Is this acceptable for a house sale?

[The Mystery Machine]

This is our first home selling experience so I don't know the answer to that last post. I have no idea what this is other than a text message telling us to be at her office at noon today. I don't know what the protocol is for offers, counter offers except what I've seen on Property Brothers. I thought last night, the very least she could do is let us know what the offer was so we could mull it over last night before "meeting" but that didn't seem to be the case. I realize that other agents will be doing the showings and that doesn't bother me, per say, other than we got no real feedback from her on the prior three. Bottom line is her communication skills are leaving me less than impressed. She's all over Facebook and the community doing good deeds and seems like a real go getter (my first impression of her anyway), now, I think she bites off more than she can chew, does no one thing well, and we are not clients so much as "friends" and she's got no time for us. She's been in the business for over 25 years so this surprises me big time. I have no idea what's going to go down at noon today but I guess if they offer and I like it, this is all moot. I'll be glad to have it done.

Wishing you luck!

Basically people throw you an offer which probably includes the clause "based on home inspection", you decide if it meets your expectations, then if not, you counter offer.

Then they get a home inspection and if that passes you move on to the next level.

If it does not you renegotiate the terms.

Hopefully your disclosure on the house included any stuff that was an issue, like needing a new roof, furnace, etc.. Not saying you need those things just throwing that out there as a general thing.

 

[LJSquishy]

An offer after 4 showings is amazing! I still don't know why you nor your husband didn't pick up the phone and call her after she mentioned an "offer meeting", especially since you said you were unsatisfied with all of the short texts. It's kind of your fault now. I don't mean that in a mean way, just that you're not happy with her service but you're not doing anything to change it.

Good luck at your meeting...I hope you get a great offer!

Average DOM in my area in my house's listing range is anywhere from 30-110 days! Ugh. I think we are in a different situation, though...bought at the peak in 2007 for $139k, redid kitchen, bath, landscaping/sprinklers, water heater, plumbing (plumbing was free for us, hubby traded work), vinyl privacy fence, redid laundry room floor, etc...and with all of those improvements, we are only listed at $145k 7 years later. Our neighborhood has dragged our value down because they are trashy and don't care well for their homes or landscaping. Talk about a HUGE mistake buying in this neighborhood! We just want out ASAP, we are tired of this neighborhood. No matter what we are having to dip into our savings to pay to get out of the house...so upsetting. But, we are willing to.

 

[Hrhpd]

Okay, update: yesterday we had a showing (no devices were used!) and we're sitting at home last night about 5 p.m. curious about the feedback. We got butt kiss from agent. Then, a text appears on husbands phone, "Great showing". That's it. So, husband texts (I'm not a texter and hate the idea-- CALL ME!!) her back and says, "Possible buyer?" or something to that effect (meanwhile, I'm yelling CALL HER!). She texts back, "Possible offer. Friday, noon." What??? What does that mean?? He texts back (I'm a rabid animal by now, frustrated over this behavior), "Seriously? Us too or just agents?" She texts back, "You too." and that's how we find out we have an offer meeting. I told him I'm telling her this communication method stinks. He got all freaky,"Don't, don't say anything." Peanuts! She's supposed to be a professional and is getting paid by us. Didn't she even feel compelled to use the telephone and have a two way conversation using real words?? Anyway, this is our fourth showing, first offer (which I'm excited about) but not by her work method. I did have to rewrite her description AND take better pictures. I'm not a control freak, I just thought words like "dollhouse" didn't exactly present my house in the best light. And we have a dormer nook upstairs that she called a "craft area"--what?? Why label it something that limits visions of what it could be. It was all emptied out, clean as a whistle and yes, I used it that way but that doesn't mean someone else should or would. She didn't even do this showing, another agent did.

It seems that your husband and the agent are ok with texting each other. they have set up this means of communication as ok. He even told you to back off when you were going to discuss other means of communication.

The agent probably has no idea that you are freaking out in the background, looking over your husband's shoulder at the texts and want a different means of communication.

As other's have said, if you want more, pick up the darn phone and call her. Call her and ask what the other agents' customers had to say.

She can't read your mind.

I am sorry, but your posts do seem like you are a control freak with this particular thing. You want to set up secret surveillance, you rewrite her description even though you have no experience in what appeals to a buyer and she has 25 years, you took the pictures, etc.

