We, as Realtors, can be pretty good at hiding our true emotions and we rarely admit what our biggest pet peeves in this business are. Let's face it, everyone, no matter what job you have, gets annoyed with something or other. Well, I wanted to open up the can of worms so you could see that we're human just like you. This post isn't meant to be another Realtor whining. Instead, it's meant as a learning experience and I feel it's a great way to be more transparent.
First of all, any real estate agent who's any good, should be focused on providing great service. But, of course, just like you, we have feelings. If you were to back your car over our foot, we would probably yelp, and if you poked us with a stick, we would probably cringe. But hey! Who hasn't wanted to poke a sales representative with a stick while running them over with your car? I know I have!
Now, with that in mind, that a Realtor isn't just a vampire looking for it's next commission check, I wanted to discuss some of the pet peeves many of experience in this business. Remember, if you and your Realtor get along, the process will be much more fulfilling. Besides, everyone can use a little extra good Karma in their lives, right?
1 - Be Honest And Disclose Everything (Sellers)
When selling a home, it's crucial to the transaction to be open and honest about everything with your Realtor. Disclose anything that you know about the home, if you don't, it could cause problems down the road and will ultimately hinder your real estate transaction.
Also, if you don't disclose a problem with the home that you knew about, such as a flooded basement, leaky roof, or mold problem - and it comes out later in the deal, you're going to get sued. For every listing we have here in Utah, the sellers are required to fill out disclosures. If you lie, the deal might not only fall apart, but you could face major financial liabilities. Be honest!
2 - Can You Really Afford That Home? Get Pre-Approved! (Buyers)
A good way to annoy your Realtor is to make them think you can afford a home and find out later they wasted their time showing you homes you had no business looking at. It's very frustrating as an agent to show a buyer a great home, have them fall in love with it, and find out they can't actually afford it. As a Realtor, I know this can happen, but the thing that gets under my skin the most is seeing a buyer heart broken because they fell in love with the wrong house.
Also, think of it from an agents point of view. We spend numerous hours shuffling buyers around, spending money on gas, and using our time to show you homes. The least you could do is find out what homes you can actually buy! Would you be a little annoyed if you found out the last 3 weeks was wasted because your client couldn't really afford the homes you were showing them? You might!
3 - Come Prepared & Do Your Homework (Buyers)
For every buyer I work with, there is always a learning curve. I have to learn what they want and don't want in a home. What locations they prefer, if they have kids and want the best schools, if they're single and want a vibrant nightlife close by. All these things are extremely important to the home buying process. So, before you get in my car, I want you to come prepared. Here's how:
Sit down and write everything you need and want in your new home. Search properties online and get a feel for the market place. Pick your favorites and let your agent know why they are your favorite. Next, determine if you want a new home or if you think you might want to build, and lastly, talk to a lender prior to contacting a real estate agent. Once you have that pre-approval letter in your hand, a list of homes you like, and the things you need most in a home, you're ready to get in the car.
4 - Pets Aren't Good For Home Selling (Sellers)
I have two dogs of my own and my husband tends to some cows in our pasture, but if I was selling my home, I would have some family tend my pets while it was on the market. I know how much you love Fido and Fluffy, but they have to go. Many buyers are extremely sensitive to pet dander. Even if you can't smell them and you think you're extremely clean, you're decreasing your buyer's pool right off the bat everyday you don't remove the pets from your home.
Get your home professionally cleaned if you have a pet problem. Cats, dogs, hamsters, parakeets, all of them have to go. I can't tell you how many times my buyers immediately remove a home from their favorites list because they couldn't stand the smell or were allergic to someones pets. The Pets. Have. To. Go. Now!
5 - Make Sure Your Keys Work And Your Doors Open (Sellers)
In order to sell your home, the potential buyers have to be able to see it. Make sure all keys work and doors are easy to open. There have been times where I was unable to get a key to work and my buyers and I had to move to the next listing. If Realtors can't get in, you can't get your home sold.
6 - Don't Follow Agents Around When They Show Your Home (Sellers)
This is one of my favorites. Nothing will kill a potential sale faster than an overzealous home seller. I know you know your home better than anyone else, but you're making my buyer's extremely uncomfortable. They can't be open and honest if you're around, and that means I can't handle their objections.
Give buyer space to snoop. Buyers like to look in closets, check cupboards, and inspect a home without a seller telling them why they should buy their house. If you really want to point out the great features of your home, feel free to leave some documentation on the counter. A nice list highlighting any work done or special characteristics you don't want a buyer to miss will work just fine.
