BACK TO OUR OLD HABITS?

My fellow real estate agents have been busy and it is a great thing to see! Unfortunately I am seeing the return of some bad habits. Specifically I refer to showing appointments and lack of feedback. My partner and I are experiencing numerous occurrences where appointments are scheduled and the agent "no shows". We understand if the agent falls behind or the buyer does not like the curb appeal of a home. However the agent needs to remember that our sellers have moved their life around in order to be out of their home for a showing. As a result my partner and I receive the honor of explaining why our sellers left their home and the home was not shown. In the past I have received mix reviews from my fellow agents regarding feedback. Some believe in it and others do not. We ask for feedback in order to give our sellers something, anything, to give them an idea on why their home is not selling. We realize that if an offer is not received the buyers are not interested. However if my sellers can make changes they are willing in order to sell. So here is what I am asking my fellow "professional" real estate agents. Communicate with sellers agents if you are not going into a home or are running excessively late Take a few minutes and give us some feedback.

DON'T CANCEL UNTIL YOU CLOSE!

Your closing is set for a certain day. Everything appears to be progressing normally. Then:::The closing is delayed. I don't know about your part of the country but this happens in our part of Georgia quite frequently. It is usually a financing issue. We had a closing scheduled for a Friday last month. Friday came, my sellers left the home, and the closing was delayed because of financing. We would be closing on Monday. My sellers were frantic. They had canceled their homeowners insurance on Friday and would be without through the weekend. The recent weather added to their fears. Fortunately they had an insurance pro who put their policy back in place. We also had the same issue with the utilities. If you sense any problems ask your sellers to delay canceling their utilities and homeowners insurance.

Crime Statistics and Home Buying

Another first after 8 years in the industry. We lost a contract on a home because of crime in the area. The home was located NE of Atlanta in a very nice neighborhood of homes priced under $200,000. The yards were neat, family activity everywhere, an active HOA, and very nice amenities. The home was a perfect fit and we went into negotiations. While we were in negotiations my buyer went to www.crimemapping.com to check local crime statistics. Even though nothing had happened in the neighborhood, there were incidents within .2 miles of the home that alarmed her. As a single mother, my buyer felt uncomfortable in this area and withdrew her offer on the home. My partner and I were surprised. Frankly we had not seen this situation before. As I talked to the buyer on the phone I sensed her opinion of me was adversarial not an advocate. I admitted that I wanted to look into this situation further before we "killed" the contract. That was not the right thing to say. The buyer had made up her mind. What have I learned: You can never know your buyers enough. Make sure you know there priorities and things that make them uncomfortable. Before I look at homes in any area, I will reference www.crimemapping.com or other crime software. That makes me more of an expert who can confidently work with a buyer. Listen, listen, listen to what your buyers say. Do not second guess your buyers. If they have made up their mind then respect their position. In this case the amount, and types, of crime were enough to deter her from buying. Other people might interpret the data differently. Keep working hard for your buyer! They will appreciate it!