I work primarily with Sellers, so I don't get the frustrations of a Buyer's Agent too often, but my Agents sure do, and I get so frustrated for them and disappointed in other Listing Agents. Anyone who follows my blog knows that we take the best, and most current, pictures of our properties to post on the MLS. We sre also the first to let Agents calling on our properties know about any possible issues that have been disclosed through the Seller's Real Property Disclosure Statement (which is attached on all my listings) and somewhere in the remarks if it's something like mold or Chinese drywall. I know we all value our time (and our gas), so it's beyond me why other Listing Agents put old pictures of what seems as a very nice home when reality is that the home has turned into a sight for sore eyes since.
My poor Transaction Coordinator has had 2 bad experiences in a row. The first was a home with old pictures on the MLS. When she went to show the property, the home had graffiti on the outside and inside, damage to most of the house, and the backyard was being used as a trash receptacle. The next day her Buyer wanted to see a home that had a one sentence description in the MLS that included the words "beautiful" and "well maintained". They walked into mold and leaks stains on the ceiling and walls with holes in nearly every room. What's even better is that when she spoke to the Listing Agent earlier in the day for the showing instructions, she let the Listing Agent know that the Buyer is an FHA Buyer, and yet the Agent didn't think to say...oh hey, by the way, there's mold in this home.
I understand that sometimes we take less than desirable homes and we have to make the best of it, but for the love of sanity, be honest so that people don't waste their precious time showing a house that is nothing like what was represented on the MLS. There will always be Buyers willing to roll up their sleeves and invest the time and money it takes to fix up a house, so there's no need for the misrepresentation. Has anyone else had this issue or is it a South Florida problem?
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services Inc - Gulf Breeze, FL
Buyers Agent 800-309-3414 Pace and Gulf Breeze,Fl.
Our listing manager tells it like it is, he once ran an ad that read " the only thing holding this house together is the Termites holding hands" we got so many investor calls and did sales for months off of it.
Jul 10, 2012 12:51 PM
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital
Patty, we have a lot of listing agents who go nuts with Photoshop, and when you get to the place, the pictures might be new, but they don't resemble the house at all. Makes me crazy.
Jul 10, 2012 01:21 PM
The Group, Inc - Steamboat Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO e-Pro
Patty- I agree with Hella in that by previewing the property before you show it to a potential buyer, you can eliminate some pretty big surprises. Honestly is always appreciated.
Jul 10, 2012 02:02 PM
Living Albuquerque - Albuquerque, NM
Living Albuquerque
Good Moning Patti.
Congratulation on being featured. Honesty is always the best policy.
Jul 10, 2012 04:25 PM
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA
Patti, my favorite quote in your post "for the love of sanity" - love it. Seriously, it is a waste of our precious time. This is a problem here at times (depending on who is the listing agent).
Jul 10, 2012 06:06 PM
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel
Congratulations on the featured post. There are some listings without an description, pictures or room sizes in the mls.
I wonder if sellers read the information.
Jul 10, 2012 09:53 PM
Homes for Sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida - Naples, FL
Broker/Associate at Premiere Plus Realty
Unfortunately with the popularity of the cold calling real estate guru's like MF (won't mention his name), there are agents who are taught to just get that listing and move on.
Jul 10, 2012 11:36 PM
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change
Hi Patti. This happened quite a bit in our market when foreclosures first hit the scene, but don't see it much now. Honestly, I would look to your MLS rules for help, or perhaps the code of ethics, related to advertising. Did this agent present " a true an accurate picture"? ( figuratively of course) If not, I would consider filing a complaint. We need to hold each other accountable for good business practices.
Jul 11, 2012 12:25 AM
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA
Patty, congratulation son the feature.
As a listing agent myself,I tried to put an accurate representation of the property. .but I'm not going out of my way to discourage anyone from seeing it. . . there is a balance there somewhere. .
Jul 11, 2012 12:26 AM
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale
Patty, I have run into a couple of situations recently where the seller did not disclosure problems on the property disclosure. As you've stated here, these situations are the agent's fault. It's his responsibility to accurately disclose the condition of the property. I know it's time consuming, but previewing properties may be the way to avoid this problem.
Jul 11, 2012 01:54 AM
Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 - Cooper City, FL
Top Listing Broker
Doris, I know! We have some Buyers who tell us right away they're looking for something to fix up.
Marianna, I'm sorry :o(
Richard and Beth, it's crazy. I wish we could preview homes, but down here, by the time you preview a home, it's already under contract.
Hella, I do value our client relationships very much, but again, it's very difficult in South Florida to preview the home before we take the Seller because they go so quickly. You have to get in there ASAP. We have a great relationship with our Buyers, so they know we're doing our best.
Alexandra, LOL so true!
Adam, it just baffles me why this even happens!
Dylan, thank you! That's all we ask for. We're honest. There's no need to stretch the truth. We're eventually going to see the property and it's not like the Buyer is going to say...oh yes, I like it much better in this condition, sign me up.
Bruce, thank you! We do the same with pictures. Warts and all. It's up to the Buyer to decide whether they want to take it on.
Mike, I'm not sure why anyone thinks they can pull the wool over an inspector's eyes. This is your job. Of course you'll be able to tell!
