Is Your Realtor Presenting All Offers To You?

Posted by Renee Porsia under For Buyers, For Sellers, For Realty Professionals, General Information, RE/MAX, selling, buying, Renee Porsia, NAR, Philadelphia Market Statistics

I just wanted to blog about the Realtor's role as a seller's agent. I can't tell you how many times I had a buyer and called a listing agent to let him/her know that my client wanted to submit an offer and I heard "how much is it?" And as soon as I told them I heard "oh, well don't bother wasting your time writing it, my client won't accept it."  What many Realtors do not know or perhaps maybe they do but do not understand is that it's not their decision as to whether their client will or will not accept the offer. It's their job to present each and every offer that comes in whether its a dollar or a million dollars. If a seller does not want to accept an offer they are supposed to write the word decline on the offer along with the date and signature.  If the seller wants to counter the offer with a higher offer it can be done right on the Agreement of Sale. If the seller never receives the offer then there can be no negotiations.

Sometimes, Realtors make things personal. It's not their job to make things personal. That's why seller's hire Realtors, to take the emotion out of the transaction. When a Realtor makes things personal, it's the seller who winds up getting hurt.A seller could wind up losing out on a very good offer just because the Realtor decided to make a decision for them not to know about the offer. Most offers come in low but many buyers are willing to negotiate and tend to want to test the waters and if the seller agent decides that he/she doesn't like the offer or even if he/she doesn't like the buyer agent then their seller will never get the option to accept, decline or even counter the offer which is not fair, not in the seller's best interest and I believe it's not ethical.

Many sellers would be surprised to know that many offers go unseen just because their Realtor didn't like the offer or even the buyer agent presenting the offer. So, how can you be certain that you are seeing every offer? You can simply communicate to your Realtor that you want to see each and every offer whether it's one dollar or a million dollars. You can state that you want to have the option to decline an offer in writing. If you still do not feel comfortable that you will see every offer, put what you want in writing right on the listing contract and have your Realtor sign and date it. You will have a copy as well as your Broker. After all, this is your home, not the Realtor's home. Shouldn't you be the one in control?

Don't miss out on any offers. If you have any comments or questions about my blog on presenting all offers, feel free to leave a comment or contact me.