After I show a number of Edmond or Oklahoma City homes, I invariably start getting a number of calls from listing agents asking for feedback. And some are relentless! I know sellers and their agents like getting feedback. But buyers agents are reluctant to give it and for a good reason. They are not obligated to because they have no contractual relationship with the seller. Conversely, they do represent the buyer and do have a responsibility to protect their interests.
So if I’m representing a buyer, why would I tell them the home is priced right? That weakens my buyer’s negotiating position if the buyer makes a lower bid. This is why I don’t normally say much when asked for feedback.
My company’s listings compete with other company’s listings. Am I not helping our competitors by giving constructive feedback on their listings? Doesn’t that increase the competition for our sellers?
When I’m representing an Oklahoma City or Edmond seller, I feel confident I have enough experience to know if we’re priced right or not, or if we’re staged correctly, of if there’s anything else the seller could do to improve the marketability of their home. Occasionally a seller won’t believe only me that their home is priced too high and it may be helpful to get feedback from a number of agents all saying the price is too high. But generally the sellers know.
So, sellers, don’t be surprised when you don’t get much feedback from showings. This is normal. Trust your agent’s feedback. Please don’t beat us up too bad when we don’t receive feedback!
Photo courtesy of Flickr | cindy47452
