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Trulia "I have a REALTOR" help

By Maureen McCabe

Real Estate Agent with HER Realtors

September 29, 2010 12:48 AM

"and I have a REALTOR"... is a phrase in a question on the Trulia yesterday. Home Seller Columbus OH asks:

Trulia Voices

"How can I get my house sold as soon as possible in this market? The house is staged and I have a realtor."

In the past I've read plenty of talk about agents from outside the area stepping in to answer questions for consumers on Trulia and Zillow. It is irritating to see questions about Ohio (just using my state as an example) real estate laws, local customs answered by an agent from New Jersey, Florida or Illinois.

Is it different with a listed seller? If the seller says "I have a realtor" is it better if agents from other markets step forward to answer the question. Rather than the Home Seller Columbus. OH Realtor's competitors?

Home Seller , Your City, Your State says online "How can I get my house sold as soon as possible in this market? The house is staged and I have a realtor?"

Answer this question?

Your market a seller asks a question and says "I have a REALTOR."

or realtor, Realtor® or Realtor....

They asked. Do you answer?

Trulia Questions Question similar

I don't answer a lot of Questions on Trulia or Zillow.

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Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Cheryl wrote "Price, price, price adjusts for everything but this is for her agent to communicate to her properly." Do you think perhaps the listing agent is trying to get a price adjustment? Do you think the $20,000 is under the rest of the houses on the market in the neighborhood? Under the neighbor that sold two years ago? Under what the county has it appraised for? Under what Zillow says it is worth?

Seller says "my realtor says that sales have not picked up" so they client and agent are talking about market trends...

Sep 30, 2010 04:07 AM

Michael J. Perry

KW Elite - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster, PA Relo Specialist

How would this be any different to another agent's Seller contacting us prior to EXPIRATION ??? They have reached out to us.

Sep 30, 2010 04:18 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Richard wrote: "As long as the conversation is initiated by the seller, I don't have an issue. I guess that it's not any different than a seller calling another agent while listed with someone else."

When someone calls and starts a conversation do you ask if they are working with someone? I do. With buyers or sellers.

I think you can answer lots of questions on Trulia where the contractual status of the seller is not apparent. I think when they say "and I have a realtor." they are not initiating contact and more than "you should talk to your Realtor." is unfair to that agent and to the consumer.

OR is a link to YOUR website does not answer the questions "How do I get my house sold in this market?" Sellers are thrashing around for answers. Like the relo clients in the 1980s who would ask the staff at their hotel about what are good neighborhoods to buy in.

There is a lot of information online today but they need more input. In this case they are screaming to the universe... "I don't want to reduce my price, will flyers help?" but they should be asking their agent IMHO.

Sep 30, 2010 04:26 AM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Wow. What fun! How we rationalize jumping into discussion where we probably should NOT.

A few thoughts on consumers and "Reaching Out":

I consider "reaching out" to be a fairly personal situation, not an anonymous posting with few details on a pop site message board.

Typically, when people "reach out" to me as a licensed agent and/or as a REALTOR®, they email me, call me, or direct message me. And they commonly use my name, "Mike," which is NOT anything like "Trulia."

And, in return, I ask their name, and whether they have an agent. As it should be. When we have completed that discourse, if they continue, I think they have "reached out" to me.

Sep 30, 2010 04:39 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Alan has things so mixed up but perhaps he did not have time to read the post before commenting. I am sorry you do not understand I said it is better for an IL agent to talk to them than someone local.

And obviously you could never just refer them back to their realtor. Where's the entertainment in that?

Apologies to Trulia for calling a podcast a webinar.

My post about this issue previously (link at the bottom of the post) I said Alan's answer was best. On that post although I had gone to a lot of trouble to make the seller and the property incognito Alan shared a link... to the question on Trulia or maybe it was Elvis back then.

Sep 30, 2010 04:44 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Gregory I know you do not like Zillow. Trulia entertaining...

Pat & Wayne Harriman is it Pat or Wayne who comments here? Just wondering.

"they're two of the biggest mudpits we've ever seen" I go back and forth. I used to like Trulia better than Zillow. Much. I listened to what I thought was a webinar but was obiously a podcast (do I know or care the difference?) some of the Mayors were interesting in what they were able to share about using Trulia as a real esate agent. Some were just there to entertain and talk about themselves.

Thanks Joe. I was thinking of fishing. Maybe not... the other day I almost answered a question. I woulda got points.... I coulda seen my name in lights....

Michael I don't think posting "help" to Trulia is reaching out.

Thanks Mike

Sep 30, 2010 05:19 AM

Alan May

Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL

Home is where the hearth is.

Hmm.... I thought I read today's post rather carefully... let's see... you said:

"It is irritating to see questions about Ohio (just using my state as an example) real estate laws, local customs answered by an agent from New Jersey, Florida or Illinois."

I clearly missed the part where you said that it's better for an IL agent to talk to them than someone local. You do ASK that question: "is it better if agents from other markets step forward to answer the question. Rather than the Home Seller Columbus. OH Realtor's competitors?" but you didn't answer it...

...and if you want to drag up the old post, I was fairly new to Active Rain at the time, so I was unfamiliar with your style, and did not recognize the fact that you had gone to lengths to make the seller incognito... in fact you said in one of your comments: "I can't find it now to see how the conversation continued." So, in my providing the link, I actually thought I was being helpful.

