THE QUESTION THE SELLER FORGOT TO ASK...

There are agents out there that I call the "List it and forget it" agents. They want a high volume of listings, and they're glad if someone comes along to sell it for them - but they don't do any work to make it happen.

I could not agree with youmore.  That is an important question.  Othere then that, what matters is the marketing plan & good communication with the seller and other agents. 

I am curious what people think as they keep driving by the listing agent's signs...wonder if they realize the listings are overpriced or just think the economy is bad and that's why the houses don't sell. Unfortunately, I can see the potential of positive results. List the house higher than other agents will, have your name displayed on front lawns for months at a time. People think you are dominating the neighborhood, not knowing whether the listing sell or not. Like a television commercial, the agent's name is etched into the neighbor's brains and she will be called for a listing interview when they decide to sell. 

Hi Paula, I think another great question for sellers to ask from their listing agent is if their objectives, goals and approach are compatible with the agent's style, business practices and marketing.

I expect sellers to interview me, but I also interview them to gauge their motivation, personality, compatibility and ability to work with me. The client that tells you that they want or dictate 'this' too high of a price despite knowing it does not fit in the marketplace with no sense of urgency or agenda, as "I don't have to sell if I don't have to" is not a good client candidate.

Kim (#45 above) hit the nail on the head!. She said

"do I take over priced listing - YES. For the next x number of months I will encourage them with market data to lower the price - I will pick up buyers from the marketing I do for their homes."

This goes a long way towards explaining why we see so many of what we think are overpriced listings. There is more than one reason to accept such a listing.

I believe sellers respond more to a confident attitude than they do to impressive statistics. YMMV.

That is a great question to ask, and I make sure that I tell my prospective sellers up front that I actually sell the homes that I list!

This is a good list for sellers to work from. I think they would be surprised to know many agents don't even know their numbers.

Great points. Good things to remember and keep items handy in response to them. I believe the term I have heard of is a "listing professional", meaning one who lists properties like crazy but does not necessarily turn them into sold properties. That second part is definitely something a seller wants to accomplish.

People throw around a lot of numbers in this business and you can always play with the numbers to get them to say what you want.

Great post.  The education of our buyers and sellers is so important.

"understanding" is not all that difficult....having the tools, expertise, experience in marketing....can be.

GREAT points. it's also been a very down market. I think some agents list and list and then don't worry about price reductions or seller feedback and then clients become dissatisfied in the process.

Great advice, if more sellers asked that forgotten question I think we would have less expired listings in the marketplace

Paula, great advice. I'd add to your list:

• What is the average price of your current listings?
• How long have they been on the market?
• How many of them have had price reductions since listing and why?

That will help you pick out the agents who "buy" their listings with an overpromise of the eventual selling price and also let you know whether they deal with listings similar to yours. I wouldn't want to list a million dollar home with an agent who rarely sells anyting over $400,00 or vice versa.

Dear Paula -

Your post is another example of why I love AR.

So much to learn from others!  And - as always - the comments add more knowledge.

Thanks -

Have a happy day -
Lynn