Demand more from your agent. You are not in my world so you don’t see what I do. Part of what goes wrong, or not good enough, is because of you too. Home buyers and homeowners often, in my view, need to demand more from your agent.
While I realize that I will probably get push back on this, I can tell you that I won’t from truly top professional Realtors. It will be quite the opposite because no one hates a lousy agent more than great ones.
Let’s Start With Home Buyers
You go online and look up Sunday open houses. When you walk in the door, I ask if you have an agent. Now comes fidgeting while you look through email messages to find the agent who sent you this particular open house alert because you really don’t know “your agent”.
What’s wrong with this? How hard is someone working for you if they’re just an order taker? When you find the house you want, then you call them to write up an offer. Why would you do that?
You get hardly any effort from them. Do you have any idea what you’re missing? Nope. Why? Because you know all about home buying from Zillow, etc. Let me remind you. Real estate is extremely local. This means type of construction, environmental hazards, local issues along with the usual about the market. You can’t get that from Zillow.
Here’s another mistake: Calling up the listing agent. You make the incorrect assumption that a listing agent will give up their commission or become a door mat so you can get a “better deal”. Wrong again. Legally, you have no representation whatsoever if you don’t sign a buyer agency agreement (which, of course, you don’t) so that listing agent solely represents the seller.
Sure you can call up a listing agent but don’t expect a special advantage. Think about it. Listing agents who give home buyers special advantages on their listings are working against their seller. In addition to breaking all sorts of rules and regulations, that’s a complete lack of ethics. Still think this is what you want?
Home Sellers
The latest fad is teams. My experience with most is that they’re incompetent, filled with part time agents who couldn’t succeed in this business. While there are a lot of great teams, my experience has been mostly negative.
I have a team but you never meet them. When I need a partner, it’s another top professional. Here’s my team: administrative help, web master, web designer, SEO expert, market data analyst, technology specialist and 3 marketing companies.
Have you looked at your listing online? I just checked new listings in the New Jersey MLS. 25% have 7 or less pictures using cell phones. The MLS allows up to 50 pictures. Think there’s a reason for that? Is this why you pay a real estate agent to market your home?
Here’s what I do: Professional photographs with advanced fusion technology, floor plans and a 3D Matterport Tour (or video walk through). Why would you put your home on the market with a few horrible photos?
Demand More From Your Agent
Demand more from your agent. Here’s why this week broke my camel’s back:
An accepted contract on my listing emailed to me didn’t open. We tried using Windows, IOS, different computers and networks. I called the buyer’s agent, team administrator and manager. No help from them. It took 3 days with the help of Weichert’s IT Department. Using cheap or free software to run your business is always a mistake.
A buyer’s attorney disapproved of the contract (standard procedure; attorneys draft the final contract) announcing he was too busy to deal with it until Monday. That was last Thursday. It’s 2:55 pm on Tuesday and still nothing from him. The buyers are going to lose this house. Who recommended this fool? Naturally their real estate agents who probably get leads from him.
How about a listing agent who doesn’t include essential items? There’s no written floor plan telling you what’s on the 1st floor, etc. Another has incorrect showing instructions? How about last year’s property taxes? I see serious mistakes on listings all the time. Please look at your listing.
Top Real Estate Agents
Top real estate agents don’t always sell hundreds of homes. Since they take so much extra care with their buyers and sellers, they can’t. After all, there’s only so many hours in a day.
There are great teams out there made up of excellent people who are true professionals. I love working with them. However, don’t get mesmerized by all those showing, negotiating etc. people. Find out the expertise of everyone in that team. If the agent you’re talking to seems surprised by your request and can’t answer effectively, my advice is move on.
The best people in this industry come in all varieties and from a wide cross section of agencies. Demand more from your agent. That’s how you get what you deserve and separate the wheat from the chaff. Contrary to what you’ve read on the web, we are not all alike.