You quickly responded with: "I went to a lot of trouble to not give a link to the conversation but hey there must be a reason that you would just not understand that and add a link."

I promptly removed the link, and you replied: "Thanks obviously the fact that I had removed all of THAT from the post went right over your head.."

...and you didn't really say that my answer was the best, rather that my answer was awarded the 'best answer' by the person who posted the question.

So, my introduction in April of 2008, to the Active Rain site was a smarmy, sarcastic response, and a bit of a slap, to what i saw as an attempt to be helpful. Very similar to your response today, to my polite disagreement with your post, you resort, once again, to sarcasm and belittling.

Nice, very nice Ambassador behaviour.

Sep 30, 2010 05:33 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Were there Ambassadors in 2008? I don't think so.

Sep 30, 2010 05:51 AM

Alan May

Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL

Home is where the hearth is.

Very similar to your response today, to my polite disagreement with your post, you resort, once again, to sarcasm and belittling.
~~~~~~~

Nope, but there are today, aren't there?
(and thank you, at least, for removing your "dense and entertaining" comment...
I guess you had second thoughts about that one).

Sep 30, 2010 05:56 AM

Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC (203) 672-4499 - Wallingford, CT

Broker/Owners, Wallingford CT Real Estate

Maureen, I (Wayne) do all the commenting and posting for Harriman Real Estate on AR. We just dislike it when the posts devolve into arguments, mudslinging and other assorted stoopid stuff. Don't have time for that.

Sep 30, 2010 06:27 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Wayne somehow I assumed it was you. A more masculine voice?

Like this one?

Sep 30, 2010 06:38 AM

Pat & Wayne Harriman

Harriman Real Estate, LLC (203) 672-4499 - Wallingford, CT

Broker/Owners, Wallingford CT Real Estate

Glad to hear my voice is masculine...it means the testosterone shots have kicked in...

Nah, this is simply a conversation among friends compared to some of the exchanges I've seen on T & Z! I have too much respect for both you and Alan to view it any other way!

Sep 30, 2010 06:52 AM

Donald Tepper

Long and Foster - Fairfax, VA

DC area investor helping heirs of inherited homes

I have to side with Alan on this one. I'm very active on Trulia, too. I didn't respond to that particular question, but I've responded to a number of similar ones. And, yes, the question comes up there too about what value, if any, an out-of-state Realtor can provide.

In this case, for instance, yes, I'd have advised the seller to talk with her Realtor. But I'd also suggest that if there isn't a current CMA, to request that the Realtor do one to determine whether the pricing was still competitive. Look: That's a reasonable suggestion and one the listing agent shouldn't have any objection to doing.

I also might suggest that the seller ask her agent to take her around to some of the other listed comparable properties to get a better feel--up close and in person--of what potential buyers are seeing when they look at her property and the competition.

Regarding printing flyers, I'd definitely suggest that she discuss this with her Realtor. I'd also suggest that she review the marketing plan that the Realtor likely had prepared for her at the listing presentation to go over it with the agent and, as appropriate, fine-tune it.

As far as her question about whether anyone is really buying a house now, I'd acknowledge that some areas are a lot slower than others, and that I don't know the Columbus area at all. (I'm very straightforward about that.) But I'd note that her Realtor can provide the statistics on that. (Usually, a few Columbus Realtors will chime in with the hard data on sales and days on market.)

Since she says her home is staged, I'd ask for a link to the listing. Even homes that are staged sometimes don't look all that great, at least on the MLS. Or sometimes the listing may say "Great view" and then show no photos illustrating that great view. Check out the group here "Stage It Forward" and you'll see plenty of critiques of homes staged in one location provided by stagers across the country.

Finally, I recognize that the home seller is looking for the "magic bullet"--the one thing she can do to get the home sold. Often, I point out that there usually isn't that single simple solution, but suggest that they consider the points I've made.

Bottom line: I believe out-of-area Realtors often can provide good, useful, practical advice to sellers without overstepping legal or moral boundaries.

Sep 30, 2010 07:57 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Donald thanks for stopping by.

Oct 01, 2010 12:57 AM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Straight up from Trulia, with the ink still fresh on the pixels:

http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/me_and_my_husband_are_ready_to_buy_a_home_we_foun-246037

Why can that Cary buyer not get the USDA loan?

Oct 01, 2010 04:03 PM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I am out of the area and I know nothing about USDA loans... nothing.

Oct 02, 2010 11:57 AM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Maureen,

Why should those little facts stop you from preening on Trulia?

Oct 02, 2010 02:50 PM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Preening!

Oct 03, 2010 01:12 AM

Mark Hoggard

Churchill-Brown & Associates - Nichols Hills - Oklahoma City, OK

Thanks for this post Maureen. Look like it got quite a lot of attention.

>Mike Jaquish: Love your comments and sense of humor! I agree for the most part, but if I answer questions, I make sure to point out that they're in a different market & the best thing they can do is follow their agents advice - unless they don't have any confidence in their agent - & then I say, call the BIC.

And I wish like "HELP" that there were something we could do about Zillow & Trulia.

Nov 21, 2010 08:23 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

thanks Mike,

"And I wish like "HELP" that there were something we could do about Zillow & Trulia."

Not a fan of the two sites?

Nov 21, 2010 10:32 PM

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