Relax. And remember that communication goes both ways.

And she may not have been able to give you the offer yet, because she might not have it yet. The agent's client is probably prepared to make the offer today.

 

[rigs32]

We got butt kiss from agent.

Did you really mean "butt kiss", as in lots of compliments?

Or did you mean bubkes, as in you got nothing from her?

 

[skydreamer]

Legal or Illegal - it would be wrong to do so.

Always ask for feedback with every showing (not that you will always get it) - that's not only okay but a must!

 

[mamajo]

You're right; if I want it to be different, I have to do it. So, today at the meeting (offer made, yea!), she mentioned light heartedly, "That's why I have my phone; isn't texting great?" and I said, No, not so much. I'd prefer a phone call, thank you. Husband agreed. So, now she knows we'd prefer phone contact. I'm not a control freak, really I'm not. I do like answers to questions (I'm a reference librarian) and I do expect someone who is a professional providing a service to be professionally proactive but whatever judgements you need to make about me, whatever. This house stuff is stressful and life changing for us, so yes, I guess I would like to know all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted and I've never done this so I have no roadmap-- I'm counting on her. I did have to say several times today, "We've never done this so..." She's nice enough but she has the assumption that we know what to do and we don't. So I asked lots of questions and she answered them. It's just her personality to be all "yeah, yeah, uh huh, uh huh"-- That's fine too. It's a learning process for me, what can I say?

 

[LJSquishy]

You're right; if I want it to be different, I have to do it. So, today at the meeting (offer made, yea!), she mentioned light heartedly, "That's why I have my phone; isn't texting great?" and I said, No, not so much. I'd prefer a phone call, thank you. Husband agreed. So, now she knows we'd prefer phone contact. I'm not a control freak, really I'm not. I do like answers to questions (I'm a reference librarian) and I do expect someone who is a professional providing a service to be professionally proactive but whatever judgements you need to make about me, whatever. This house stuff is stressful and life changing for us, so yes, I guess I would like to know all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted and I've never done this so I have no roadmap-- I'm counting on her. I did have to say several times today, "We've never done this so..." She's nice enough but she has the assumption that we know what to do and we don't. So I asked lots of questions and she answered them. It's just her personality to be all "yeah, yeah, uh huh, uh huh"-- That's fine too. It's a learning process for me, what can I say?

I'm glad you told her how you're feeling about her texting. It should make things much more clear for you from here on out.

Was the offer any good? I hope so! That is seriously exciting that you already had an offer.

 

[mamajo]

They made an offer- lower than we we wanted-- so we asked her advice and she said we should counter, and what we should counter-- middle of both numbers. Then, we got word they want another viewing tomorrow. Being new to this, now we wonder if they are having doubts but not because they want to see it again but because she says to me (on the phone)--"it's highly unusual for people to make an offer on something they've only seen once." As if we should have known that. But, whatever will be, will be! Thanks for the good wishes.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I think the hidden camera thing only works if Roger Hazard and Tanya Memme do it for a TV show.

 

[mamajo]

I guess that's why I thought I could possibly try it. I wasn't trying to be a criminal but knowing it's against the law (real law, not just moral law) I'm going to NOT go there. Just audio, no video but still. Shan't be done by me!

 

[lovesmurfs]

They made an offer- lower than we we wanted-- so we asked her advice and she said we should counter, and what we should counter-- middle of both numbers. Then, we got word they want another viewing tomorrow. Being new to this, now we wonder if they are having doubts but not because they want to see it again but because she says to me (on the phone)--"it's highly unusual for people to make an offer on something they've only seen once." As if we should have known that. But, whatever will be, will be! Thanks for the good wishes.

Remember -- this negotiation will mean thousands of dollars to you. Her commission will only go up a little bit. It's in HER best interest to just get the thing sold.

Example -- say it's a 5% commission. If you sell your house for $100,000, she gets $5,000. $5,000 more in price gets you significantly more than the $250 she's going to get.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Remember -- this negotiation will mean thousands of dollars to you. Her commission will only go up a little bit. It's in HER best interest to just get the thing sold.

Example -- say it's a 5% commission. If you sell your house for $100,000, she gets $5,000. $5,000 more in price gets you significantly more than the $250 she's going to get.

