In elementary school, we all learned the three R's...Reading, wRiting and aRithmatic. Anyone having flashbacks to storytime on the reading carpet? ::OH...THAT'S JUST ME!?:: What about the giant abacus with huge red and yellow beads...anyone have one of those in your class? MAN...I loved that thing!

Well...apparently...there are some listing agents (in my neck of the woods) who skipped elementary school. (OR...they fell asleep on the reading carpet.) I know this must be true...because all too often, I show their listings.

Not too long ago, I was working with a single mom (I'll call her Barbara)...a referral from another satisfied client. Barbara was on a pretty strict budget, but she wanted a nice four bedroom home for her children...in a specific school district. In her price range, there were few four bedroom homes. However, I was hopeful.

Every morning, I checked to see if there were any new four bedroom listings in Barbara's price range. After several weeks, the perfect home came on the market. I called Barbara immediately, and we rushed to see the home. Barbara was so excited that she took a few hours off from work. The home appeared to be a great bargain, and she did not want to miss the opportunity.

As usual, I arrived a few minutes before Barbara to the appointment. I opened the front door and quickly realized that the home needed more work than the listing sheet had indicated. Still...it was in a great neighborhood...had four bedrooms...AND was within Barbara's price range. "This is perfect"...I thought.

As I was exploring the first floor, Barbara arrived also...a bit early. Convinced it was 'the home' for her family, she anxiously moved from room to room. I followed her to the second floor and into the master bedroom. From there, we made our way through the two secondary bedrooms. Stepping back into the hallway, she asked me where the fourth bedroom was located. ::OH MY!:: "Hmmm...let's get our bearings. Maybe we missed it in the excitement."

A quick trip back through the home confirmed that there were, in fact, three bedrooms...NOT four. Now, you are probably thinking that there was some 'other' room that the listing agent was calling a 'bedroom'. NOPE! No sunroom...no study...no bonus room...no office...nothing...nada...zip!!! The home had a living room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. THAT WAS IT!

Frustrated that Barbara had taken time from work to see the home (because the listing agent advertised it as a four bedroom)...I called the listing agent during the appointment. He answered, and I calmly explained that I was at the showing but that I was having some difficulty finding the fourth bedroom. (I will admit that I wanted to chew him out...but I didn't!) Without hesitation he said, "Well...it's got to be there somewhere. You must have overlooked it." Before I could respond, he hung up.

On the drive back home, I called him again and left a message expressing my client's disappointment that he had misrepresented the number of bedrooms. I suggested that he might want to correct the information in the MLS in order to avoid the same thing happening to another agent. Several weeks later, I stumbled across the listing again...STILL stating that the home had four bedrooms. It was apparent to me that the listing agent had no intentions of correcting the information...that he may have even misrepresented the number of bedrooms purposefully...to create more interest in the home. Either way...he was clearly wrong.

In my next telephone message to him, I said "Mr. Listing Agent...this is Elizabeth Nieves...and I just happened upon your listing at 123 Happy Trail again this morning. It appears that reporting information accurately and truthfully is not on your list of priorities...as I made you aware of this misinformation weeks ago, and you have yet to make the correction in the MLS. Perhaps, you don't care that you caused my client to lose valuable time and money at work...or that I drove an hour to show her a home that she would never have looked at had you done your job properly. Maybe not...but I think I know someone who will. Have a nice day!" Before the end of the day, the listing was corrected.

REALTORS are human beings (contrary to public opinion), and we will inevitably make mistakes. However, we have a great responsibility to our clients, and our fellow agents, to use due care and diligence in all aspects of the real estate transaction. Like my mom always told me, "If you do it right the first time, you won't have to waste time doing it again."

Written and Posted by:

Elizabeth Nieves - Broker, REALTOR® -- The Elizabeth Nieves Realty Group @ Keller Williams (A Bilingual Real Estate Team serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill NC and surrounding areas.)

Visit our website at http://www.elizabethnieves.com