This morning I'm at the computer checking the hot sheets to see the recent activity in my market area. I came across a listing on a street where I sold a townhouse a year ago and my interest piqued. I checked the price drop which seemed appropriate though still a little high, no big deal.
Looking through the listing a little more, I stumbled upon this nugget: Agent Remarks: Call owner for showings and information. Coop commission set by owner. All information provided by owner; not verified by listing 
broker.
What service is the Realtor providing here?? What is he getting paid for?? That's Odd. I set all showings personally for my clients, determine the co-op commission in accordance with the sellers and verify every piece of information before entering it into the MLS...........strange.
I wanted to find out about this listing agent and it turns out his brokerage is located in Omaha, 
Nebraska. Not a huge deal...except that I'm in and checking hot sheets for Illinois!?!?!? That's a pretty big market area to cover if you ask me!
The broker co-op commission is a flat-fee less than 1/2 of what one would likely expect in this region. Since there is no "typical" or "normal" commission rate and they're all negotiable this doesn't bother me much.
What does offend me is the errors and omissions in the listing. Th
e house claims to have an English Basement, which it does not, it does not have any flooring listed (carpet, hardwood, etc.) and is clearly written with falsified information to get potential buyers into the home...something the listing agent/ broker doesn't know because a flight from Omaha to Chicago and a 40 minute subsequent drive to the home is far too much to get a listing accurate!
I've never been the biggest fan of a discount or partial service brokerage- but to each his or her own- everyone has a right to earn business whichever way necessary. This one, however, takes the cake! If you're a home seller and want to go a route of less than full-service, please use a company that you don't have to call an 800 number to speak with your agent. Please use a company that will list your home with correct information. The only people hurt by inaccurate info on a listing sheet are the exact people you're looking for---buyers!!!
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