Laura, me too!! I make my Sellers clean and clear all their counter space. Buyers need to see as much of a clean slate as possible!
Jeff, I agree.
Rockie, I completely agree. Previwing in South Florida is nearly impossible.
Lou, indeed it is the best policy.
Sonja, VERY valid point that I hadn't even thought of before you brought it up. I never want any of my agents, especially the ladies, being alone in a home (vacant or occupied).
Ed, lol! Your comment made me laugh. South Florida doesn't change much so I don't even think of the changes seasons, but that's hilarious! It doesn't take much time to take a few pictures from the outside when the seasons change.
Joan, oh my goodness!! What the heck?! They're not doing anyone any favors.
Margaret, great idea. Between me, Chris, and Marianna, someone is always available to answer questions Buyer's Agents have.
Joyce, LOL! I love a broker with a sense of humor! See! It does work. There's a Buyer for every property!
Patricia, wow...photoshop? That's nuts. I haven't seen any of those, and I hope we don't run into them in the future.
Charlie, as I mentioned above, I wish time allowed us to preview, but the properties are sometimes gone before we can even get there with the Buyer let alone after a preview. Plus Sonja made a very valid point that it's dangerous to be in a property alone.
Lloyd, thank you! I agree!
Pamela, lol thank you. I guess it's not just exclusive to South Florida. We have some interesting characters getting their real estate license down here.
Gita, I always send my Sellers a link to their listing so they see what I've done and give me any feedback. You're right, I really do wonder if these Sellers know that their agent isn't doing anything for them.
Chris and Dick, What I wonder is why any Sellers are ok with that. If I were a Seller, I would cancel the listing agreement as soon as I saw that and find someone who cares. They continue to give the good ones a bad name.
Karen, I very much agree. I need to look into it. It's the same for a lot of issues with the MLS listings. If no one reports them, they just continue to get away with it.
Fernando, thank you! Accurate pictures are wonderful! I'm not saying to discourage anyone, but be honest so the Buyer can make the best decision before wasting anyone's time.
Jul 11, 2012 02:18 AM
Los Altos, CA
It's one thing to "spin" a listing with a little marketing but a "lie by omission" is a whole other matter. I always keep my listing information accurate and honest.
Jul 11, 2012 04:42 AM
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
It seems that there are some agents that will type deceiving words in the remarks to try to snag a buyer. The outdated photos of the home need to be represented as not the current condition, but it has potential. I feel for you and your team. It is frustrating for buyers to be misled and often they blame their agent as well. I preview a lot of homes to try to aleviate some of that. Especially if the home sounds perfect and it has been on the market for longer than the average market time. Too good to be true warning bells go off in my head.
Jul 11, 2012 01:53 PM
Baker Energy Audits and Commercial Properties Inspections - Claremont, NH
New Hampshire Relocation Real Estate Information
Howdy and evening Patty
Patty my friend, I'm sure sorry for getting by late to leave a comment on this here mighty fine blog posts! It sure is best for the listing agent to be Honest about things going on with the home they have listed. There sure are a lot of them in my area that are not up front about things with homes they have listed. Things that jump right out and say look at me, its going to cost you a lot to fix me.
PS I've been busy on some exciting news to do with my lady and I. I'm hoping to either do a blog post the last week of July or the Second full week of August about our news.
Have a good one
Dale in New Hampshire
Jul 12, 2012 02:40 PM
Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 - Cooper City, FL
Top Listing Broker
Bryan, thank you...we need more listing agents like you.
Karen, I have seen agents put that they're not current pictures and other similar descriptions, and we appreciate that. I wish we could preview, but it's just very hard to do that in our market.
Dale, it's always great to hear from you, late or not! I'm sorry that it's a problem with you too! It's just unacceptable. I can't wait to hear your exciting news!
Jul 13, 2012 02:21 AM
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign
Patty- how frustrating! Congrats on your feature. While it would be nice to preview every property, it would still be a waste of your time if you had to go there to discover that it was nothing like the description. Be honest in the listing description!
Jul 14, 2012 05:10 AM
HomeSmart Encore - Las Vegas - Las Vegas, NV
Homes in Las Vegas Nevada 702-812-4550
Unfortunatley, It happens here in Las Vegas too. Opened a door one time to see mold growing all the way around the room up half the walls,,,,closed the door right away.....it was not noted in the mls. Some agents have got a little better by saying "may be evidence of mold" on some of their listings
Jul 14, 2012 11:15 AM
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services
Great advice, Patty. When representing buyers we try and read between the lines, but shouldn't have to. I don't want to be surprised when I walk into a home. It certainly doesn't help the sale to misrepresent the home....
Jul 17, 2012 03:30 PM
Ask Gina & Company with Pearson Smith Realty - Sterling, VA
Ask Gina & Company, Northern Virginia Real Estate
Like you, I primarily focus my time on listings so I follow the same rule and have new photos taken for every listing. In my experience though over the years, I can definitely say I've seen my fair share of misrepresentations of properties where listing agents flat out lie about the condition of the home. That's where sometimes as a buyers agent it's good to preview a home before showing it to clients. Not every agent is as honest as us!
Jul 18, 2012 02:19 AM
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