Are You Getting in the Way?

Periodically, we all need to ask ourselves if we're helping our buyers buy homes and our sellers to sell homes or are we getting in the way. 

Unreasonable sellers, unrealistic buyers, and poor market conditions are some of the things agents are dealing with in today's market. I know that they certainly are real but they aren't unique to this market. These conditions have been threatening transactions since people started engaging in commerce.

The problem in today's market may be the agent. Agents who don't explain the market conditions accurately are part of the problem. Not explaining the price the seller can reasonably expect is a huge disservice. Agents who lead buyers to expect they can "steal" a home is very unrealistic.

One of the National Association of REALTORS® campaigns states that "all real estate is local." Agents need to explain to buyers that each property has to be examined to see how it is priced.

Some banks intentionally price their listings low to encourage multiple offers and sometimes, even in markets that are flooded with inventory will receive a contract above the list price. Some sellers try the same strategy. 

Not every buyer can expect to get the home they want for significantly below the asking price. It may be priced correctly. An agent who encourages buyers to think they can always get homes for less than asking price is doing the buyers an injustice even if they are representing them.

We all know people who seem to be a success in spite of some of their professional traits. It might be helpful to do some self-examination or to even get the opinion of a trusted friend to see if we're doing things that might not be in the best interest of our clients or our business.