WHY BOTHER WITH INTEGRITY? IT'S SO YESTERYEAR!
IN OUR LINE OF WORK, houses come and go everyday.
THIS STORY WOULD BE COMPLETELY UNREMARKABLE were it not for the individuals involved.
I will let the emails tell the story.
Dear Jill,
We hope that all is well with you. We are leaving today for Florida (until March) and will be placing our home on the market for sale in January.
We have listed it with XYZ Agency through our attorney who recommended, coincidentally ,a long time acquaintance of ours _______________ (insert name).
We thank you for your kind interest and wish you and your family all the best for a joyous holiday season.
The Homeowners
Dear Homeowners,
I read with great sadness and disappointment your email to me summarizing your decision to list with another agent. Since March, 2010, when I came to your home for the first time to present the CMA, and in the many related conversations that we've had since, I looked forward to the challenge and the honor of selling the residence that belonged to our community's "spiritual leader" of many decades.
Your decision to go with above stated agent is an interesting one. I just recently completed a deal with her and I'm sorry to say it was a transaction that almost didn't take place. One would expect a certain level of commitment and attention to detail by an agent with 30 years of experience in the real estate field.
Real Estate 101 teaches us to be aware of permit issues that could potentially hold up a sale and cause an untold amount of stress to the prospective buyers, as tax implications for renovations pending approval remain unclear until the issues are settled. Although we were repeatedly assured by the listing agent, that all paperwork was in order, it was no accident that the 4 or 5 outstanding C/O issues this house contained did not come to light until closing dates were being discussed, thus throwing all interested parties (especially the elderly homeowners) into a state of near hysteria.
A listing agent's fiduciary responsibilities are always to the homeowners. The best interests of the homeowners cannot take place if the property has not been properly prepared to be put up on the market for sale. Prospective buyers which are difficult to come by in this rather poor economy can easily become discouraged if "time is of the essence" for their own move or their "fear of the unknown" clouds their decision-making process.
In any case, in anticipation of shortly receiving your home's listing, based on a conversation we had that ended with, "we'll call you next month," I prematurely ran by the Town of ___________, Department of Buildings, the last time I was in the area to check what was on file. Since you have also made several renovations to your home that will conceivably cause a problem with its future sale, I will put the papers in the mail to you. Perhaps, you will find them helpful as they are of no more use to me.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year. Enjoy your months in Florida. As with all of your critically acclaimed speeches, your timing is perfect.
Regards,
I read with great sadness and disappointment your email to me summarizing your decision to list with another agent. Since March, 2010, when I came to your home for the first time to present the CMA, and in the many related conversations that we've had since, I looked forward to the challenge and the honor of selling the residence that belonged to our community's "spiritual leader" of many decades.
Your decision to go with above stated agent is an interesting one. I just recently completed a deal with her and I'm sorry to say it was a transaction that almost didn't take place. One would expect a certain level of commitment and attention to detail by an agent with 30 years of experience in the real estate field.
Real Estate 101 teaches us to be aware of permit issues that could potentially hold up a sale and cause an untold amount of stress to the prospective buyers, as tax implications for renovations pending approval remain unclear until the issues are settled. Although we were repeatedly assured by the listing agent, that all paperwork was in order, it was no accident that the 4 or 5 outstanding C/O issues this house contained did not come to light until closing dates were being discussed, thus throwing all interested parties (especially the elderly homeowners) into a state of near hysteria.
A listing agent's fiduciary responsibilities are always to the homeowners. The best interests of the homeowners cannot take place if the property has not been properly prepared to be put up on the market for sale. Prospective buyers which are difficult to come by in this rather poor economy can easily become discouraged if "time is of the essence" for their own move or their "fear of the unknown" clouds their decision-making process.
In any case, in anticipation of shortly receiving your home's listing, based on a conversation we had that ended with, "we'll call you next month," I prematurely ran by the Town of ___________, Department of Buildings, the last time I was in the area to check what was on file. Since you have also made several renovations to your home that will conceivably cause a problem with its future sale, I will put the papers in the mail to you. Perhaps, you will find them helpful as they are of no more use to me.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year. Enjoy your months in Florida. As with all of your critically acclaimed speeches, your timing is perfect.
Regards,
Jill
Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for me. The Homeowners pressed send on this email literally as they were getting on a plane to Florida for the next few months so they wouldn't be around to face any unpleasant reactions.
In this line of work, we lose houses everyday. It's to be expected. This situation was different, not only because of the honor and privilege associated with selling this internationally renowned speaker's house, but also because this man had repeatedly promised the listing to me for the last couple of years and was only too happy to accept all the preliminary free labor that I provided.
So now I'm left wondering, if even my spiritual leader is dishonest, who is left in the world to tell the truth? Other similar and distressing thoughts have been plaguing me since early yesterday morning.
In this line of work, we lose houses everyday. It's to be expected. This situation was different, not only because of the honor and privilege associated with selling this internationally renowned speaker's house, but also because this man had repeatedly promised the listing to me for the last couple of years and was only too happy to accept all the preliminary free labor that I provided.
So now I'm left wondering, if even my spiritual leader is dishonest, who is left in the world to tell the truth? Other similar and distressing thoughts have been plaguing me since early yesterday morning.
You won't normally hear me criticizing anyone's else's work, but in this situation, I felt it was warranted. Through their attorney's recommendation, the Homeowners felt they were getting a top-notch agent but my experience with her had proven otherwise.
I was deeply affected by yesterday's unfolding of events. I know there will be other houses to sell but this scenario bothered me in ways I could never have imagined and in ways beyond the norm.
As a person of faith, I was literally shaken to the core. I'm not naive by nature and I've been around the block a couple of times, but I did not see this situation coming. Instead of getting right back to work, I chose to take some time off.
The pain comes in waves; as in the months following the death of someone you loved.
At this point in time, the sadness has nothing to do with the listing, the sale or potential commission. I took the news hard because I suddenly realized that someone I, very much, looked up to for inspiration and guidance has no personal integrity, after all.
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