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Call Seller Directly - Here's the Phone Number

By Kate Elim

Real Estate Agent with Dockside Realty VA 0225142975

February 27, 2008 08:40 AM

Are you finding that there are agents that input listings along with all information the buyer needs to go and purchase a home on their own.

Evidently they are doing this for a reduced commission as they are not providing full service to the seller. That's fine. It is the arrangement they have made with the seller. However, when they put the contact information so that the buyer does not need a REALTOR®, they are undermining our industry. We are paying fees to maintain a multiple listing system that is being used to potentially give away our business.

The drip e-mail system has worked wonders for some agents. I hesitate to use it because I have found listings that contain information similar to the one below (this is an actual remark I copied from MRIS, our system):

Internet/Public:
$$$ BEAUTIFUL BRAND NEW WATERFRONT HOME ON 1.2 ACRES, OVERLOOKING LAKE ANNA. FEATURES 4 BEDROOMS, 3 FULL BATHS. VAULTED FAMILY ROOM, MASTER BEDROOM W/ SITING AREA, JET TUB & SEPARATE SHOWER. UPGRADED KITCHEN CABINET & GRANITE COUNTERTOPS. HARDWOOD FLOOR, CERAMIC TILE IN BATHROOM.PAVED CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY. PLEASE CALL DIRECT TO OWNER AT (XXX)XXX-XXXX)

This listing is for a $795,000 home. Would you mind if your buyer called the seller directly? Would you mind losing the commission? How would you ever know?

We, as agents, need the contact information and in our system there is a section for agent remarks. That is the only place that this type of information should appear when we share listings with clients.

Well, if you were a savvy buyer looking to save some money what would you do? I suspect there will be some that will take it upon themselves to call the seller directly. If this seller has already determined that the services of a REALTOR® are not that important to them, wouldn't it make sense that they would quickly entertain the thought of saving the buyer agent commission also? Makes sense to me.

That is why I do not send drip e-mail. It is a shame as this is a very helpful way to keep in touch with potential purchasers and does not require much effort at all.

Has this been a problem in your area and if so how have you dealt with it?

. . . . . . .
If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, please contact Kathleen "Kate " Elim. She lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate. Reach Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's blog at her Web sites http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/

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Keller Williams Realty - Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor Area Real Estate

Kathleen, So true. We have it as well and I think your solution is probably the best. We don't have a ton of this but I think your solution is the only real one. You can then introduce that home after you have made the contact, not your buyer.

Great photo of the child. Love it.

Feb 27, 2008 10:08 AM

Marchel Peterson

Results Realty - Spring, TX

Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Kathleen, it was a problem in our area. I remember doing a couple of those where I worked with the owner directly. It was extremly annoying as I ended up doing both sides of the transaction but bascially only got paid for one side. A few years ago our state decided you had to have some degree of representation even if it is minimal. That has helped quite a bit.

Feb 27, 2008 11:40 AM

Gene Allen

Fathom Realty - Cary, NC

Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate

We have been doing that for years around here. It is just now getting to be a bigger problem as more companies are doing it and more sellers are jumping on board.

Feb 27, 2008 12:02 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Karen...Contact information should not be made available to the public. It's frustrating.

The photo is from Microsoft Clipart. I really liked it and it was meant to convey the thought that contacting the seller was made so easy that even a child could do it.

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 12:32 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Marchel...I don't really have that much of a problem with the limited services aspect it was the fact that providing the seller's phone number enables purchasers to go directly to the seller. That's the real difficulty.

I agree with you on the amount of work that we end up doing when the seller does not have representation. Unfortunately if we don't do it we may never get to settlement.

Thanks for commenting.

Take care,

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 12:38 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Gene...Well, as long as it is perfectly legal it is an option for sellers. My concern is with the seller's information that is made available to the public in the listings. That's using our system to potentially work against us.

I wish all sellers would understand the benefit of working with a full service agent but there will always be some that won't, and now some that feel they can't afford to.

Hope things are picking up in Virginia Beach.

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 12:46 PM

Kay Van Kampen

RE/MAX Broker, RE/MAX - Springfield, MO

Realtor®, Springfield Mo Real Estate

Kathleen, I don't even publish the addresses on owner occupied homes. I want them to call me instead. Bank owned property I don't worry so much. No haveing the seller's phone number is something I would be opposed to.

Feb 27, 2008 01:02 PM

Marchel Peterson

Results Realty - Spring, TX

Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Kathleen, we would be fined if we put a seller's phone number in the description. Maybe your MLS should start looking at fining agents for doing this.

