Real Estate Agents: Tell Buyers the TRUTH!! by Feng Shui Long Island NY Consultant

It's things like this that make it a challenge every day for both buyers and agents alike.

I feel for you Carole. It's kind of frustrating isn't it?

Carole ..it really jives with my post does it not?? honesty is the best policy and can certtainly keep you out of trouble in the long run.. Good Luck with your search ..Please keep us informed..Thanks..:0)

HELPFULHANNAH

Carole, I enjoyed your unvarnished sounding off!  It is unfortunate that some agents do exaggerate the "qualities" of the property.  It certainly can backfire with the listing agent.  Thanks for the continued update, and it will be great when you share with us, "THE HOUSE" when you find it.

Carole- It is a problem that has made it through the ages. Annoying? Yes. Gonna change? No. Just keep an open mind and move on. Cant wait to hear what draws you to THE house you do buy. :0)

Carole ~  Glad that you wrote this post.  As you know I specialize in working with buyers only, so I am well aware of buyer's reactions to these types of statements... and then we get to the properties and find a very different story.  I won't even give feedback to these agents/sellers... it is a waste of everyone's time.  When they take pictures without showing the huge powerlines behind the house or the very long driveway which has to be plowed... do they really think the Buyer won't notice???? Ok, now you have me going (lol). This is what my buyers had to go through recently... they didn't appreciate it!

Carole,

True, true, true....I never put move in ready, unless it's new construction.  there is a lot of stuff out there one has to weed through.   Good luck!!   :)

hey Carole...Maybe some of the scripts fall under the MARKETING efforts...at least trying to get prople looking, and maybe being creative... But I do know what you mean...it gets to a point of complete denial by the listing agent. I, personally, don't fell a house in "move in ready" unless I smell cookies baking in the oven when I walk in :-)

Hi Carole.... loads of exaggerations out there aren't there?  Surprise surprise.... we will ALWAYS see this, because either the Lister SEES it this way in THEIR mind, OR the Lister is seeking to attract attention to the property!  I don't believe this is going to change, seriously, this is something we will have to put up with!!  Perhaps being in property management has prepped me.... i've seen it all!

Oh these Realtors, they sure are a "creative" bunch but you are right. I am glad you have one of the good ones!

Hi Carole,
Amen!  It's these Realtor that give the rest of us nightmares (not to mention a bad name).

Carole, that's why public have hard times believing us in general, and I really can't blame them either.

Carole,

It is really a shame that a home seller would not clean up their home and have it professionally cleaned weekly while it is on the market. These few Realtors are going to give the industry a bad image if they are misrepresenting properties just to generate traffic.

-Kate

Carole, As I was reading, I was laughing harder and harder at each section because...............you are RIGHT!

When I search for clients a lot of the pictures are blurry, dark and very few are even there. You get 12 pictures to use and most agents do not use all 12 spots.

And, as for snow on the ground, a new picture should go up since seasons do change.

And if the agents aren't telling their sellers to clean up, then shame on them. I feel most do but you can't make a seller clean their own home unfortunately.

Here is a good rule of thumb: if there are only a few pics, there may be a reason for that. I find when there is only a picture of the outside of the house, then something is wrong with the inside.

Sorry you are frustrated. I know how you feel coming from the other side. It's frustrating for us agents because our clients get frustrated.

Carol:  I agree and I keep a list of agents in my area that are known to do this and think twice before showing their listings.  As a listing agent, we do want to put our best foot forward for the seller who we represent and highlight the best attributes of a property.  If I say move in ready, you can take it to the bank that it's move in ready.  The agent gets a bad rep from exaggerating and in the long run does not help that agent or their seller.  I would much rather have a rep for being too honest that have any doubt cast that I was being less than.  And as for a house that is not clean, I do not list it, period.  I hope you find that perfect house soon.  My best.

Carole,

Thanks for the evening laughs!

It is amazing what words some agents use to get people through their listings....I guess it's all a matter of who's eyes you are seeing it out of. Last week I was showing a house that was so dirty I hated even walking on the carpet and couldn't wait to get out....it had been described as 'attractive and homey'.

Jo

Back before I was a Realtor, I was a home inspector. We did an inspection on a 15,000-sf mansion that was advertised as move-in ready, and since it was brand new construction, the buyers were planning on moving in that weekend since they didn't expect anything to be wrong. We started the inspection on Monday. The home had five heating and cooling systems, three water heaters, a huge spa heater, two kitchens with four ovens and 26 cooktop burners. All gas fired. The problem? No gas meter. Ergo, no gas to the property. Buyer was not happy. We finished the inspection three weeks later.

(LOL to Jims comment, again!) Since I have moved so many times, I have become quite the cynic about "descriptions".  As a stager, and the hubs being quite handy, we never shy away from "fixers", but EVEN those are becoming less and less honest, sort of like the "walls can go up or down".