WHEN A RE-BLOG REALLY MATTERS!...
When I wrote my last bog post which got featured and then was re-blogged by several members, there was a tremendous outpouring of comments as soon as it was published.
Those comments enhanced the post so much that I really think that it was a powerful dialog for all of the members here on ActiveRain. Not only that, because it was re-blogged as well, the topic got even more coverage and was seen by many more members than would have been possible without the re-blog mechanism! I learned even more than I thought I would from this post...
WHAT I LEARNED....
YOU'RE THE SELLER....WHY GIVE IN TO THE AGENT'S NUMEROUS REQUESTS? was written after I had a very bad experience with a homeowner. In that case I was criticized by the homeowner when I listed her home, because I asked her "Too many Pesky questions!"
I wrote that post because I can see that SO many of the newer agents (at least here in the Hamptons) and even some not-so-new agents DO NOT gather the crucial information about a property before they take a listing.
I learned that there is the thought out there that the required disclosure forms for the seller to fill out regarding their property is a legal and binding document and that protects the buyer! Maybe so, but many states allow sellers to PAY MONEY INSTEAD OF DISCLOSE! Not only that, the information that I am talking about is needed BEFORE THE LISTING AGREEMENT IS SIGNED!
This discosure form was mentioned by about 1/3 of the members who commented. That form however is not going to inform an agent BEFORE
they take the listing and therefore it is essential to get participation from the owner during the necessary research.
As was pointed out by many members, most of the issues will be uncovered while looking in the building and zoning departments--looking for forgotten permit approvals, set-back problems etc....However, as I have found in several instances, the homewner has built an illegal deck, added a back room, put in a pool, all without even realizing there are requirements for permits, inspections etc. before they are approved and made legal! Some even do these things knowing they are illegal but thinking they will sell "as is" and get away without doing the legal paperwork.
THE DIALOG....
So, in the process of writing and getting comments on the aformentioned post, lots of good information came out---many members were very informative, many were expressing their own experiences. All comments were fascinating and lots of good ideas were exchanged. I did not see many comments from Newbies, but I am sure they were out there reading the post and the re-blogs!!!
I can't even imagine how a newer, less experienced agent would have handled the seller I was dealing with:
- WOULD THEY HAVE JUST WALKED AWAY?
- WOULD THEY HAVE TAKEN THE LISTING EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO RESEARCH DONE ON THE PROPERTY?
- WOULD ANOTHER AGENT IGNORE THE POSSIBILITY OF A DISASTROUS RESULT IF AND WHEN IT CAME TIME TO CLOSE ON SAID PROPERTY AND TAKE THE LISTING REGARDLESS OF A POTENTIAL DISASTER?
....SO I ASKED FOR INPUT FROM MEMBERS HERE ON AR and I got amazing participation.
Until WE as the representatives of all homeowners who are tying to sell their homes are consistently and diligently informing these sellers of what is
required of them, there will always be a dearth of awareness and the resulting compliance needed for a successful transfer of title.
FOR BOTH THE EXPOSURE OF THE RE-BLOGS and for the dialog that came from the comments on the original post, let me thank those who participated. I hope that the idea of the need for good and straight-forward dealings between the seller and the agent is a requirement and not just another request for information.
It is my intention to keep the thought about and the expectation of real estate professionals to be fully informed and to fully inform the seller AND the buyer during a listing and sales transaction.
ANY THOUGHTS FROM THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE FOUND RE-BLOGGING TO BE AS IMPORTANT AS I DO???
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW IF YOU DO......
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