Spiteful real estate agent- UPDATE Post 55

[Chicago526]

I wouldn't have a problem with her following up with you after seeing your house hasn't sold after 3 months, but I think the tone of her email (and the first one she sent as well) would be my issue, not the fact that she emailed. A good agent is always going to follow up on pontential listings.

 

[ericamanda01]

I think she sounds childish and rude. Her 2nd email sounds like it was ladened with a very "ha ha your house hasn't sold yet" vibe. I would be glad she wasn't working for me.

 

[polineedyan]

I see both sides. Id rather have an aggressive seller. But at the same time, I would worry that if the house wasnt selling, that the same aggressive seller would be hounding me to lower my asking price, just to get it sold. Now, I know they work on commission, but at the same time, I could see that happening. I see both sides..

 

[lovesmurfs]

I see both sides. Id rather have an aggressive seller. But at the same time, I would worry that if the house wasnt selling, that the same aggressive seller would be hounding me to lower my asking price, just to get it sold. Now, I know they work on commission, but at the same time, I could see that happening. I see both sides..

Absolutely. If she were to ask to lower the price by $10,000, the homeowner would be out the $10,000, but her commission (say, 5%), would only be reduced by $500, and she'd have another home sold.

When looking for a new home, I'd certainly want someone who I liked and could relate to. In selling my home, though, I'd rather the more aggressive seller.

 

[rt2dz]

Aggressive sales people are fine with me. Pushy on the other hand, makes me walk away. There is a fine line between the two, but when you cross it, you lose me. Literally. I've walked away from many a deal when my needs aren't being considered, but the sales agent needs only. Both need to co-exist.

Aggressive sends cards and calls; they follow up. Pushy has a nasty tone and conveys the attitude whatever gets you to sign on the dotted line. Both can have high numbers, but aggressive will have repeat business where pushy has one-time clients mainly.

Why sell ice to Eskimos just because you can? Wouldn’t you be better off if someone represents your interests to the fullest (instead of to the bare minimum) and sells the Eskimos warm blankets, coats, clothing, heaters, hot chocolate, and a *yearly* trip to the Bahamas?

Even the seller needs their interests represented well.

 

[mickeysgal]

When looking for a new home, I'd certainly want someone who I liked and could relate to. In selling my home, though, I'd rather the more aggressive seller.

I'd want someone that knew how to aggressively market the heck out of my home.

Interestingly enough, we've sold 5 homes over the years, and I've never had a listing agent also be the one to bring me the buyer. It's always been another agent with one time being another agent out of the same office.

Like another poster said upthread, anyone can sell what's on the MLS. Nothing is preventing her from selling that house and getting her share of the commission. If this agent is so aggressive and good at what she does, why didn't she bring a buyer(s) into that house?

 

[FayeW]

Like another poster said upthread, anyone can sell what's on the MLS. Nothing is preventing her from selling that house and getting her share of the commission. If this agent is so aggressive and good at what she does, why didn't she bring a buyer(s) into that house?

Why should she? In this market she can bring them to 100 other houses instead. Her clients will still find houses to buy without showing them this one.

 

[disneymom3]

I have a slightly different take on it.

She has only contacted you twice in 3 months. This is not harrassment.

Maybe not harrassment, and I don't know about the laws in the state the OP lives in but in MN that would be considered unethical AND illegal. She is contacting people who are already under contract with another agent. Big no no here. We had an agent helping us buy and another helping us sell. We hated the one who had our listing but our other agent would not say a WORD against him, until we cancelled the contract with him and listed with her. Years later when I got licensed for RE, I found out why she didn't say anything--she couldn't!

 

[mickeysgal]

Why should she? In this market she can bring them to 100 other houses instead. Her clients will still find houses to buy without showing them this one.

Because a good (emphasis on good) agent should be willing to show their clients any house that fits their criteria and not hold back because they're in a snit because they didn't get a particular listing. It doesn't get his/her clients a house and it doesn't put money in the agent's pocket. Playing games like that isn't the kind of agent I'd like to work with. I don't want to have to wonder whether the available houses we're seeing is a full and comprehensive list because the list has been edited due to some personal, twitchy issues that an agent had in losing a particular listing. What happens when an agent starts getting cagey with clients over not showing certain houses? The clients walk away and find another agent. Then where does that leave that agent? Out in the cold. Savvy clients know when they're being strung along and they're quick to run when they feel there is game playing going on.