7 - Don't Show Your Cards (Buyers & Sellers)
You never know who's listening in on your conversation when you're looking at home. I've heard of sellers who bug their homes so they can hear what you say about their place. I've also seen neighbors come over and talk to my clients at a request of the seller. The neighbors will pass anything you say onto the sellers, so snip it!
Sellers, I know you're anxious, but please don't call the buyer's agent or the buyer. Buyer's agents are representing their clients and will use any ammunition you give them to negotiate a better deal. If you show them your cards, you could lose out on a lot of money. You hired a seller's agent for a reason. Let them talk to those sneaky buyer's agents!
8 - Make Your Home Inviting For Showings (Sellers)
Before every showing, you should go through a checklist. Dirty laundry hidden and out of sight? Check. Lights on, drapes open? Check. Snow shoveled in the winter? Check. Kids playrooms neat and tidy? Check. And, one of the most annoying things, make sure you flush the toilet on your way out!
9 - Give Your Agent Ample Time For Showings & Show Up (Buyers)
If you can, give your agent at least 24 hours notice before a showing. We understand that you can't always give that much notice, but try to do it as much as possible. As Realtors, we understand that our hours will be long and odd. Most people are free to look at homes after work or on the weekends, which means we work a lot of swing shifts and weekends.
And probably one of the most annoying things you can do as a client is cancel last minute or leave me hanging at the alter. I understand things come up. If you have to cancel, it's understandable, just don't do it a lot. Also, if you can't make it, please don't leave me at the alter wondering if you'll show up. Be courteous enough to give me a call as soon as you know you won't be coming. It's the least you could do.
10 - We Do This For A Living! We Aren't Tour Guides (Buyers)
A Realtor's job is to help buyers and sellers buy and sell homes. We are not tour guides. Many people believe that their real estate agent should jump at a moments notice or they can just find someone else. They use and abuse us because we don't charge up front. Contrary to what many believe, our jobs are to sell real estate.
And please stop treating us like we are disposable and you can just go from one agent to another. I get it that you may not like an agent. But don't leave them high and dry. Give them a courtesy call or even an email. Tell them you're just not interested in their services. It's a simple task, just do it.
The point of this article is to give you look behind that Realtor smile. We are people too. We like to be treated with courtesy and we will return the favor. Just ask my previous clients. I like to take my previous clients to lunch, send them gift cards, and I even give them a large ham at the end of every year. Customer service is the bread and butter of our business, so please, be a great customer and prepared to receive great service.
First of all, any real estate agent who's any good, should be focused on providing great service. But, of course, just like you, we have feelings. If you were to back your car over our foot, we would probably yelp, and if you poked us with a stick, we would probably cringe. But hey! Who hasn't wanted to poke a sales representative with a stick while running them over with your car? I know I have!
Now, with that in mind, that a Realtor isn't just a vampire looking for it's next commission check, I wanted to discuss some of the pet peeves many of experience in this business. Remember, if you and your Realtor get along, the process will be much more fulfilling. Besides, everyone can use a little extra good Karma in their lives, right?
1 - Be Honest And Disclose Everything (Sellers)
When selling a home, it's crucial to the transaction to be open and honest about everything with your Realtor. Disclose anything that you know about the home, if you don't, it could cause problems down the road and will ultimately hinder your real estate transaction.
Also, if you don't disclose a problem with the home that you knew about, such as a flooded basement, leaky roof, or mold problem - and it comes out later in the deal, you're going to get sued. For every listing we have here in Utah, the sellers are required to fill out disclosures. If you lie, the deal might not only fall apart, but you could face major financial liabilities. Be honest!
2 - Can You Really Afford That Home? Get Pre-Approved! (Buyers)
A good way to annoy your Realtor is to make them think you can afford a home and find out later they wasted their time showing you homes you had no business looking at. It's very frustrating as an agent to show a buyer a great home, have them fall in love with it, and find out they can't actually afford it. As a Realtor, I know this can happen, but the thing that gets under my skin the most is seeing a buyer heart broken because they fell in love with the wrong house.
Also, think of it from an agents point of view. We spend numerous hours shuffling buyers around, spending money on gas, and using our time to show you homes. The least you could do is find out what homes you can actually buy! Would you be a little annoyed if you found out the last 3 weeks was wasted because your client couldn't really afford the homes you were showing them? You might!
