Feedback After a Property Showing! Thank You June!

Feedback After a Property Showing! Thank You June.

Yesterday, I received a call from June Piper Brandon asking to show my listing  a Charming Home In Parkville..2523 Wentworth Rd 21234

June and I met through one of the  ActiveRain Meet-Ups  and we have been together for a  number of gatherings. She is an outstanding agent in Baltimore.  

           

 It is difficult selling your home when you are many miles away. My sellers  moved out of town after a job transfer. They love this home and did so many improvements to make it special. They were not planning on leaving for a long time.

Hearing June's request to show this property..made my day. She also let me know there was a package left for the seller. And June went one step further. She sent me this feedback.

" Margaret,  what a lovely home on Wentworth.  My clients loved it but, it's just too small for them.  The kitchen it gorgeous and my Mrs. absolutely loved it.  My buyers would be in the same situation that your sellers are in now.  I will definitely keep it in mind for other potential buyers though, it is just as cute as can be!!"

Thank June for showing my listing, for the phone call and for the comment. I was able to share your kind words with my seller.

Now this is feedback after a showing.

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It Did Not Smell Like Roses!!

                                                                            
                                                                 

Yesterday I went out with "Future Sellers". Most of you call these clients buyers. Being a listing agent, there is no way I would encourage a buyer to purchase a property that I would not be proud to list in the future. Hence...I only work with future sellers.

I had appointments set up pretty quickly with our Centralized Showing Service. All of them scheduled between 1-3 PM. The second property, I used my Sentri card to obtain the key from the Lockbox, opened the door and the husband went in first. He came back coughing and gagging. My brilliant thought ...no need to go in.

But the wife loved the neighborhood and wanted to see this home.  Well we should have known better. We had to cut our showings short and did not get to the last two. I called CSS and canceled.

Upon my return.... an email requesting feedback was waiting for me.  I always give feedback and this time was no exception.. my feedback response to that second house read:

''House was filthy with crying cats...no litter boxes..feces everywhere.  My pregnant buyer got sick from the smell and condition and had to cancel our other appointments. This needs to be reported to animal control!''

I wanted to say so much more, like you wasted my time, turned these clients off, how dare you allow a showing with these existing conditions but I said no more.

And this morning I received the following reply:

"Thank you for the feedback, Margaret.  I wasn't aware.  The cats should have been removed a while ago.  I'll contact sellers.  My apologies."

It was a very unpleasant situation but I appreciated the quick response and apology.

It did not smell like roses!

It's Not Lockboxes...It's How Agents Use Them!

There's been a lot of discussion lately about the use of lockboxes, and whether it's a good thing or not. The back and forth among agents illustrates exactly why I wrote Real Estate the Rome Way. Two people - one an agent, one a trainer - approached the subject of lockboxes and showings from different perspectives and came to different conclusions about whether we should use them or not.

I am not at all opposed to the lockbox, in fact many of my listings have them. However, that does not mean there is a blanket invitation at ANY and ALL times to have access. You will not see "lockbox, show anytime" on any of my listings. That is NOT how you represent your seller.

I make my own appointments – I've written about this before (Appointments or Disappointments?), more than once (Appointments...Part 2).

As a listing agent, I need to do what is best for my clients. There are so many special situations that require me to be at a showing: the elderly, the frail, those with young children, family illness, special pet situations, caretakers, sellers who works and sleeps irregular shifts and many more.

Sure if all my homes were vacant, were short sales, or the owners were touring Europe for the year, it would be easy to slap a lockbox on and keep on going. But I list with real live people not properties. Buyer's agents call and speak to me. I answer my phone, I make appointments, I represent my sellers!

Why are expensive homes treated with listing agent's showings? Do only the wealthy get the "right" representation? Why not a lock box on these so-called exclusive listings, too? Sorry, but all my sellers are very special, and deserve the The Rome Way.