GREAT ARTICLE.  There is little supervision or quality control of listing information.  I often wonder why sellers put up with such mediocre services.  Oh, I remember.  It's the Stockholm Syndrome.

Or, some poor folks who just plain don't know the difference.

We've been conditioned to accept mediocrity. As time passes the amount of quality customer care/service seems to pass with it. Remember when you got your windshield washed at the gas station?

Lenn- a compliment like that from you is a true honor. Thanks. Unfortunately I have had several very recernt experiences that lead to this. Do you sense the aggravation?

Jeff

Dennis - that is a great point. I was just thinking about customer service issues in general as a result of recent experiences. I think your point is well taken. Thanks for your comments.

Jeff

Perfect post!  You called it what it is!

Jim - I thought so too. Thanks for stopping in. Have a great weekend!

Jeff

Jeff - This is so well written.  I do hope it will receive many public views.  It pains me as well that mediocrity exists in our profession.  The sellers have a right to know what level of service they should expect from a professional and your article does an excellent job of describing what sellers need to look for...and look out for.

Mediocrity means "second rate".

We have a lot of second rate agents out there. 

I believe that folks perform badly when faced with unpleasant tasks.  GETTING a listing is the hard part.  Putting accurate info in the MLS is time consuming and not much fun.  They rush through it. 

It's the "I'm very busy" syndrome.  Too busy to do it right.

Folks don't perform "quality control" on themselves.  They have no sense of pride in doing menial tasks well. 

WHERE IS THEIR BROKER?????   That's the question.

As you can see, this is a subject that leads to aggrivations here too.

Thanks, Marlene. Some of these issues really bug me as I know they do others, and I can't imagine that the sellers, if they knew, would be pleased. I appreciate your comments.

Lenn - you are so right. Certainly much of what we have to do in a transaction is not pleasand or fun, but that's true in every job. Just as we are held accountable by our employer in the corporate world, we should be held accountable by our clients, and our brokers (of course some of them need remedial training as well).

Jeff

Jeff a lot of times sellers will tell me that they never hear from their agent and that there is a lack of trust. I tell them that besides doing all the stuff I say I'm going to do. I tell them "If I'm not doing my job then fire me"

What a great post! Could not have said it more plainly if I tried.

Excellent Mr. Dowler. All points are necessary but the last couple very important!

You always have well written posts!  Another bookmark for me!  These are the posts I keep coming back to. Thanks!

Very good post.  The market I work in is currently a seller's market with the number of licensed agents running neck and neck with the number of listings.  There is a lot of competition for listings. A majority of the buyers to our area come from somewhere else and the internet is a huge resource for them.  So, when I see a listing with one bad picture and no visual tour, it drives me crazy.  I provide good pictures (plenty of them) a visual tour, accurate info in the MLS, and descriptive text. I return calls and answer questions promptly.  I often wonder how these mediocre agents get listings in the first place.  It's a shame when sellers receive such poor service when there are qualified professionals out there who would do a great job for them if given the opportunity.

Sellers should insist on getting copies of the marketing materials so that they can see how their home is being presented.

really right on the head.....great to have something that hits between the eyes...thanks for the comments

Things to think about for sure.

Jeff, this seems to be more prominent in the marketplace these days.  some listings in our area don't and never have photos either on-line or in the MLS.  For the life of me, I can't figure that one out!  Nice post! Book-marked, a 5, and emailed to the last person I know who was guilty of some or all the above!  :-)

Good post.  Maybe sellers need to have some kind of "secret shoppper" service available to monitor their agents.

Jeff,

Been there ..done that...just had one where the agent claimed to be selling real estate for 30 yrs..well they didn't help sell my listing as I had to hunt everyone down and after numerous extensions..the deal died and although we had all of the items above..pre-approvals are worth as much if you write it on a cocktail napkin. The other agent needs tp take a course on refreshing themselves with work ethic. There should be a test you have to take when you reach a point in your life to not take as much effort into a deal. And all this is not helping matters in this market we have here.

Thanks, Dan. Glad it resounded with you.

Jeff

Carole - thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good to see you around again.

Sally - you are so kind. I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Jeff

Susie - you are so right. d on;t get it either. Perhaps the agents are too good at pulling the wool over the seller's eyes. And I suppose in a busy seller's market mediocre performance will still get the home sold. Thanks for your comments.

Jeff

Sharon - I always show my clients what I have done, or plan to do. Great idea, but I bet most don't do it.

Jeff

Larry - thank you for your comments.

Steven - I thought so too. Glad you agree.

Jeff

Brad - thanks so much! I appreciate the compliment AND your comments.

Tim - great idea. I do know of some sellers who have had neighbors stop by their open houses to check on what the agent is saying.

Jeff

Neal - now that's a sad commentary. Hard to understand how they can get away with it,and for so long. And one would think that in a tougher market these folks MIGHT be working a bit harder to make things happen. Is it any wonder that the public has such a poor view of many in our profession. Thanks for your comments, as always.

Jeff

Great advice. I will definitely benefit from this advice and I hope others will too.

Good luck to all.

www.sugarlandrelocation.com

Amen, brother!  This should be required reading for ALL sellers, so they can examine their situation and think if this might apply.  And frankly, all of us should read it as well and make sure we're not guilty on any count.

What about the fiduciary responsibility the realtor has to the sellers? Because it sabotages the sale of a home, why can't the mls make multiple photos mandatory? To protect the sellers, and for the benefit of all, as part of the contract, require a signed a photo waiver from the sellers if no pictures will be posted. Have it clearly list the benefits vs disadvantages (are there any??) of posting muliple photos.

Jeff, read you article and everything you talked about, I saw in an interview with a seller this week - see my blog.  Hope everyone see your article.

Excellent post Jeff!  Like Kay I hope everyone sees your article agent and sellers.  I find it's important to communicate with sellers about the way you market their property. 

Great post!! I hope it gets heeded.

Great Post, lack of pictures is one of my pet peeves, sellers are often unaware of dis-=service their agents are doing for them.

Jeff,

On target! If you are a gambler, head for the roulette wheel - your aim is perfect! As for the level of professionalism we have today in this industry... NOT HOT. (Had to drop a Paris Hilton quote in there). We need to raise the bar, and I'd do this by two methods. One, double the number of renewal hours required, and TWO, pull the licenses from agents doing below a set number of transactions - say 4 per year. Cull the herd.

Jeff, GREAT post, once again. Thanks for the honorable mention. I'll be writing another post soon as a followup to the one you mentioned, in which I plan to address some of the unsavory tactics some agents will employ to get a listing they really shouldn't have. Unfortunately, what you've mentioned here is more common that many people realize and that's why it's SO critical that they do an in-depth interview of 3 or more agents before choosing one to make sure they're getting the most bang for their buck.

Good post. Good points. It's unfortunate that these things happen in our profession... but sadly they do.

Thanks to all you all who visited and commented. I am feeling swamped at the moment so I apologize for not replying to each of your personally, which I generally try to do...and for taking so long to respond. Some great comments. Glad this resonated with you.

Jeff