 

[FayeW]

Because a good (emphasis on good) agent should be willing to show their clients any house that fits their criteria and not hold back because they're in a snit because they didn't get a particular listing. It doesn't get his/her clients a house and it doesn't put money in the agent's pocket. Playing games like that isn't the kind of agent I'd like to work with. I don't want to have to wonder whether the available houses we're seeing is a full and comprehensive list because the list has been edited due to some personal, twitchy issues that an agent had in losing a particular listing. What happens when an agent starts getting cagey with clients over not showing certain houses? The clients walk away and find another agent. Then where does that leave that agent? Out in the cold. Savvy clients know when they're being strung along and they're quick to run when they feel there is game playing going on.

Maybe she's just showing them other houses that meet their criteria, and hasn't had a need to show this one! I am sure if she had clients that could not find a house she would eventually show that one, but as long as she can find other houses that meet their needs, it is probably always last on her list of possibles.

 

[mickeysgal]

Maybe she's just showing them other houses that meet their criteria, and hasn't had a need to show this one! I am sure if she had clients that could not find a house she would eventually show that one, but as long as she can find other houses that meet their needs, it is probably always last on her list of possibles.

Honestly, I still think an agent is going to do back flips trying to please the client and that doesn't include steering a client away from a house just because she/he didn't get a listing. If the agent can't handle not getting a listing, I think they're in for a rude awakening as they will not simply score a listing each and every time they meet with a potential client. In most cases, the owner won't be there during a showing, so I really can't see what the problem is to begin with. It's not like there is going to be a confrontation.

A smart buyer shouldn't be allowing the agent to be the only driver in the house hunt. Buyers should be asking for all available listings in an area that meets their criteria and they should be selecting the houses to see, not the agent. Giving full selection control to an agent is a naive move by the buyers. There are too many tools out there to pull up listings by subdivision, even street name, etc for buyers to go into the hunting process with blinders on. If they see that homes are being omitted by their agent, then bye-bye agent. Move on to another more reputable agent.

ETA: This reminds me of the show on HGTV...Property Virgins (don't know if that is going to be edited ). It drives me nuts that the agent "picks" the houses for the clients! To me this is a two-way street where both sides come up with choices.

 

[luvflorida]

I just want to make a couple of points:

1. We aren't overly concerned at this point that our house hasn't sold. The way the real estate market is now, three months isn't a long time for a house to be on the market.

2. The reason we chose the agent we're using is because we liked everything she had to say. She had all her ducks in a row, and had a good sales pitch. She answered all our questions, told us exactly how she was going to market our house, and came up with a few ideas unique to our particular type of house. She was friendly, outgoing, and convinced us that she would do everything possible to sell our house. We remain satisfied with our decision.

3. Perhaps the other real estate agent would have sold our house by now, but it's just as likely that she wouldn't have.

4. The best news is that we had three showings this past weekend, so who knows, maybe we'll get an offer.

It's interesting to read the differing views and opinions here. However, for us, the other real estate agent just didn't seem like a good fit, and she has reinforced our opinion by her recent unprofessional behavior. I know many of you said you could overlook her tactics and personality if you thought she could sell your house quickly, but I can't. However, I can see both sides.

 

[luvflorida]

...If this agent is so aggressive and good at what she does, why didn't she bring a buyer(s) into that house?

This is exactly what I said to my husband. If she really believes she can sell our house, nothing is preventing her from doing so. She doesn't have to have it as her listing.

I do think, however, that she's probably pretty happy knowing that it hasn't sold yet.

 

[wilderness01]

I have a slightly different take on it.

She has only contacted you twice in 3 months. This is not harrassment.

And I don't see it as much passive aggressive as plain old aggressive. She is shamelessly selling herself, which is a good trait in real estate agents. That is part of the game.

You don't get top seller unless you are aggressively going after listings and then working just as hard to sell them.

If she is contacting you about listing your house, she is probably also cold-calling and going after buyers for the houses she has listed.

