It is really that hard to update your MLS?

This will be a short & sweet blog post, as the title says it all. Is it really that hard to update your MLS? Do you not understand all the problems you create by NOT taking 5 minutes at the end of each day to update your MLS? If you answered no, I will expain below why YOU need to STEP IT UP as a Realtor, and DO YOUR JOB!

I recently set appointments to show a client coming from Los Angeles 5 homes over this past weekend. I pulled my MLS on Wednesday, and pulled the same listings up Saturday morning at 10:00, 30 minutes before my clients were showing up at my office, to reconfirm all listings were still active & available, which they were. I even called the main office line of all 5, and on 4, I got a snide remark of "Read the MLS Remarks, if it shows Active it is". So after hearing this, I felt confident in showing my client, who drove all the way from Los Angeles, the 5 homes they selected out of 30+ I sent them over the past week via going back and forth on email.

We piled in the car, and spent the next 4 hours looking at, and dissecting all 5 of the homes. We were able to rule out the first three fairly quickly, as one had neighbors with loud dogs on 2 sides, one sat on a busy street, and one had very small rooms which would not fit their furniture. We narrowed it down to the last two, as both homes had pretty much everything they could have wanted in a home, from a large usable backyard, to a downstairs bed & bath. I could tell it would be a real dilemma for them to pick one over the other. I offered to call both Listing agents to see about price flexibility & possible assistance with closing costs, but quickly realized their cell #'s weren't listed in the MLS *SHOCKER*. I told my clients I would get ahold of both agents Monday morning, and upon their feedback, we could prepare an offer on the home of their choice.

Fast track to Monday morning, when I place calls to both agents, after first checking to see that both homes are STILL active on the MLS, which they both were. The first office I call I get passed around to several different "team members", before being told that the home has been in escrow for the past week. I dumbfoundedly ask why the home would be active, and why they would have confirmed availability on the morning of my showing, to which, their response was as follows "We have 70 files, we do the best we can". I quickly hang up the phone in disgust, and proceed to call the other agent. To my surprise, he actually answered. I told him that we have a potential offer coming over on his listing, and that I wanted to discuss a few things. He quickly cuts me off, telling me that the home is already in escrow, and he simply didn't change it to pending as he didn't trust the buyers were solid. Apparently, he would rather WASTE my time & my buyers time than DO HIS JOB! His answer really struck a nerve, but using my better judgment, I got off the phone without incident.

As a Listing Agent, it is YOUR JOB to update your MLS, and to communicate ACCURATE information to agents showing your homes. When you don't do this, you not ONLY ruin your reputation, but you damage MINE as well! Now I have to call my clients, the ones that drove down from Los Angeles, and spent the day looking at homes that I TOLD THEM were available, and let them know that both of the homes they loved have been pending for weeks. I now get to risk my clients losing confidence in myself, do to your negligence! If you can't do something as simple as spending 5 minutes a day updating your MLS, then maybe you should rethink your career choice!

 

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Tom Bashe, Broker - SCA Real Estate

27710 Jefferson Avenue Suite 102 Temecula, CA 92591

(951) 225-3030 - Office (951) 491-5052 - Mobile (951) 253-9077 - Fax

         

I specialize in Listing and Selling Homes in Southwest Riverside County. Whether its a Short Sale, REO, Bank Owned home, Corporate owned home, or simply a standard sale, I CAN HELP! I also highlight communities in Temecula, and blog about local Temecula Events.