Feb 27, 2008 01:18 PM

Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

I agree that I see this with the flat fee discount companies. No service. Homeowner does all showings. Contract delivered to homeowner. What usually happens in our area is it is equal to a FSBO. It doesn't work. Funny thing is sometimes they have an in state license but live out of state. How stupid is that?

Feb 27, 2008 01:28 PM

Adam Waldman

Westcott Group Real Estate Company - Hauppauge, NY

Realtor - Long Island

KATHLEEN - I have been working on a series about these types of brokerages. Essentially, the homeowner is still a FSBO, with the exception of being listed on MLS.

Feb 27, 2008 01:46 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Kay...Do the agents have to call you also for the information or do you have, like we do, different listing types for customers and agents? We need the seller's phone number so we can call prior to going but it should not be on the customer's listing.

Thanks for your input.

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 02:33 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Marchal...That sounds like a good idea. That would certainly stop that practice pretty quickly. I know that our system does have fines. I'll have to check if this "infraction" has one.

Thanks for the reminder.

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 02:40 PM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Gary and Adam...It is like a FSBO in one respect (you do all the work). In another sense it isn't because with a FSBO you can always try to get the listing (if you go after FSBO's) but you can't with these as they are "listed."

Oh well, who needs more listings. We all need more solds.

Cheers,

Kathleen

Feb 27, 2008 02:47 PM

Donna Yates

BHGRE - Metro Brokers - Blue Ridge, GA

Blue Ridge Mountains

Great point! I haven't seen this happen as yet but I have seen listings where the seller paid a flat fee but the contact information does show the listing agent, not the owner. I'll have to watch for this in the future.

Feb 28, 2008 10:47 AM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Donna...We have different print outs for agents than for the public. The agent's will have the seller's information as contact but this will not appear on the public's listing.

Just watch that the phone number does not appear in the remarks which the customers/clients receive. Hopefully it never will.

Thanks for your comment.

Kathleen

Feb 28, 2008 11:28 AM

Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089

Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI

Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Our MLS doesn't allow contact info in the public remarks. Agents will be fined.

Mar 03, 2008 08:32 PM

Loreena and Michael Yeo

3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Prosper TX Real Estate Co. - Prosper, TX

Real Estate Agents

Well, Kathleen, we are not allowed to have communications with the Seller directly when there is a broker representation. Even if it meant limited service. Unfortunately, some agents feel that it is the best source of their time and value. I do know that those agents get bombarded from the local realtor boards - who continue to do it time and time again.

Mar 21, 2008 01:39 AM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Loreena...We are not allowed to have communication with the sellers either unless the listing agent authorizes it in the listing (telling us to deal directly with the owner). Some agents that have limited service agreements with the sellers are putting the sellers' contact information in the public remarks which allows a potential purchaser to call the sellers directly bypassing their agent in hopes that they will get a better deal. That is why I wrote the post.

If an agent does it over and over again, when they are not authorized to do it, they should be brought before the Board and if they persist, have their license suspended.

Thanks for your input.

Kathleen

Mar 22, 2008 01:38 PM

Misty Thomas

Houston Realty - Crosby, TX

Realtor Crosby, TX

I have seen the seller's contact information in the agent remarks but not the public remarks before...WOW! I would have a problem with that too and it seems like there should be a rule with your local MLS that prohibits it!

Mar 25, 2008 12:18 AM

Kate Elim

Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA

Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Misty...There definitely is a rule prohibiting this. The problem is monitoring the MLS and finding the people that do things like this. Once we find it we can report it but if you do not read all the remarks you might inadvertently send one off to your clients with the sellers phone number.

Take are,

Kathleen

Mar 26, 2008 04:50 AM

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Dockside Realty

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Mineral , VA , 23117 United States

540-226-1964

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Internet/Public:
$$$ BEAUTIFUL BRAND NEW WATERFRONT HOME ON 1.2 ACRES, OVERLOOKING LAKE ANNA. FEATURES 4 BEDROOMS, 3 FULL BATHS. VAULTED FAMILY ROOM, MASTER BEDROOM W/ SITING AREA, JET TUB & SEPARATE SHOWER. UPGRADED KITCHEN CABINET & GRANITE COUNTERTOPS. HARDWOOD FLOOR, CERAMIC TILE IN BATHROOM.PAVED CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY. PLEASE CALL DIRECT TO OWNER AT (XXX)XXX-XXXX)

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