Are you a Vulcan?? Do you have MIND-MELD ability?
DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOUR CLIENT THINKS??
Gail Robinson offers good advice in this discussion about real estate agents making decisions FOR their buyer or seller clients. See:
Real Estate Agents Are Just That...Agents, Not Decision Makers
Over the years, I've witnessed agents and brokers who not only THINK and SPEAK for their buyer or seller clients, I've even met a few who actually SIGNED for their buyer or seller clients.
Signing for a buyer or seller client is clearly illegal and, once observed, we can never trust anything those agents/brokers did when they represented a buyer or seller client in transaction negotiations or contract management
I was speaking with a broker about an addendum we had prepared that needed a seller's signature. I faxed it to the broker and BAM, it came back to me in about 45 seconds all signed in the seller's signature block.
Although the property was an hour away from the broker's office, I ASSUMED that the seller was in the broker's office and signed on the spot. I called the broker and thanked her for the quick signature since the document was a price reduction pursuant to a low appraisal. I remember it vividly:
Lenn said: "WOW! That was quick. Thank the seller for me for driving to your office to sign."
Seller's Broker said: "Oh, she didn't sign it. I signed it for her."
Lenn said: "Well, if you have a Power of Attorney, don't you want to add that to the signature?"
Seller's Broker said: "I don't need a Power of Attorney. I represent the Seller in the listing agreement. I can sign for her."
That document meant that the Seller agreed to a reduction in the sale price of $6,000 based on the appraisal report.
WHAT DO YOU THINK????
WHAT WOULD YOU DO????
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, Serving home buyers in Maryland and Northern Virginia, 800-711-7988.
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