Today, I received an email from one of our areas top agents and one of my best clients. She's hard working, ethical and just an overall great person. I would say, her clients are lucky to have her on their side. I'll call her "Yvonne".
"Yvonne" needs me to destage one of her listings. Of course, I have to ask if the home sold? No, not sold and the home seller is planning on either listing with another agent or renting.
Listing with another agent? Why would he do that? Doesn't he realize that he's already listed with one of the best and that it's not her fault that the house has not sold?!
As a matter of fact, this particular home seller has been doing some research. He's been talking to other agents who have homes listed in his community. Guess what they told him?
His home was being BOYCOTTED! What?!?! Boycotted? Isn't that something we do to show our civil commitment or patriotism?
Here's "Yvonne's" exact words: "He's been told by a couple people that maybe his house is not being shown, because I'm not from the east valley."
I am absolutely shocked and mortified! Surely this is not a common practice in the real estate industry? With the real estate market in the slump that it's in, I can't imagine not showing a house to a perspective buyer just because the agent lives in a different zip code.
Perhaps I've lived too long in my own-sweet world, that I am naive to the business dealings of the "real world", but I would hope that selling one of the 50,000+ houses listed on Arizona's MLS is more important than such an insignificant detail as where the agent is from?
Have you ever heard of such a practice? Is this common? Shouldn't it be wrong?
Calie,
Sounds a little fishy to me. I have heard of agents skipping a particular listing agent's properties because of previous run ins, but not any kind of wholesale boycott over where an agent offices out of. The seller is simply panicky about the home not selling and mistaking rumor for fact. Fact is there are so many agents anymore, that homes everywhere would be boycotted if agents were concerned about where the listing agent lives. With all of the inventory out there, and most agents dying to get rid of listings, I don't see anyone begrudging another agent another nonselling listing. What agent would take the time to look into the listing agent's personal info, anyway? Like I said, too many of us in the indu8stry to try to segregate the "okay to show" listings from the "don't show" listings.
Calie,
A few questions. This came from the seller, correct? If so, where did the seller hear it? I would suggest the agent follow up with her broker to discuss it further. If they are Realtors, it's absolutely UNETHICIAL, if that's the true situation. However, sorry to say it could be an excuse from the seller.
I used to be a manager at a real estate office prior to becoming a stager and we had one of our own agents turn their personal listing over to another company in a semi-exclusive neighborhood because they advised her that they had a buyer but they wouldn't show the property unless she moved the listing with them. She was quitting RE anyway, so she moved the listing. Sure enough, within a week they had a contract using this same brokerage.
As a stager, I had another client (with their personal listing) in this same neighborhood turn it over to that same agency to get it sold. Within a couple of months it was under contract. Is it co-incidence or an in-house policy to only show that company's listings? I guess there's probably no way to prove it, but it surely seems clear to me...
Hmmm ... Terry - good idea. I sent "Yvonne" a link to this blog in hopes that she would see that while this is not a common or typical practice, sounds like it does happen. I think in every industry, there's a "white cow" - just seems like the real estate industry has a whole herd. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Melissa. I wonder if anything like this will/has happened to stagers?
Go get 'em Rochelle! But honestly, I am kind of relieved to hear that I'm not the only one completely and totally annoyed by this lack of professionalism and ethics. Isn't there anything in the Realtors code of ethics about playing nice or respect for other agents and their listings? Surely there is something there about serving the best interest of buyers?!
Thanks for commenting, Rochelle. Come back again - soon!
Wow Calie! You have opened up a whole can of worms it seems. My question is this -- if indeed it turns out this is true -- a house was boycotted, then what can be done about it? How would one ever begin to prove this as truth, especially in face of the 50,000 plus homes you mention being on the market in Arizona. If true - then it is especially sad for the poor homeowner who only wanted to choose wisely when seeking a professional.
I would love to hear the answer to your "'qualified' houses question" too.