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Don't Call Me; I'll Call You

Feedback.

Everybody wants it. Whether a score on a test, an enthusiastic thumbs up or pat on the back, or just a simple acknowledgement, it's human nature to want feedback.

Hence, the question "How was it for you?" Sometimes if you need to ask that question, it's not really worth asking because you may not like the response.

Don't Call Me. I'll Call You When it comes to the practice of real estate, listing agents promise their clients that they're going to get feedback from the other agents who visit their home. After a rush of weekend showings, listing agents hit the phones calling up the hordes of agents who brought clients through the door on Saturday and Sunday.

There's just one problem. After driving all around town with their buyers, agents' minds often turn to mush. The homes blend together, particularly when they are all 4-5 bedroom colonials in the same price range. When they get the call on Monday or Tuesday after a busy weekend of viewing 8-10 homes, most of these buyer agents can't give intelligible feedback. Certainly not when put on the spot by the listing agent who invariably says "but you must remember our home -- the one with the fireplace and the wood floors."

One step above is the e-mail feedback software that's available. At least that allows agents to respond on their own time, their own schedule and usually includes reminder photos of the home.

I've been on both sides of the table and I've learned one thing: If buyers are interested in the listed home, the buyer's agent will call the listing agent. It happens every time.

In other words, don't call me - I'll call you.

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Posted by Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate on 10/19/2009 05:00 PM

Comments (75)

Showing Feedback in the Sales Strategies / Tactics Channel

showing feedback, phone calls, real estate etiquette, real estate sales

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75 Comments on Don't Call Me; I'll Call You

OCT

I agree, if my people really liked it we will be in touch

Thanks, Brian. I do try to provide feedback when asked but many agents don't bother asking. If you really want feedback on the house, put it on tour. That's a sure fire way to get what you need.

I always tell my sellers that if we don't hear any feedback, the buyers probably weren't interested. I can't hound the agent into making their clients buy the house, especially if the agent doesn't even remember what house it was.

Cheers,

Robin

Makes perfect sense! And don't call or email me 2 weeks later. THere is no interest if I didn't contact you the next day.

Hi Brian :o)

I disagree a little as there's one other thing to keep in mind in my opinion - and that's if their client is NOT interested, a savvy agent will illicit a reason or two why they may not have liked it - and that same savvy agent can often use that to help the conversation with the seller to make an adjustment in the listing if it may need it.

3 or 4 similar responses from buyer agents who's clients did NOT want the house, has helped me many times adjust something with the house, or get a price adjustment after a period of time.

Just my opinion, but I call every buyer agent who shows my listing, and 90% are usually very pleasant and are happy to help with feedback.

... I know many are not pleasant, but thats just my experience :o)

I also know that many agents on here feel the same as you that listing agents should 'not call us, we'll call you' but for me, I've had a lot of success with feedback.

Oh and I am always always happy to give feedback when I show a house for the same reason.

... I do think the procedure is viewed differently by geographic area though.

Anyway, sorry for the long comment ! ... just my humble opinion...

Cheers Brian !

Sheldon

More and more agents use a form that they fax to the showing agent. It is easy to fill out when you are not doing anything else and fax back to the listing office. I like eshowings where I call the service, get the show instructions, and receive an email feedback form. So simple. Welcome to the 21st century.

Brian, I don't like you calling me for feedback. It is always when I am trying to work on something more important than your feedback. Send me an email or fax it to my office.

Our personal home is for sale and my fiance doesn't understand that the buyer's agent WILL call if they are remotely interested....he keeps nagging me to call the agents that have shown it. Civilians just don't get it. ;)

Sharon Kotula
Argent Decor
Phoenix Vacation Home Furnishing Service
www.ArgentDecor.com

Brian, I agree that if there was interest, the buyers' agent would call on his/her own. But sellers want feedback, and sometimes we get some unexpected but useful information if we ask for it. I prefer the automated emails rather than being put on the spot by a phone call.

