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Don't fire those difficult sellers, refer them!

By
Real Estate Agent with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

Don't fire those difficult sellers, refer them!

 

Former clients contacted me in the fall of 2014 to list the beautiful home that I had sold them two decades earlier. We talked many times over the years, and I had performed many CMA's for them as they considered home improvement and re-financing options. They didn't even consider any other agent for listing their home when a fabulous job opportunity required their move to California. I was thrilled to work with them again!

 


I didn't take their business for granted, however...

They received my usual listing presentation, complete with an explanation of my pricing strategy, a competitive market analysis, market trends report, and marketing plan. As a gesture of appreciation for their loyalty I paid for a staging consultation for their home and a mega-package of professional photos that included photos of their nearby deeded dock and the community marina. 

Marketing including blogging and Facebook ads (including boosted ads to target markets in Arlington, Virginia, and Annapolis and Bethesda, Maryland), email blasts to targeted agents, several What's Up Annapolis ads prepared with the hands-on assistance of the publication's own marketing department to maximize results, ads on military home search websites, open houses and two agent open houses, as well as the standard corporate and multiple list marketing. 

 

All this marketing produced a lot of showings, especially when you consider the price range and season. The sellers wanted a full resume of every agent who showed the property: how long in the business... what company... how many homes did they sell in the past year...  were the sold homes priced in the upper brackets?

This was time consuming for me, at a time when my assistant was on maternity leave and I was preparing my own home for sale. And, of course, the sellers wanted feedback from the showings - only to argue why the feedback wasn't fair and issue new demands to change the wording on the listing or include some detail in the MLS that wasn't an option in the pull-down menu.

 

Remember the staging consultation I mentioned? They did refinish their hardwood floors and paint most rooms a neutral color but they didn't agree with the stager on some things. In fact, they returned furniture back to its original placement in some rooms. As a result, the open view to the two story-fireplace, which the stager had created, was now obstructed by the back of a leather sofa in the listing photo. A heavy velvet fabric panel divided the kitchen and informal eating area and they simply wouldn't remove it so buyers could see the openness of this area... Christmas came and went, but their holiday decorations didn't.

There was one small price drop, but not close enough to the likely selling price that I had initially predicted.

This listing was a real drain on my time, finances and morale... I can't count how many times I was on the verge of firing them as clients, in spite of our past history.

 

Rather than firing my clients or letting the listing expire, however, I called them to suggest we refer their listing to another office of my company - one that is closer to the property. With their permission, I asked the manager of that office to suggest an agent and then negotiated a 30% referral fee with her. The sellers were happy, I was happy, and last week I deposited a referral fee in excess of $4,000. This referral decision truly was a win-win because the referral freed me to help several other home sellers and buyers and resulted in a sale for my client's home.

 

The next time you're thinking about firing your clients or letting their listing expire, consider referring them!

Posted by

This infoMargaret Wodarmation was provided to you by Margaret Woda, an Associate Broker with Long & Foster Real Estate in Crofton Maryland. Contact Margaret today for general real estate information or to learn how she can help you buy or sell a home in Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton, Davidsonville, Gambrills, and Odenton. 

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Comments (6)

Bill Roberts
Brooks and Dunphy Real Estate - Oceanside, CA
"Baby Boomer" Retirement Planner

Margaret Woda OK, it is definitely a good idea, but it seems to me that by the time you are considering "firing" a client you are past the time that they would accept a referral.

Bill Roberts

Aug 18, 2015 12:14 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Margaret Woda  I may be considering this sooner then later with one of my listings

Aug 18, 2015 05:59 AM
Margaret Woda
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD
Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Hi, Bill Roberts, that wasn't true in this case. They didn't blame me for the non-sale since I did my job well and didn't have an attitude with them. They were happy to accept my recommendation because it was based on a sound business reason - I was moving out of state and there was an closer office to their property than mine.

The trick Hannah Williams, is to suggest the referral before they get unhappy with you. They don't need to know that you're unhappy with them.

Aug 18, 2015 09:24 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Good solution for a high maintenance client.

Aug 18, 2015 12:56 PM
Jim Paulson
Progressive Realty (Boise Idaho) www.Progressive-Realty.info - Boise, ID
Owner,Broker

I am surprised how few agents refer out their listings they will be expiring.  Doesn't it make sense to try to recoup your marketing costs on listings that the seller isn't willing to extend?  Also, it prevents them from choosing an agent that thinks they need to stab you in the back to make them look better.

Aug 21, 2015 03:50 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Anybody should be made aware what's going on with the listings regardless. You've definitely learned from experience.

Aug 27, 2015 02:04 PM