People come, people go. When you place your home on the market and ee folks coming to check it out, you are happy. In the words of Ren and Stimpy (old cartoon characters) you experience "joooooy!"
Some stay 5 minutes, some twenty minutes. When they all leave you wonder what they thought.
Thus your real estate agent asks for feedback. She (or he) may get a response about 25% of the time (my experience).
- Sometimes it is verbal.
- Sometimes it is written.
- Sometimes it is useful.
- Sometimes it is fluff.
Sometimes it is so generic it could have been sent to all six or eight real estate agents for houses they saw that day in your neighborhood!
Sometimes it is extremely negative. Some folks are so negative that if the sun is shining they complain of a sunburn! Sometimes negative feedback can be useful...like that ticket from the policeman (feedback on your driving skills!).
I have found that the only feedback that is reliable includes:
- Traffic. The number of buyer prospects means your price is competitive for the market.
- Whining. I have found that many agents will start nitpicking or finding fault so as to prepare my mind for a low offer!
- An offer. The ultimate useful feedback!
If you are considering selling your house, the effort you put in getting it ready for the market may very well be the thing that gets it sold....
Gary L. Waters PLLC, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida serving Florida's Space Coast including the cities and communities of Melbourne, Viera, Rockledge, Suntree, Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach and the surrounding region.
Whether your interest lies in a 55+ community such as Heritage Isle, a golf course community such as Baytree National Golf Links or water front, give me a call!
Read my blog Florida Homes for Sale, Moving to Brevard County, Florida, and Brevard County Florida Real Estate Information.
Gary
Feedback is the breakfast of champion.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
This is great. Deserving of a feature! Good ole feedback. Sometimes it's useful, and sometimes you wish you could just flush it down the toilet. And yep. Some days there have been so many houses on your list that you can't remember one from the next!
Thanks, Lou.
Lisa - Feedback is most valuable I guess when there is something cnstructive. Those ho humm blah blah blah reports are pretty useless. Thanks.
One of the reasons I came to ActiveRain was because the site where I had been hanging out for five years became so negative. As the market declined, they would simply rant and rave instead of going out to do more marketing. There came I point where I could say the sky was blue and they said that it was not. I got tired of it. ActiveRain is so much more Pleasant, Positive, Personable, Polite, and Professional.
Russel - I like all those "P"s. It describes the kind of folks you want to be around. Thanks.
Hi Gary! You're so right! I immediately put that 'tough' negotiating wall up when an agent comes in with negatives in preparation for an Offer. The way I look at it, when they do that prior to sending in the Offer, it gives me time to prepare MY rebuttle and head the negatives off at the pass!
And, I'm with Russel--love the 5-P's!
Hi Gary, We haven't been very successful lately in getting productive feedback from other agents. Many are too busy to give it. And much of it is very generic. I know that sellers count on it, but unfortunately we can't always get the info they are looking for, to them.
Gary, you are 100% spot on with this post. Maybe some agents copy and paste showing responses like they do on AR! lol Seriously, traffic is the best indicator of the price/condition of a property. We just got an offer on a property that was on the market 5 days and it had at least 5 showings. Wish that would happen more often :) In fact, I'm writing a post on Seller Tips that can help that happen!
Gary,
I agree that most agent feedback isn't worth chasing. Alas, I have one seller who nags me mercilessly until I get her a comment on each showing. And across the board, the drawback to an offer is the same - buyers need to go outside to get to the laundry in the basement.... No room to move it to the main level.
Sometimes it is like pulling teeth trying to get feedback. Our sellers want to hear what the buyers think. Every agent should take a few minutes to give good feedback.
Irene - Sometimes sellers hope someone will see things differently!
Ellie - Pulling teeth may be easier than getting some agents to respond. Thanks.
Very well said Gary and every Owner trying to sell should hear it! Short and to the point. Great work.
Gary, you hit the nail on the head. I honestly do find it hard to give feedback if I've shown 6 or 7 houses and I can't remember which had the pink carpet or the floral wallpaper.
My old manager used t say as a buyer agent we don't have to give any feedback as we are working for our buyer not the seller. As you said the only feedback you need is te agent saying they are bringing an offer. If no one else gives feedback it's because their people are not interested. I try to tell my people that now.
With email feedback I just forward it to my sellers. They can see it in writing for what it's worth.
Al & Peggy - Thanks. Sellers like to listen to themselves mostly I think!
Jenny - True. If they are not interested they are not willing to give advice on how to sell it to someone else!