I'm with Sheldon on this. No call from the showing agent probably means there is no interest, however not always. I had a sale this year where the agent would not return our calls for feedback. She called back about 3 weeks later to say her client was ready to make an offer. She was about 6 hours too late, as we had just signed around a contract. Had she responded to the feedback request to let me know there was even mild interest, I could have given her a courtesy call that we were getting an offer.

I try very hard to give good constructive feedback whenever asked after showing. It's helpful to know how the property compared to others being shown as well as what my client bought instead of their home and why.

My 2 cents though ;-)

Makes sense to me, Brian. But I am happy to provide feedback if I get a call about a showing adn also request feedbakc myself. What I don't appreciate are the calls weeks later when I often have no clue which house I even showed and cetainly don't remember any feedback particulars.

Colleen makes a great point, too. On the other hand if the agent had stayed in touch with the lister agent s/he would have know the status perhaps.

Jeff

Brian, it is helpful though, because listing agents can tell their clients what the buyers may have liked about another one over theirs so they can improve price or condition....

I like the email best too, because then I can review my notes to give actual helpful feedback!

:-) This one really brings a smile to my face. I wish that it was that easy to do all things in life. You are so very right!

You're as right as rain (Active Rain) on this one Brian.

Brian, you are right. I have been working with a lot of buyers. Soemtimes going out with 3 different buyers in one day. I can't remember one house from another somedays. There have been days I just don't physically have the time to even respond to all the feedback emails.

Very straight forward. Thanks for your advice and input.

Pint well stated. What's funny is when a listing agent keeps on about how great the house is and neither you or client can remember it. If the buy is interested the buyers agent will call to ask questions, give a heads up that you have an interested buy or something. So sellers be patient -Lots of inventory out here!

Brian-I also would say thay if the buyers that I represent are interested, I will let the listing agent know. Otherwise don't bother me.

Even if they didn't like it, that is still valuable feedback. I can't stand agents that call a week later and expect me to remember their house... I show lots of houses and they all blend together unless one really stood out for good or bad reasons.

i agree that i don't like being hounded by agents about feedback... i TRY to always give the email feedback forms within a couple days, however, sometimes i just don't remember which house was which.... also, i HATE being called about that (or being left a message for me to call them back) by a listing agent.. emails are so much easier.. i don't have time to return all those calls.. they just aren't high on the priority list... i mainly deal with sellers and i don't call the showing agents... our showing service sends an email .. if i hear back great, if not, i call the seller anyway to discuss the number of showings for the week and what feedback we DID get.. i tell them upfront we won't hear from every buyer/buyer's agent.

Brian - I am sensitive and courteous to give at least an email feedback for every showing I go on ( no matter how "busy" I am) Call it protocol that works for me. I do this within 24 hours.I may even include criticism if warranted.

I take phone calls and don't mind when I have a moment. I understand that sellers are anxious. As Buyer agents and Listing agents we are in this market together. It helps our industry when we give feedback.

That being said, The only real feedback my clients want is an offer.

Brian - I always email for feedback. I always give it when asked. I don't find most listing agents ask. As primarily a listing agent, I think posing the question may solve a "problem" the buyer's agent had. That might lead to a sale. If the buyer's agent does not respond, I tell my seller, "Agent did not respond to request for feedback."

Most buyers do not want their agents telling the other agent every thing they said about a home -- if the buyer wants a home , you are right , then is when a call happens and it is really the only one that matters much. Our 2 cents.

I will ALWAYS give feedback via email. Agents who want to get a 100% feedback rate should invest in using a showing service. The cost is minimal, but the advantages are that the sellers have a record of who showed their property when and usually they will get feedback - positive and negative.

I like to email the listing agents even before they ask me for feedback. I hope they do the same in return.

Feedback is valuable. I give it when requested... get chewed out every once in a while for being honest...

