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Content to turn down a listing !

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Sandpoint Realty LLC DB36113

Content to turn down a listing !

     As Realtor's® we all know the importance of listings.  What is a much harder lesson to learn and then practice, is the importance of not taking a listing that most likely will not sell.  The work will be the same, or more as that of a listing that will sell, and yet we know going in all the work will not end in a pay check.  How many times do agents, myself included, take a listing knowing it will not sell and hoping it will create advertising.  It takes a long while for many and depending on the market it is still difficult to turn a listing down, and yet today I was content to turn down a listing !

     Sandpoint, IdahoThis was an expired I have spent a lot of time on in the Sandpoint Idaho area.  Actually met with the sellers after a couple of phone calls and 1/2 dozen cards / letters.  Let them know they needed to at least drop their price $10,000 to get into the next price bracket down.  They wanted to think about it.  

     After a few more follow up letters and cards they wanted another meeting.  I took all the paperwork to sign today.  I also took comparables of recent 'solds' and 'actives'.  Shortly after arriving and talking I realized he had not changed his mind on the price reduction.  Their statements wanting to compare Sandpoints market to a city 200 miles away with 10 times the population (a new argument to me) or the classic "that this property was going to take that special 'California' buyer that had vision" (this argument got old 5 years ago and continues) were but a couple of the warning red flags.

     I thanked him for his time.  Explained that the message I deliver to my clients is not always want they want to hear because it is the truth.   While I am not perfect I am a full time Real Estate Professional and am confident in the information I relay.   I told them I did not feel we would work well together and they would do better in finding someone that felt confident in marketing the property at the price he wanted to sell it at.

     I did this not out of spite.  This was a sense of my time, how valueable it is, and how it needs to be guarded.  Clients who trust and value my work can better appreciate the extra time I will be spending on selling their home.  

     While none of us like walking away it is sometimes the most successful decision we can make.  

Are you wanting to sell your  Sandpoint or North Idaho home and don't know where to start?  Contact me as your reliable, knowledgeable, professional.  I will start you with a no obligation home value report and show you how I will get your home SOLD!

Click here to view search results for: "Sandpoint Idaho Homes for Sale"

Mark Don McInnes - YOUR LOCAL NORTH IDAHO REAL ESTATE RESOURCE

208 255-6227

" Your Realtor® for Life, everyday - Mark my Words! "

Mark@SellingHomes-Land.com

All images and content property of Mark Don McInnes unless otherwise stated.  

 

 

 

Posted by

Mark Don McInnes

208 255-6227

"Experience the Difference' working with a full time professional Realtor®

Mark Don McInnes - Sandpoint Realty LLC

 

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All images and content property of Mark Don McInnes and only to be used/copied with prior written permission.

Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Mark. Never a easy decision to make and you have enough knowledge and experience to make it when it is the right thing to do.

Mar 17, 2015 06:37 PM
Mark Don McInnes, Sandpoint-Idaho
Sandpoint Realty LLC - Sandpoint, ID
North Idaho Real Estate - 208-255.6227

Good morning Joe Petrowsky .  It is always tough, even with the experience, as a couple of your recent posts point out.  Top of the evening/morning.  Mark

Mar 17, 2015 07:18 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

You absolutely handled that correctly.  If they weren't interested in listening to you about the price, what else wouldn't they listen about? Allowing showings? Fixing stuff that needs fixing?  We have to focus on homes that will actually sell.

Mar 17, 2015 08:57 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Walking away is somestimes the best decision.

Marketing a listing can be time consuming and expensive.

Mar 17, 2015 09:28 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Yes, that is indeed the smart and responsible thing to do.  I am having similar thoughts w/ a customer I just met.  I think I'm going to give them an extra high price because I don't want the job/don't want to work with them.

Mar 17, 2015 09:42 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Kudos to you for turning down a listing you know won't sell and for not working with people that you don't have a good working relationship with.....the name of the game is "sell that house" not "who has the most listings"?

Mar 17, 2015 10:37 PM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Mark. You are a smart guy. Time is money and wasting it with no chance of recovery is just dumb.

Mar 17, 2015 10:57 PM
Shanna Hall
Real Estate Solutions - Kirkwood, MO
I love selling houses!!!St. Louis, MO 314-703-1311

Mark Don McInnes, Sandpoint you made a great decision- they also sound like they would be calling and asking why their house had not sold.

Mar 18, 2015 12:59 AM
Claude Labbe
RLAH / @properties - Washington, DC
Realty for Your Busy Life

Smart.  Perhaps you'll have a better conversation with the next listing down the block who is realistic and values your time & consulting services.

Mar 18, 2015 05:24 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

A home that is likely not going to sell, because it's not priced right, or some other contributing reason, is best being turned down as a listing.  

Mar 18, 2015 12:41 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

For you it's turning down a listing or turning away a buyer. For me it's saying "No thank you" to a writing project. It's a decision we don't take lightly, but it's one that is sometimes necessary to protect our time and resources. 

Mar 22, 2015 07:29 AM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Mark- very good point.    I turned away from a listing I had had for 5 months when the sellers started telling me I had not measured the rooms correctly, and that was why it was not selling.    (Much more to this tale, obviously...).    They ignored my requests for reductions.     So, instead of selling, they continue to pay mortgage and heat payments.       Silly.   I actually told them they would be better served by another agent.    

Mar 24, 2015 02:11 AM