Have you ever thought about walking away from a listing? While there are probably reasons too numerous to name, I wanted to share with you the top five that other agents have shared with me.
- Unrealistic Sale Price – You may have taken the listing at a higher price than your market analysis indicated, hoping to “reduce” the price as time went on and no offers were made. Every once in a while, you’ll find that one seller who will not budge or reduce the price, believing that the new carpeting and paint they just added is worth the extra dollar amount.
- Abuses You – You cringe when you hear their voice on the phone or meet with them in person. Because they call you all hours of the day and night. They swear on the phone. They yell at you. They make unreasonable demands.
- Other People Are Involved – Here’s the scenario: The sellers list the home with you and you are now getting phone calls from their parents (or aunt, uncle, friend) who think they know more than you do — with the excuse that they are “just helping the kids.”
- Lie To You – You find out that they lie to you about the condition of the home, repairs, liens against the property — basically you can’t trust what they say!
- Gut Feeling – Yes, there are people that you just have this “feeling” that you dislike them right away — or that you won’t get along. Listen to your gut—even if you don’t know why at the time!
Even if you are the type of person who wants to get along with everyone, let’s face it—you can’t, and you don’t have to either. Life is too short to deal with people who don’t respect your profession or you.
As one real estate agent put it — “I’m done dealing with people who think they know my business better than I do. It’s so liberating to know that when I “fired the sellers,” I dodged months of grief and saved a ton of money and time, which allowed me to work with sellers that respect what I do.”
If you have walked away from a listing, what was the reason so I can add it to my list?!
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