Brian - my sellers are begging for feedback in this slow market. I hate to pester agents that show my listings - but even NEGATIVE feedback is info to share with the sellers. I prefer the email requests - many agents will respond at night during their email time. AND...when an agent calls or emails me for feedback - I will always answer them...no matter how tired I am of talking. See...here it is 9:30pm and I am still online :)

I agree that if there is an interested party the agent will get in touch. When you seller clients they do want feed back after working so hard to prepare their home for a showing. Instead of calling for feed back I send an email with a photo of the house to refresh the agents memories and this way they can respond when they are free...even if that means at 11:30 at night? I do my best to always respond to other agents calls or emails for feed back because I know I will be getting in touch with them when they show my listings.

I tell the sellers that if they don't get any feedback, that is their feedback. No feedback usually translates to "no interest" and is legitimate info when evaluating the listing price of the property in respect to the competition.

I'm happy to give feedback, whether in response to a phone call or via email. I agree with many people here that the email versions, such as ShowingSuite.com are the best and easiest to use. Handy for sellers, too.

Brian, your recommendation of feedback software is right on the money. Feedback can be such a conundrum. The adage "no news is good news" does not apply with home showings, does it? I try to be conscientious about giving feedbac, but occasionally slip up. Certain sellers DEMAND feedback, but realy don't want to hear anything negative. Yet, obtaining feedback is an essential role for listing agents. I agree with Dan, "No feedback translates into 'no interest.'"

Feedback software is wonderful. I've used it for two years now. Sure eliminates the constant phone calls.

Right on the point. Thanks for the post.

Feedback software is really the way to go. It has helped me tremendously with my listings. I can tell a seller that buyers will have a problem with their electric blue carpet, and oftentimes they don't want to take my word for it. However, after 14 showings, and 14 agents submitting feedback that is automatically sent to my seller directly, the seller can see for himself that 14 buyers did not like their electric blue carpet. It really makes my job much easier. I also find that most agents will response to email feedback requests, but are irritated by phone calls.

Phone calls don't help the sellers as much. The information is being passed from me to the seller. It helps to have the seller hear it directly from the showing agent themselves. I've also received numerous price reductions thanks to the feedback software.

We have an automated showing service that sends out a feedback sheet. Sometimes like you said, it is hard to remember specific details.

Brian,

The only important feedback is "my clients are writing an offer." It's rare to get any feedback that is really enlightening.

Rich

This is so true but I still try to give some form of feedback to them as I appreciate it so much when they do for me! Have a good one!

I see a lot of people saying they will be in touch if they're interested and don't call me I'll call you. Are we forgetting we aren't calling for ourselves we're calling for our clients. It's not necessarily are you bringing me an offer, it's is there anything we can do to improve the way the home shows. I've never had a client that didn't want to know what people thought about their home.

As a Buyer's Agent, it really does make me a little crazy when agents call for feedback - especially when I've shown 20 to 40 homes that weekend. If they email me a HomeFeedback.com survey or an email with photos, I always try to respond, as I can really help a selling agent with the pricing strategy, staging, etc.

You are right, no calls = no interest. But the sellers do want to hear feedback. I also use the ShowingSuite system and it works very well. Agents can respond on their own time and you are showing your sllers that you are trying. The feedback is automatically sent to the sellers and you. Great system.

Jean Richer
Ottawa, ON

HiBrian~ All sellers want the feedback, but they don't always like what they are told. It is utimately the listing agents responsibilityto tell the seller upfront the good and the bad and not rely on the showing agents..... I do always give feedback, but the listing agent should have told them most of the negatives as well as the positives with the listing already....

I feel if a seller gave you the time to show their home the least a buyers agent can do is write a couple lines giving them CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. Tell them the good, the bad, and the ugly. That way when a listing agent goes back for a price reduction, hearing it from a broad range of people, they are likely to concede.

I print out a MLS sheet for the 4-5 homes that I will be showing and write a little note as to their interest...I do not show more than 4-5 in any one day because any more than that, they all start looking the same. You then overwhelm them...tell the listing agents the positives and negatives...the sellers deserve that..

YES! Standing ovation. Seriously I walk into lots and lots and lots of homes and I have more than one buyer and I cannot remember. Luckily feedback isn't all too common here. The last time I got a feedback request (May), it was via email and I had been calling the stupid list agent for three days with no return call prior to getting the feedback request. Guess what my feedback said?!?

