Because of my volume of Sacramento short sale listings, I talk to a lot of real estate agents in Sacramento. I also get a huge number of offers every month. I see stuff that you would not believe, and there is no sense talking about it because it's true in any profession. You've got winners and losers. Good and bad.
You don't want to think about that when it involves hundreds of thousands of dollars, much less a sharp knife and a medical license, but not everybody is good at what they do just because they do it. You'd like to believe professional people are at least adequate performers, but they are not. It's like a box of chocolates, Forest Gump, but not nearly as tasty.
It's no wonder the public doesn't trust real estate agents, though. That's because there is sometimes a fine line between the truth and embellishment. You know the agent who describes the home as cozy because it's small. Or needs a little TLC because the roof is caving in. My favorite, quiet location, because it's next to a cemetery. For the record, being located near a cemetery is a bad location, location, location.
The recent thing that bugs me is agents who call and preface the conversation: "My client asked me to . . ." Come clean, you guys, is that a person a client or is that person just somebody who called you? What constitutes a client? If you're on Floor Duty and a guy calls to ask about a house, is that guy a client? I don't think so. I think that's some guy who called you. In fact, the guy didn't even call you, he called your company, if you want to be precise and honest about it.
By saying, "my client asked me to," an agent is making several statements of fact. The first statement is A) the agent has a client. The agent may or may not have a client. The second is B) the agent didn't want to call and ask about XYZ but is doing so because the "client" requested it. If you want to know something, own up to it.
I believe to qualify as bonafide clients, the agent has established a working relationship with those people. The agent most likely knows pertinent facts about the individuals such as their phone numbers, where they live, what kind of work they do, how many kids they have. The agent may be holding a written contract or about to write a contract.
Some guy who called out of the blue is not really a client. That person is a prospect.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
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The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
