Sellers of Expired Listings Have Options
Most real estate agents try to minimize the possibility of ending up with an expired listing. One way to accomplish that directive is to refuse to take an undesirable listing. Another is to cancel listings if sellers refuse to cooperate. A more plausible tactic is to make an effort to price the home right, market it extensively and present it in its best light. If it needs TLC, say so.
I recently canceled a new listing because the seller wouldn't clean her house and refused to stage it. She didn't want to hear that certain improvements were necessary to make her home saleable among a sea of identical homes in pristine condition. She also had no equity in an area flooded with foreclosures and did not want to discuss a short sale. It was heartbreaking to watch a client self destruct and feel powerless to help. Sadly, this seller is on her way to becoming an expired listing with a different real estate company and most likely another foreclosure statistic.
However, some listings expire for other reasons. That's when a seller should . . . read more
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© 2007 Elizabeth Weintraub
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Comments
Sad but true - been there, done that. We try to orient ourselves in the interview/listing presentation around - is this client right for us? Is it worth our investment of time, energy and money. Clients that want to live in Never Never Land are not a good fit for us.
I think most of us have experienced a situation like this at one point or another. Although I hate to ever cancel a listing, if the client doesn’t care enough to at least keep the house clean, it’s not worth the time.
It sort of depends on the market. During the sellers’ market of several years ago, I held an open house at one of my listings where I had to sweep the floor, make the beds and show the home with a dog penned up in the kitchen! And it sold in that condition!
But buyer’s markets are another story . . .