LOL!

Hi Brian -- I agree with what you say in principle but there is an easy solution to solve this dilemma and I do it everytime: As a buyer's agent when you are leaving the home, ask the buyer the pros and cons. Write it on the MLS sheet, and then proactively e-mail or voice mail it in. I always determine ahead of time if there is any fiduciary issues and if a buyer is interested, I ask the buyer for permission and we talk about strategy before (or if) I respond. What drives me crazy are listing agents who call me 2-3 days after I have left them an e-mail or voice mail asking for feedback -- yikes!

Greg, hang up the phone--I don't have any feedback! HAHA

Seriously, there is such a pro/con with feedback and I don't solicit it unless the seller is REALLY insistent.

I prep sellers that an offer is the only feedback we want unless there is something really wrong that needs to be brought to my attention.

Exception: broker tours. I want the agents to be brutally honest and the seller gets that info.

AMEN! Give your sellers these examples: I had one agent give me feedback that they didn't like the pool. There was no pool. I had another agent that I know well give me "the yard was too small and the media room wasn't large enough." I called my seller and told them we may get an offer. I knew the agent well enough to know she was just setting the stage for a tough negotiation!

Good Post!

OCT

I am not working for the buyer's agent. I work for my seller. If getting feedback on a listing helps them to have a competitive advantage then I call. If they don't remember the home or are busy, I ask if I can send them an email with the mls info and picture.

I call every agent that shows my listings. But I also realize that many seasoned agents have 20 listings and calling all those showings would be all they can get done.

Centralized Showing Services does it for me automatically. . but we receive maybe one feedback for every 10 showings . . not really helpful

Brian You need feedback to recommend changes to the seller - it helps if they come from someone other than the listing agent

Brian, I give feedback and hense receive feedback from other agents. I do it for my sellers. Now the buyer agents have a right to refuse or be vague, that is their choice.

Most of the big companies here in Ann Arbor use Showing Desk so it is easy to give it when the emails come in.

What I HATE is when you get a call from an agent a few days...weeks later....give me a break. I have no idea and can't remember the house.

I love the automated feedback requests that I receive the same day (or maybe the day after) I show the property. It's really helpful because the property is top-of-mind and I can say something that makes sense. There's also a cool feature on our MLS where you can submit feedback straight to the listing agent....I've done that as well....unfortunately, I use that feature more when I'm sending out "my buyer has made a decision and it's not your seller's house" type messages. :(

I have been on both sides of the table. As a buyer agent, I do show many homes and they all blend together. However, the listing agent is only doing their job. I do my best to give the listing agent feedback on the home. The Golden Rule to live by "Treat others on how you want to be treated." Personally, it gives me opportunity to network with other professional Realtors. These people are working and showing homes. Surround yourself with smart people and you will get further ahead. Be part of something bigger than oneself is what I always tell people. Just my input

Brian,

I agree...if I present a contract then they're obviously the buyers are interested...if not...they aren't keeping a diary of feedback...too many properties to remember...I think sellers request it only to find out what irregularities about the home...what changes they need to make but then you get sellers who want to hear feedback but can't take the constructive criticism.

Brian:

We have a system here called "Masspass". It is a company that a listing broker will hire to not only schedule all showing but also coordinate all of the feedback through emails. Since it has been here I think it is the only way to go. It's much more efficient to illicit feedback through email than to try to call everyone.

Brian: So true ... if a buyer is interested ... the agent will call. I am with Candice - I don't solicit feedback.

I gree Brian. I do respond to e-mails and give great feedback--good or bad. I've actually had agents call me while I'm still in the car with my clients. Don't do that! If my client is interested, I'll definitely let you know.

usually if it was the home it stands out and that is the one we all seem to remember

It is so hard to be patient.

I like the email feedback. It identifies the property and the agent can easily respond. I also agree that the only feedback that means anything to the seller is a call from a buyers agent with the message" we are ready to present an offer"

Feedback is a good thing, it helps us understand why things are happening. A smart person will take positive and negative feedback and grow from it.

So True!

