Pending in Clark County, WA - What does that mean for Real Estate Agents?
If a property is in Pending status, it means there is an accepted offer on this listing. To those of us in Real Estate, it also means stay away. In other words, you should not enter those RMLS listings in pending status without expressed permission from the listing agent or the owner. Here’s the actual rule from our RMLS service. ( 7.1 (b) )
SECTION 7: SHOWING PROCEDURES
7.1 The appointment for showing of listed property shall be arranged as indicated in the RMLS™ Listing Data Input Form.
a. A Cooperating Broker or Appraiser may use the lockbox system access device to enter a listing whose status is Active, Bumpable or Short Sale Pending, only in accordance with the instructions on the RMLS™ Listing Data Input Form or in accordance with the express instructions of the Listing Broker or Owner.
b. A Cooperating Broker or Appraiser may use the lockbox system access device to enter a listing whose status is other than Active, Bumpable or Short Sale Pending, only with the express permission of the Listing Broker or Owner.
A listing of mine has been in Pending status for several weeks, during that time I’ve had several agents enter the home. Our lockbox system sends us an email when the device is opened, along with the contact information of the subscriber. I’ve called the five offenders each time inquiring as to why they’re in the property, and none them called back with an explanation.
Today, it happened again. I immediately called and left a message, asking why she had entered the home. This time I did receive a return call. She explained that she entered the home to preview it as a comp. Apparently she has a listing coming up in the same neighborhood and wanted to see the condition of the property for her pricing strategy.
I told her it was fine, but that according to our RMLS, she should have called first for permission. She acted incredulous and told me she’d never heard of that before. Further, she went on ( in a condescending manner), as long as it’s vacant, and it’s not being shown to clients, there’s no reason an agent can’t enter Pending properties.
It really rubbed me the wrong way, instead of acquiescing as I normally might do to keep the peace, I argued the point. The buyer, who will soon be the new owner, might not want people going through the home. It’s a matter of common courtesy. Plus, it’s in the RMLS rules. Her reply, “it’s not her home until it closes, it’s just in Pending.”
When I felt the tension increase, I said okay, and tried to close with a “good luck with your upcoming listing.” I’ve never worked with this particular agent, but I looked her up on Google. She works with one of the large national firms and has 16 years of experience. Good grief! I was expecting to find out she was new to the industry.
While I would have certainly given her permission to view the home, I didn’t like being caught off guard. It's not my job to have to police my listings. She should have called first to ask if it was okay to take a look at the home, and to explain why she wanted access. It’s a matter of respect and good manners. By the way, if I pushed it, she could be fined by the RMLS. I won’t - this time.
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