I would actually consider her if your house does not sell. You don't have to like her, you just want somebody aggressive enough to try to sell your house in this flailing market.

My guess is that this has nothing to do with your husband having previously worked with her. This is probably her standard follow-up on listings she has been interviewed about. It is good business. A follow-up thankyou right after the interview and then keeping track of listings and following up at 3 months, when contracts might be expiring. I bet you will get another e-mail at the 6 month point.

Are you perhaps feeling just a bit guilty and so are reading a bit more into her two e-mails three months apart?

Actually I completely agree with this. In real estate, unfortunately, the very aggressive people are the ones that sell the most.[/FONT]

 

[luvflorida]

UPDATE: It's been six months and our contract with our original real estate agent expired today. Just as a previous poster predicted, the "spiteful" real estate agent sent us another e-mail last night.

She said she can see that our house hasn't sold and was wondering if "you're ready to put the power of a full service brokerage behind the sale of your home." She went on to say that she will have over $5,000,000 in sales by the end of the year, and that the agent we listed with has $700,000 total in sales.

Now, as my husband says, numbers talk, and he is thinking we might want to reconsider listing with her. I hate to eat my words, but he might be right.

We have had no luck with the original agent and agency. On the other hand, I know it is a bad time to have a house up for sale.

So, my husband sent an e-mail to the agent and told her we are considering listing with another agency and asked her a few questions. He asked how many houses she has sold THIS year, especially those within the price range of our house, and how many houses she has sold in our community. He also mentioned that she DID have the opportunity to sell the house (through multiple listings and such), but didn't.

We're just trying to figure out the best way to go from here. Renew our contract, list with this woman, or list with a different agency. At this point, we just want someone who can sell our house!!!!

 

[mickeyfan1]

Wow, I still wouldn't list with her. In todays market, pretty much everyone can access the internet and if your house is there, with lots of pictures, it should be being shown to all who want to see it. I hope she hasn't not shown it to any potential buyers just to be mean.

Doncha love the weatha this week?

 

[famofsix]

there's no way I would list with her.

She will bring you a crappy offer and complain that it would have been higher if you listed with her earlier.

She just wants to SELL so she will be working for the buyer not you.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We're just trying to figure out the best way to go from here. Renew our contract, list with this woman, or list with a different agency. At this point, we just want someone who can sell our house!!!!

I would not list with this women. Remember no good deed goes unpunished.

List with a BIGGEST agency in your area. They have the network to bring in buyers.

 

[Chicago526]

UPDATE: It's been six months and our contract with our original real estate agent expired today. Just as a previous poster predicted, the "spiteful" real estate agent sent us another e-mail last night.

She said she can see that our house hasn't sold and was wondering if "you're ready to put the power of a full service brokerage behind the sale of your home." She went on to say that she will have over $5,000,000 in sales by the end of the year, and that the agent we listed with has $700,000 total in sales.

Now, as my husband says, numbers talk, and he is thinking we might want to reconsider listing with her. I hate to eat my words, but he might be right.

We have had no luck with the original agent and agency. On the other hand, I know it is a bad time to have a house up for sale.

So, my husband sent an e-mail to the agent and told her we are considering listing with another agency and asked her a few questions. He asked how many houses she has sold THIS year, especially those within the price range of our house, and how many houses she has sold in our community. He also mentioned that she DID have the opportunity to sell the house (through multiple listings and such), but didn't.

We're just trying to figure out the best way to go from here. Renew our contract, list with this woman, or list with a different agency. At this point, we just want someone who can sell our house!!!!

If your current agent has done everything possible to sell your house, and assuming there isn't anything majorly wrong with it (crack dealer next door, a giant hole in the roof) then it could be as simple as your house is just priced too high. Talk to your current agent, have her run some new comps and see if prices in your area have fallen.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Was there any particular reason why you didn't list with her in the first place? If she has the number of sales she says she does and if they are in the price range of your home I'd be tempted to list with her. She may be a pain in your rear right now since she's hurt that you didn't list with her, but she may be able to get the job done.

If you aren't in any big rush to sell, it might be wise to wait until spring to relist...that way it woud be "fresh" and have new photos taken and change the listing a little so it looks different.