I had the same thing happen.  The seller followed us thru the house and tried a hard sell on the buyers.  The buyers were left as fast as they could get out the door.  The sad part is that I think they would have put in an offer on the home if the seller would have never been there.

Howdy Michael

I am not a Real Estate Agent but I think your 100% right about sellers should not use discount entry only brokers. I would have done the samething your buyer did.

Have a good one

Michael, well said. I absolutely agree with you... discount brokers and flat flee brokers aren't doing the sellers any favors. Foxtons (the biggest discount broker out there) just announced it's "out of business" as of Oct. 2nd, 2007. I guess it's back to the good old days of taking saleable listings at six and seven percent. Best of luck and keep doing what you do.

I think most of us "full service agents" agree with you. My biggest problem with discount brokers is that they truly do a disservice to their clients. I've talked with some of the owners and they don't really understand what they are giving up for what they're "saving" in broker fees.

In our area, its kind of a bait and switch mentality.  The discount broker gets a foot in the door offering to list the home for $2995.  But doesn't mention that fee doesn't even get the listing on the MLS.  The correcting market should take care of the worst of the entry only brokers out there. 

There are some Sellers who are savvy enough to negotiate the sale of their own homes; However, you do raise a great point about knowing what to say vs. what not to say during a showing.

Hi Michael, 

Often people think they have saved money the second that they list their home.  No money is "saved", or even seen, until after a successful closing.

-Mark

As the owner of a for sale by owner service I don't have a problem with the use of a flat fee service in addition to other advertising, but most of our sellers elect not to do it as they get very good exposure through out regional print advertising, media partners, internet and blog listings.  I wouldn't blame the flat fee MLS for something that the owner said however.

Buyers and sellers both need to be educated as to how to interact with each other, just as buyers need to know what they should and should not say in front of a real estate agent that represents the seller.  We try to encourage our sellers to open their homes graciously, converse normally, don't try to "sell" anything and to listen more than they speak.  Seems to work well and we have had many agents involved with the sale of properties advertised through our services.  They receive our Property Alerts, get our newsletters and read our blog.

As far as being savvy enough to negotiate the sale of one's own home, I think we all underestimate our negotiating abilities.  Anyone who has had children does it on a daily basis.  We negotiate with spouses, co-workers, and friends, too.

Good Job, however I try very hard to not show those homes unless I absolutly know this is gonna be the one for my buyer, after all, they are not the ones to be punished, right?

Good post, and i am glad I wasnt there, looks like the seller ran them off. thats one reason why the seller should not be there when the potential buyers tour the home.