showings.

NAR says their single biggest complaint about Realtors is lack of communication especially relative to listing agents. I see this as a big step down the road toward solving that problem automatically.

I hope we haven't became so cowed and gunshy that we've afraid of giving an honest opinion; if you feel the price is too high then you feel the price is too high.

If you're uncomfortable giving feedback, don't do it.

Jun 06, 2007 02:22 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

We use an automated feedback system in our office. I love email feedback! I have always hated phone calls for feedback. I don't like faxes much better than phone calls. The AR blog about the brouhaha over "tacky colors" was part of our office meeting discussion yesterday and my understanding ( I was sick) was that verbal feedback might be safer than putting it in writing.

But if no one is going to tell the seller the truth because the buyers agents are looking out for their buyers interests is it just busy work for everyone?

Jun 06, 2007 03:40 AM

I always give realtors who show my properties the choice of responding with feedback either by email or by phone and I assure them that if they provide me with an email feedback, I will under NO circumstances share it directly with my sellers. I feel emails are like anything else, they are meant for the person who they are sent to. Forwarding them on to a third party is not ethical. JMHO.

Summarizing the content of an email in a way that helps your Seller to get the general jist of what the buyer thought of their home (without showing any disrespect ), is generally the best thing to do and it works out to be a win-win situation.

Jun 06, 2007 03:53 AM

john axle

Andersonville, TN

That is a great system. (so ive herd)

I use a free system that is getting me about 80% return on the email surveys I send.

http://www.buyerremarks.com/

I think getting the buyers agent to give you his/her email and agree to respond is the key.

Oct 30, 2007 01:46 PM

A solution to the feedback dilemma

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Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

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