You would not believe the number of times I’ve heard this story:
“The agent seemed polished and confident, and they provided an awesome presentation. We signed the listing contract, they walked out the door, and that was the last we ever heard from them! That is, until three weeks before the listing expired when they called and pressured us to lower the price and extend the contract.”
Lack of communication with their agent is, BY FAR, the biggest complaint I hear in real estate.
You may or may not be surprised to hear that many of these types are some of the biggest “celebrity agents” in town. That’s because these agents are all about listing and (hopefully) selling as many homes as possible, which means they don’t have the time or inclination to pay close attention to any individual listing.
Instead, all of their time and effort goes into getting more listings and, of course, dealing with offers when they get one.
“I think you should take it!”
But what about everything in-between? Shouldn’t your agent be providing information and guidance throughout the process?
Oh, they’ve got a song and dance about how their “team” is working to “market” your listing. Hogwash!
The truth is their business model is about maxing out the numbers. Period. After you’ve signed the listing contract, they think their job is done, and now you’re just a number, despite the polished storyline.
You’d be shocked to know all the times I’ve asked an agent about one of their listings, and they couldn’t answer. Why? Because they’d forgotten all about it!
But they’ve got a reminder set up to call you three weeks before the listing expires.
I determined a long time ago that I was never going to be that guy. So, over the years, I’ve developed many different systems to keep in constant communication with my clients. Some of these systems are automatic, sending vital information to ensure they are always in the loop. But there’s one critical thing I’ve been doing it for quite a while now:
The Monday Morning Report
No matter how busy I am, I am 100% committed to sending a comprehensive report to each one of my listing clients every Monday. I’ve not missed doing this in at least a couple of years.
This report is not just regurgitating a bunch of stats. On the contrary, I’m looking at EVERY event from the past week within our pre-defined market area and price range. I’m giving my professional opinion on each new listing, pending sale, firm sale, price reduction, and absolutely anything else that is going on.
This serves two essential purposes:
1. It keeps my client in the loop, so they know exactly what is happening. After all, market conditions can change very quickly within a narrowly defined segment. My clients need to clearly understand what is happening, not only with their own listing but also with their competitors.
2. The second purpose is even more critical. It forces ME to look closely at what is going on! Honestly, if I didn’t force myself to do this, I’d be as much in the dark as my clients, so how can I give them professional advice?
For anyone thinking that those “celebrity agents” are doing this behind the scenes and just not communicating it to their clients “but they’ll let them know if there’s anything important,” here’s what I say to that:
Hahahahahahahahahaaaaaa……. 🤣
Hey, I can’t help it. It drives me nuts when people get sucked into a bunch of hype and sign a contract with someone who has 50 or 100 listings and therefore has no time or inclination to pay any attention to any one of them, after they’ve got the signed contract, that is.
Whew! I just re-read this and realized I must sound particularly grumpy today. But it’s called a Rant for a reason, right? Besides, winter is here, and I just parked my motorcycle in the garage, so maybe that explains it! Ha!
Until next month!