3 - Come Prepared & Do Your Homework (Buyers)
For every buyer I work with, there is always a learning curve. I have to learn what they want and don't want in a home. What locations they prefer, if they have kids and want the best schools, if they're single and want a vibrant nightlife close by. All these things are extremely important to the home buying process. So, before you get in my car, I want you to come prepared. Here's how:
Sit down and write everything you need and want in your new home. Search properties online and get a feel for the market place. Pick your favorites and let your agent know why they are your favorite. Next, determine if you want a new home or if you think you might want to build, and lastly, talk to a lender prior to contacting a real estate agent. Once you have that pre-approval letter in your hand, a list of homes you like, and the things you need most in a home, you're ready to get in the car.
4 - Pets Aren't Good For Home Selling (Sellers)
I have two dogs of my own and my husband tends to some cows in our pasture, but if I was selling my home, I would have some family tend my pets while it was on the market. I know how much you love Fido and Fluffy, but they have to go. Many buyers are extremely sensitive to pet dander. Even if you can't smell them and you think you're extremely clean, you're decreasing your buyer's pool right off the bat everyday you don't remove the pets from your home.
Get your home professionally cleaned if you have a pet problem. Cats, dogs, hamsters, parakeets, all of them have to go. I can't tell you how many times my buyers immediately remove a home from their favorites list because they couldn't stand the smell or were allergic to someones pets. The Pets. Have. To. Go. Now!
5 - Make Sure Your Keys Work And Your Doors Open (Sellers)
In order to sell your home, the potential buyers have to be able to see it. Make sure all keys work and doors are easy to open. There have been times where I was unable to get a key to work and my buyers and I had to move to the next listing. If Realtors can't get in, you can't get your home sold.
6 - Don't Follow Agents Around When They Show Your Home (Sellers)
This is one of my favorites. Nothing will kill a potential sale faster than an overzealous home seller. I know you know your home better than anyone else, but you're making my buyer's extremely uncomfortable. They can't be open and honest if you're around, and that means I can't handle their objections.
Give buyer space to snoop. Buyers like to look in closets, check cupboards, and inspect a home without a seller telling them why they should buy their house. If you really want to point out the great features of your home, feel free to leave some documentation on the counter. A nice list highlighting any work done or special characteristics you don't want a buyer to miss will work just fine.
7 - Don't Show Your Cards (Buyers & Sellers)
You never know who's listening in on your conversation when you're looking at home. I've heard of sellers who bug their homes so they can hear what you say about their place. I've also seen neighbors come over and talk to my clients at a request of the seller. The neighbors will pass anything you say onto the sellers, so snip it!
Sellers, I know you're anxious, but please don't call the buyer's agent or the buyer. Buyer's agents are representing their clients and will use any ammunition you give them to negotiate a better deal. If you show them your cards, you could lose out on a lot of money. You hired a seller's agent for a reason. Let them talk to those sneaky buyer's agents!
8 - Make Your Home Inviting For Showings (Sellers)
Before every showing, you should go through a checklist. Dirty laundry hidden and out of sight? Check. Lights on, drapes open? Check. Snow shoveled in the winter? Check. Kids playrooms neat and tidy? Check. And, one of the most annoying things, make sure you flush the toilet on your way out!
9 - Give Your Agent Ample Time For Showings & Show Up (Buyers)
If you can, give your agent at least 24 hours notice before a showing. We understand that you can't always give that much notice, but try to do it as much as possible. As Realtors, we understand that our hours will be long and odd. Most people are free to look at homes after work or on the weekends, which means we work a lot of swing shifts and weekends.
And probably one of the most annoying things you can do as a client is cancel last minute or leave me hanging at the alter. I understand things come up. If you have to cancel, it's understandable, just don't do it a lot. Also, if you can't make it, please don't leave me at the alter wondering if you'll show up. Be courteous enough to give me a call as soon as you know you won't be coming. It's the least you could do.
10 - We Do This For A Living! We Aren't Tour Guides (Buyers)
A Realtor's job is to help buyers and sellers buy and sell homes. We are not tour guides. Many people believe that their real estate agent should jump at a moments notice or they can just find someone else. They use and abuse us because we don't charge up front. Contrary to what many believe, our jobs are to sell real estate.
And please stop treating us like we are disposable and you can just go from one agent to another. I get it that you may not like an agent. But don't leave them high and dry. Give them a courtesy call or even an email. Tell them you're just not interested in their services. It's a simple task, just do it.
The point of this article is to give you look behind that Realtor smile. We are people too. We like to be treated with courtesy and we will return the favor. Just ask my previous clients. I like to take my previous clients to lunch, send them gift cards, and I even give them a large ham at the end of every year. Customer service is the bread and butter of our business, so please, be a great customer and prepared to receive great service.
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