Showing Feedback Lawsuit

I'll be the contrarian:  I sometimes think this whole business of asking for and giving feedback is a bit overrated.  I can't tell you how many times over the years I've received a call from a listing agent asking for feedback and have answered something like "It just wasn't right for them".

Other than reassuring the sellers that their listing agent is doing his/her job in following up ... I don't know how that kind of statement is particularly useful.  And yet honestly, is it not a truthful answer in many cases? .... The home was wasn't right for that particular buyer.....

 In Vickie's case, I wonder if the seller's agent should have rephrased the comment before passing it on.  Instead of "tacky paint job" saying something like "they didn't care for the color scheme".....

Maureen,

Very Interesting!  Let us know about any follow up with this.

Too many attorneys with too much time.

Lucky :)

I have never, don't now and will never understand the entire process of "feedback". 

I don't get the purpose.

I cooperate with feedback if they e-mail me something or if the listing agent catches me on the phone. 

Seems to me that the best feedback is a written offer.  Other than that, it seems to me that listing agents and sellers should be looking inward and not outward for help selling their property listing.

I agree with Lenn, the best feedback is a written offer.  If you don't get one, then the buyers didn't like the house.  Sometimes their reasons for not liking them make sense, other times it's just a matter of taste.  That is not good or bad, it just is.

Feedback is next to useless in my book.  I do try to provide it when I can, but preferably only after the buyers have made up their minds and written on a home. Any feedback provided before from me would be very blah.....

kk 

After reading Vicki's post yesterday, I've been mulling this issue over in my mind. I've always been one to give feedback when requested, and I track it for my sellers as well. I don't often receive crass comments (like the tacky remark), but when I do, I soften it to get the point across but not offend my sellers.

If my buyers are considering a home, I don't give feedback because I don't want to alert a listing agent that an offer might be coming - don't want to put my buyers in a situation of having to deal with multiple offers.

What has me concerned is the feedback I give for buyers who aren't interested, which is the only type of feedback I really give. When doing that, is it giving up "confidential" information?

I think I'm going to handle this issue differently from now on and not take a chance.

For what it's worth, I think that attorney was more at fault than anyone else. He never should have divulged something that was told to him in confidence and it served no purpose to reveal it.