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But if someone had gone out of their way to be a good neighbor (and shoveling Canadian snow is "above and beyond") and obviously knew the neighborhood well, it seems bizarre that the couple would not have at least given the neighbor an opportunity to at least compete for the listing. Pick another agent if that's what you want to do, but to not even give him a shot at the listing . . . SMH
I don't see how being a good neighbor qualifies anyone to be a listing agent.
I can 100% separate the two.
The problem occurs when we assume "of course they'll use me" in such a situation - when they AREN'T an existing customer.
I don't know snow - thankfully - but if they spent all winter away from the Canada house... why shovel the snow? And how would they know you shoveled it?
And do they "think of you" as an agent who happens to be a great neighbor? Or a great snow shoveler who happens to be an agent?
What do we do to show our neighbors that we're also great agents? Do we ask them if they have an agent they would use if they ever sold?
In this case, the folks were retired and in theory potential sellers for the whole decade. How many tmes did you ask if they had an agent they'd use, or if they'd give you an opportunity?
and even our existing customers, we should work very hard to be a good Realtor for them, even when they're not in the midst of making a move.
Of course, it's also possible these folks are selfish jerks, who laughed at the idea of you doing all that manual labor when they knew they never had any plan to give you an opportunity to compete for their business.
But if someone had gone out of their way to be a good neighbor (and shoveling Canadian snow is "above and beyond") and obviously knew the neighborhood well, it seems bizarre that the couple would not have at least given the neighbor an opportunity to at least compete for the listing. Pick another agent if that's what you want to do, but to not even give him a shot at the listing . . . SMH
"SMH" usually means that something is inconceivable, unexplainable. Totally bizarre.
This is not a SMH because there are many possible logical explanations, e.g.
Neighbors and friends sometimes don't want to do business with neighbors and friends. Let's face it...client and realtor relationships often can get strained. Who wants to get all awkward with friends, family and neighbors?
They had another realtor chosen - who knows? A friend of their son or daughter who they wanted to help out. A nephew. whatever.
Opportunity to compete for the listing is a waste of everyone's time if they have other plans. And more importantly, if you let a friend and neighbor compete and then you need to tell them that you picked someone else, it's even more awkward. I think a mature real estate agent needs to understand that not all connections they make in the community will automatically want to work with them. and there are perfectly good reasons for people to make other choices.
I think a mature real estate agent needs to understand that not all connections they make in the community will automatically want to work with them. and there are perfectly good reasons for people to make other choices.
I don't see how being a good neighbor qualifies anyone to be a listing agent.
I can 100% separate the two.
True. We were at one point friends with a realtor down the street; however, we would never have listed our house with her. Might have been awkward, but there was a much better realtor who we always said we would list with because she was a great realtor, knew the neighborhood and sold many homes in it. The former neighbor/realtor eventually moved out and years later we did list with the realtor we wanted and sold our house in 10 hours at asking price (which was $/sq ft the highest at the time for the neighborhood) despite it being near power lines which our neighbor/realtor said would be an issue.
But if someone had gone out of their way to be a good neighbor (and shoveling Canadian snow is "above and beyond") and obviously knew the neighborhood well, it seems bizarre that the couple would not have at least given the neighbor an opportunity to at least compete for the listing. Pick another agent if that's what you want to do, but to not even give him a shot at the listing . . . SMH
I did not use my next door neighbor realtor to list my house because I knew she would screen the exact type of person who would likely buy my house.
My house was overbuilt for the neighborhood---6 bedrooms, living room, play room, TV room, when most houses were more traditional 3 bedrooms and a living room.
Whoever bought my home would be an airnub renter type or have a BUNCH of kids. The house was in a mountain resort with vacation rentals being common.
EVERYONE who lives in the area hates being near a rental property.
My realtor neighbor hates kids, and would not want them next door either.
So she would screen out families and investors...she did that to another property on the other side of me, which sold within a week of it being listed with another realtor outside our neighborhood....after 6 months with her and only 3 showings. She just would not show the house, no time, or say something negative about it to people.
I did not use my next door neighbor realtor to list my house because I knew she would screen the exact type of person who would likely buy my house.
My house was overbuilt for the neighborhood---6 bedrooms, living room, play room, TV room, when most houses were more traditional 3 bedrooms and a living room.
Whoever bought my home would be an airnub renter type or have a BUNCH of kids. The house was in a mountain resort with vacation rentals being common.
EVERYONE who lives in the area hates being near a rental property.
My realtor neighbor hates kids, and would not want them next door either.
So she would screen out families and investors...she did that to another property on the other side of me, which sold within a week of it being listed with another realtor outside our neighborhood....after 6 months with her and only 3 showings. She just would not show the house, no time, or say something negative about it to people.
My house sold to a family with SIX kids!
Very good point in addition to all of the other very logical reasons why someone may not want to choose a neighbor and/or friend as their agent.
Your story might be extreme as you know that she has specific biases. However, in any situation, you may not want an agent with such vested interests in who buys the home. Likewise, as a buyer, it's nice to know that the agent is familiar with the neighborhood but I do not really want to be dealing with someone who will be my neighbor. These things aren't always friendly and it would create an awkward feeling. In fact, one time i was considering a home where the agent was actually born in the home and lived next door to it. While this intimacy was quaint, I've been around long enough to know that what starts out all friendly and nice sometimes can get rocky along the way.
Another related reason why buyers may be uncomfortable is privacy. i don't really want my new next door neighbor knowing my financial situation, etc. I know that most agents are part of the communities that they service but knowing that they live right there can give a strong perception that their privacy is compromised. I know we are talking about the listing agent but it will affect the sale if buyers are made uncomfortable when the agent rattles on about how they live right across the street and the neighborhood is so wonderful.
Any agents in NJ here? My snowblower broke down. If you handle the snow, I promise to sign with you if I need to sell.
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