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Southern NH Sellers - Should You Vet A Listing Agent Before You Sign?

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Insight

TO VET:  To check someone out thoroughly to see if they should be accepted for a job. 

Southern NH Home Sellers, do you vet your listing agent before hiring them?

Do you check to see what their marketing pictures look like?  Marketing pictures are increasingly important as more and more buyer agents seem to depend on their buyer clients to "find" the homes they wish to view on-line.  So, if the pictures of your home are not sharp, clear and inviting, fewer people will view your home.

Does the front of your home look like this?

Southern NH Home For Sale Marketing Picture Example

 

Or like this?

Southern NH Homes For Sale Bad Marketing Pic Example

Hint:  Ditch the snow pictures once the local temperatures hit 90.  BTW, the sum total of marketing pictures for this listing were 5 similar exterior pictures.  That's it.  Wonder why it hasn't sold?

 

Does the living room of your smaller home look like this?

Southern NH Real Estate For Sale 216 Pheasant Run Rd Hudson NH

 

Or like this?

Southern NH Home For Sale Bad Marketing Pic ExampleDoesn't this picture make you want to run out and look at this property?

 

Does your kitchen look like this?

Southern NH Home For Sale 45 Windham Rd Derry NH Kitchen

 

Or like this?

Southern NH Real Estate For Sale Bad Marketing Pic ExampleNot sure why the picture was taken from this angle and I have no idea why an agent would allow a picture this dark and blurry to be uploaded.  As an aside, the kitchen in the 1st photo is in a relatively modest home listed at $299,900.  The photo above is from a home listed at over $500,000.

Okay, just a few more because I just have to...

 This agent not only can't take a picture but, as an added bonus, apparently can't spell or proof read:

Southern NH Homes For Sale Bad Marketing Pic ExampleI don't know what a "garage man door" is but this house has one.  It also has "maniqured open space" but I thought I'd spare you the picture.  These last two photos are also from homes that are listed at over $500,000.

 

One more, can't resist!  This home is on the market for over half a million.

Southern NH Real Estate For Sale - Terrible Listing Photos

There are so many things wrong with this picture, beginning with lack of staging and ending with the cameo shot of the homeowner, I don't even know where to begin.

These photos are all of homes currently for sale with real estate agents.

The bottom line is you might want to ask the agent you are considering listing with to provide you with some recent examples of their marketing photos. (If you've already listed without vetting the agent, you might want to check on their marketing pictures of your home if for no reason other than to make sure you're not in them!)

The other VERY IMPORTANT item you should be asking for is a list (directly from MLS) of their transactions over the last year.  No matter how good a game they talk, if they don't actually succeed in selling homes, they are of no use to you.

Southern NH Home Sellers Make Sure You Check Out The Agent You Are Considering To List Your Home  

Case in point, I had an experience a while ago where a homeowner I had spoken to decided to list with another agent who was deemed to be "more suited to listing their home".  I suspect it had more to do with the fact that the agent was willing to list their property for $45,000 more than I could justify, but we'll go with "more suited".  At any rate, being the inquisitive type, I decided to look up the production of this powerhouse.  Here is the report on their New Hampshire Production:

Yup, one whole transaction in the last 12 months. Southern NH Agent Production Report

Being the fair minded individual that I am I decided to look into their production in Massachusetts also since the individual in question is actually associated with an office in that State.  Here is the report on their Massachusetts Production:

Southern NH Real Estate Agent Production Report 2Yup, another whole transaction in the last 12 months.

As a seller, wouldn't you want to know this?  In New Hampshire and Massachusetts' MLS, agents have the ability to print out a report of their closed transactions for any period of time they desire so there is no reason they can't provide you with this. A WORD OF CAUTION:  Do NOT Go With Zillow's Recent Sales numbers attached to an Agent's Profile.  I don't know where they get the numbers but they do not jibe with the real agent production numbers.  They are as wildly inaccurate (in either direction) as their Zestimates.

Southern New Hampshire Sellers, do yourself a favor, start asking for these items.

If you'd like help selling your Southern New Hampshire property, you can contact me at 603-490-5344 and I will provide you with examples of my marketing and reports regarding my production

P.S Thank you to www.lightersideofrealestate.com for the hilarious Kermit meme!

 

 

 

Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

Joy, I've said it before and I will say it again: Sellers who don't vet the agent they hire deserve what they get. If that happens to be crappy photos and no marketing ... so be it. 

It's not easy when agents like that are chosen over us. The saving grace for me is, when I see who the seller listed with, I thank God for the blessing on not being chosen ... because clearly that seller was looking for less than what I had to offer. Maybe a deep commission cut ... in which case they really do get what they deserve.

I laughed out loud reading this ... I love your commentary.

And, you should know what's coming .....

Jul 15, 2015 07:38 AM
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

FEATURED IN CRAP-TACULAR

 

What's Up With The Crappy Photos?

Jul 15, 2015 07:39 AM
Joy Baker
RE/MAX Insight - Salem, NH
So NH RE & Short Sale Specialist

Thank you for the Feature, Kathleen!  I'm glad I made you laugh.  Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or cry...LOL.

Jul 15, 2015 09:39 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Selecting a professional and well trained real estate agent is key for sellers and buyers alike.

 

Jul 15, 2015 09:48 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I might add something about totally relying on MLS info for agent production however.  For example agents who sell a lot of new homes which are not in the MLS will not have those sales recorded there. 

And, new agents, who became licensed recently, won't register many, if any, sales in the MLS. 

An agent who is asking for instructions on filling out a contract on Facebook, is quite worriesome though.  Where is the supervising guidance that ought to be available!  We were all new agents once, and we needed to start somewhere.  But, when I first became licensed in 1981, I had a flock of mother hen agents, who had been in the business for years hovering over me.  I couldn't have made a mistake, if I had wanted to.  And, they were primarily successful for my early success, even in the days when the mortgage interest rate was 18 1/2%.

Jul 15, 2015 09:57 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

That meme is cracking me up.  Yes, that about sums up why vetting an agent is HUGELY important.

Jul 15, 2015 12:05 PM
Joy Baker
RE/MAX Insight - Salem, NH
So NH RE & Short Sale Specialist

Hi Myrl!  Thank you for the like and the comments!  With regard to agents who handle a lot of new construction, since a 30 house subdivision is HUGE in my neck of the woods, the sales would typically all be recorded in MLS in the end. Hope the meme made you laugh as that was my intention!

Jul 15, 2015 01:08 PM
Joy Baker
RE/MAX Insight - Salem, NH
So NH RE & Short Sale Specialist

It cracked me up, Chris.  That's why I had to use it!

Jul 15, 2015 01:09 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Joy Baker,

OMG I had to chuckle reading through your post..vetting the agent you work with is so important....loved the meme! Great way to end your post..I have subscribed to your blog.

Jul 15, 2015 10:52 PM
Joy Baker
RE/MAX Insight - Salem, NH
So NH RE & Short Sale Specialist

Good Morning, Dorie!  Glad I made you chuckle!  It's amazing how little thought people put into selecting the person who is going to facilitate such an important transaction.

Jul 16, 2015 12:57 AM