Listing Agents, Repeat After Me ...

Lisa:  She doesn't even understand that she made an error.  Just thinks it's too bad that my buyer is being unreasonable.  Gee, never heard of a buyer letting emotion override logic?  Foolish, foolish, foolish.

Jesse:  Unfortunately, that team always seems to be well fielded with a whole busload of alternates in case of injury to any of the active roster.

Christina:  Well a big, huge, super duper thank you!

Amanda: I think you just spilled the secret.  Rats.  Well, since it's out in the open, where is this week's market reports?  I've been waiting all day!

Elaine:  No need to tell the seller.  They'll find out soon enough when their home fails to sell.

Jason:  Crazy, huh?  Nothing in this business should come between an interested, qualified buyer and access to the premises.  Nothing.  If your schedule has a conflict, resolve the conflict or find another way to get the buyer inside.  This is basic stuff.

Katerina:  That is the part that kills me.  You'd think such agents would be eager to make the sale and earn their fee, but ...

Brian: Amen!  With the tracking and security provided by today's sophisticated lockbox and keypad systems, there really is no excuse not to use one.  Some agents mistakenly believe that being present helps them better serve their clients.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Not only does it restrict access, but that agent has no rapport with my client.  Believe it or not, my buyer does not feel at ease in the home with a stranger leading her around and pointing out the linen closets.  They usually end up wanting to rush through the home without touching anything, like feeling uncomfortable when the seller is present.  The first time we actually saw this property before we went under contract originally, my buyer asked me at one point if I could shoo the agent away so we could talk frankly.

Kelly:  I should have addressed my reply to Brian to you instead.  See above and you will realize that I am in complete agreement with you.

Joddie:  I would have strapped the lockbox right to the old man's ankle.  Just above the monitoring device.

Jeremy:  Even then, I don't know if my buyer would entertain it.  The entire process has bad mojo now.  For an impulsive person, that is often enough to squelch any deal no matter how good the value.

BB:  That's a pretty darn good ratio of lockbox to non-lockbox.  I really do understand that some sellers require special showing instructions (pets, babies, etc), and have had such listings myself.  My only gripe is that you better be available at all times if there is no box, and an exception should be made for a showing like ours: solid buyer with whom the other party had been in escrow.  In this particular case, it was just the height of absurdity.

Shannon:  It seems like the catchier the slogan, the shadier the outfit sometimes, doesn't it? ;)  I knew this topic was near and dear to you, and it was certainly near and dear to me in this instance.  Thanks for dropping in to add your fuel to my fire.

Carol:  That is just the worst.  It's bad enough when they tail you around the house, making your client uncomfortable.  Trying to solicit your client's business is just downright unseemly.  The good news is that I, and I suspect you, just don't work with clients who would be swayed by such tactics.

Steve:  I know.  Some spend all of their time in classrooms or at seminars.  They just don't grasp selling.

Dawn:  Steal away.  Agents market for buyers so desparately that I just don't understand when they turn them away, scheduling conflict or no.  If you want someone to buy the house, LET THEM IN THE DOOR!

Leslie:  That is a whole 'nother rant.  Suffice it to say, I do not particularly enjoy that game either.

Amanda:  Pretty please? (that usually works)

Judy: Unfortunate that we have to play that game, but you gotta find fun where you can!

Christopher:  Thank you, sir.  I see your "What the ...?" post just keeps going and going.  That puppy has some long legs!

Darleen:  She just doesn't get it.  She strikes me as one who can cite most any commissioner's rule or technical aspect of a transaction, while not understanding the finer points of selling a home.

Sharon:  Absolutely.  Our market is not an easy one the negotiate right now.  It is a listing agent's duty to do backflips if necessary to get buyers through their properties, not make it difficult.  The opportunites are fewer and farther between, so you really must capitalize on every potential showing.  That's just generally speaking too.  The fact that this was a buyer who demonstrated a desire and ability to purchase the property previously, not finding a way to grant us access in this instance was unconscionable.

Stephanie: While I think the "by appointment only" route is still a mistake (better that you get the showing when the home doesn't show perfectly than not getting it at all), it can work if both the seller and listing agent are willing to drop everything to accomodate a showing.  Sounds like you were.  I only wish the same were true of the listing in question.

Adam:  With so much inventory out there, such agents do run the risk of finding themselves on the mental lists that you mentioned.  If you want to show five properties, and there are 20 possibilites, one of the first ones to get tossed will be one you know will be difficult to show (all other factors being equal).

Karen:  I run into those three scenarios far more than I care to admit.  Thanks for your input.

Debbie:  Not only hire a professional, but hire a professional who understands how to "sell" not just "market."  Thanks for commenting.