Also remember that unless she is representing both sides, she only gets half of that, minus whatever her company takes. For example: on $100,000 sale at 6% commission, the side I represent gets 3%, or $3000. My cut at the sales level I am currently occupying is 75% of that number.... so $2250. Then minus out the 6% admin fee and $375 transaction fee from my company, and that's what I get paid. So to put it in perspective, on a $400,000 sale with total commission at $24,000, I get a little over 8K. Not that it's a bad thing, I totally love my job, just clarifying. A lot of people don't realize that it's a percentage of a cut.

Edited to add: My point is that if she is not representing the buyer and the seller in the sale, she's not getting anywhere close to 5K. But that still doesn't mean she shouldn't be writing a decent description and taking her own pictures!! ;-)

 

[lovesmurfs]

Also remember that unless she is representing both sides, she only gets half of that, minus whatever her company takes. For example: on $100,000 sale at 6% commission, the side I represent gets 3%, or $3000. My cut at the sales level I am currently occupying is 75% of that number.... so $2250. Then minus out the 6% admin fee and $375 transaction fee from my company, and that's what I get paid. So to put it in perspective, on a $400,000 sale with total commission at $24,000, I get a little over 8K. Not that it's a bad thing, I totally love my job, just clarifying. A lot of people don't realize that it's a percentage of a cut.

Edited to add: My point is that if she is not representing the buyer and the seller in the sale, she's not getting anywhere close to 5K. But that still doesn't mean she shouldn't be writing a decent description and taking her own pictures!! ;-)

Thanks - I didn't know how it all worked.

It does mean, though, that she's less motivated to get more $$ out of the house than the seller is.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Just wanted to say good luck negotiating with your buyer.

We have our home on the market and we got an offer on Wednesday. We were thrilled, as DH has already started his new job 90 minutes away where we are trying to relocate to. It was a lowball offer...so we counter offered. Haven't heard a peep since then, other than the buyers gave us their "top offer." Grr....selling a home is frustrating! When we sold our first home, the first offer we got was close enough to what we wanted that we just said, "Sold!!"

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Thanks - I didn't know how it all worked.

It does mean, though, that she's less motivated to get more $$ out of the house than the seller is.

That is true in most cases. It really depends on the Realtor. I think this is why most people won't tell me what their highest number (buyer) or lowest number (seller) is. They assume that a Realtor will got straight for that number to just get it done. I remember before I became successful in this biz watching Million Dollar Listing LA. I really liked Josh (the straight one) and how he always tried to get a little more in the sale. Latest example.... I have an International client that just went Under Contract. I actually new his highest was $470 but I never offered that, I stopped at $467,500. After LOTS of going back and forth the seller finally took it. Now granted, 2500 on a sale that big isn't a lot, but it's 2500 either way!! And hopefully my clients will remember that when they sell it and call me!!! LOL!

 

[Tigger1966]

Since I am a very un trusting person when we sold our last house I made it clear to the realtor that if she wanted the listing there would be no lock box on the door and I would be present in my home durring any showings. It worked out fine as I didn't follow them around and the realtor could talk directly to me after the people left and tell me about it.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Since I am a very un trusting person when we sold our last house I made it clear to the realtor that if she wanted the listing there would be no lock box on the door and I would be present in my home durring any showings. It worked out fine as I didn't follow them around and the realtor could talk directly to me after the people left and tell me about it.

As a buyer, I would HATE that.

 

[msjprincess]

As a buyer, I would HATE that.

Me too. It happened to us a few times when we were house hunting. I was so uncomfortable and couldn't wait to get out of the house.

 

[Hrhpd]

As a buyer, I would HATE that.

me too. And a house I would not buy. I would think the sellers were trying to hide something by being there. Since nobody would do a thorough look in the room the seller was staying, I would think there was something they were trying to discourage seeing.

 

[Tigger1966]

Actually the prospective buyers didn't mind at all after they were done looking they all came to me with any questions they had about the property. It all worked out good for everyone because there wasn't all the back and forth most all of their questions were answered before they left.
The people who ended up buying it stuck around and talked to me about the house for quite a while after the actual showing was over. I don't understand how anyone would buy something as expensive as a house without an extensive conversation with the owner.