Our MLS has an automatic feedback e-mail system that makes things easier. As a listing agent, I use feedback frequently to help the seller see room for improvement in presentation or price. As a buyer representative, I provide feedback as often as possible, for the same reason.

I do, however, prefer the e-mail or fax method because the many homes shown often run together, and if I am focused on something else, I may not remember the home or the buyer's responses correctly.

I agree in general, my fellow UPenn alum, but I am not so certain that I like the e-mail feedback feature (well, at least not the one that my system currently uses) - it does not provide specific enough feedback for me to help educate or help my clients in any meaningful way. That's why making a phone call may be necessary, but certainly not in every case.

If the seller's agent is calling the BUYER'S AGENT for "feed back" how in the world can this be in the best interests of the LISTING AGENT (i.e.,the seller's agent)!?

To me, it smacks that they don't have a clue on how to price their home, and they are using the BUYER'S AGENT, or the BUYER'S COMMENTS to talk their seller into reducing the price, based on "feedback"

WOW -- what a DISSERVICE!!

Ask the AGENTS IN YOUR LISTING OFFICE for feedback.

No conflicts of interests that way!

I don't list properties. I don't care if I don't get "courtesy to my listings" (as the threat I get by not providing feedback)!

I always ask the listing agent if they truly work for the sellers. If they say "Yes," then I ask them who they think I work for. If they STILL don't get a clue, I just hang up.

Got to be careful, because sometimes my clients WILL have interest in that home, so again, if they do I do NOT provide that information to the listing agent on their feedback call. It's still NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS. Wait for our offer, then we can negotiate.

Hi, Candice. I'm on the phone giving Brian his feedback. Do you think he will acknowledge any of us?

A feedback call is meaningless unless it's timely and by the listing agent.

I always told sellers, the only feedback that has any meaning is a contract.

I don't understand why a listing agent would ask my opinion of the price. Suppose I say that price is O.K. and then my buyer decides to make a lower offer> mmmmmmmmm

But you call me, I don't call you!

Brian.........feedback? I think that showing the home at the price listed is the first feeback. If my buyers like it, I call. If they don't, I don't. I tire of trying to remember which home and which price and whatever the agent feel is important.

If they understand the free market system, they get their answer with every showing.

Hi Folks,

Great conversation here. I understand the common courtesy thing, but agree with the common thread running through the comments that the most important form of feedback is showing the home in the first place (like John above mentioned) and writing an offer.

OCT

I'm not a Realtor, but I did enjoy the post as someone who has bought and sold homes and experienced the feedback mush myself.

OCT

Brian:

I have a new listing and one of the children has a very serious medical condition. All showings are set up through me so that when they are done I can tell my seller it is OK to go home. I've explained to agents that the child is on a very strict schedule and I'm trying to get the seller back home as quickly as possible. I've asked each agent to call me when the showing was over. 1 out of 4 did so. Because of this seller I'm now trying to be more attentive and give feedback whenever I'm showing property. We need to all be more courteous to each other in this business.

OCT

Buyers agents are not supposed to be giving any feedback. I do agree with you, if someone is interested, they will call you!

Brian - LOL, sooooo true ! It annoys me to no end when I am in the middle of a busy day and I get that irritating feedback call. I would much rather give feedback through email. We use eshwoings and use that software for feedback and it is a useful tool to go over with the seller, especially to get price reductions. At the end of the day, either buyers are interested or they are not. Not much in between ! ~ Chris

I agree with you Brian, once I have been out showing property for a couple of days and we have looked at 15 or 20 properties, it is really hard to give feedback unless there was something about the house that stood above the rest. These days, how many 3 BR, 2 BA, split plans with wood floors, wood ceilings and granite counters can you see? In our market - hundreds, and after a while they all blend together. The only time I ask for feedback on my showings is if I know the house is overpriced or needs some attention and it will give me an excuse to pass that feedback on to the seller. But, I have to agree, it is a bit of a pain to have a bunch of agents calling for feedback but in this market, I think they are all just so excited to have a showing that they are hopeful that this time it might find a buyer.

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