The Curse of the Unrepresented Seller

A while ago, I vowed not to call unrepresented sellers FSBO’s. Part of the unbranding campaign that seems to have not gone very far.

Anyway, I’ve had a couple of interactions this week that leave me thinking about the unrepresented sellers in my market.

First, I talked to an unrepresented seller the other night on the phone and he said not one single agent had called him to solicit his listing. Frankly I was VERY surprised. He lives in a nice neighborhood in a cute, well maintained home. I would call it a desirable listing from the street. When we first started in real estate, Dmitry spent months calling FSBOs. That is how he got some of our first listings. Over time, we built our own client base, and he stopped doing it. Now we have plenty of listings. When sellers ask for help, we are ready to talk. But there are plenty of new agents right now, and even some experienced agents who need more business. Why aren’t they chasing the sellers?

Second, I got an email from a blogger in Montreal yesterday. She grew up in Bloomfield Hills and her parents are unable to find an agent to sell their home of 30 years. The listings agents do not return her parents’ calls. I gather she thinks it is because the listing agents do not want any more listings. Frankly, I am shocked. I can’t even imagine not returning calls to list a home. Maybe the day has come though.

Third, the blogger over at the new Haven Realtors blog posted that he called lots of FSBO’s recently and nobody even picked up the phone. How can Realtors sell houses if the owner does not respond to calls?

Well, put it all together and what have you got? In a strong buyers’ market, like we have in metro Detroit right now, you have a whole category of sellers who can’t be found. It appears that even the listing agents don’t want more listing! Is that really shocking, or is it just good business sense?

As a listing agent, I will tell you this, I put a lot of time and money into selling homes. If it is not priced right, I can’t sell it. If it is not in good condition, I can’t sell it. If its a sad house, I can’t sell it. If the seller does not accomodate showings, I can’t sell it. If it smells bad, I can’t sell it. In a challenging market, you need to play the game FULL FORCE. Commit or don’t put up a sign.

And, by the way, I WILL call you back if you want to talk about buying or selling a home anywhere, not just my Woodward Corridor market.

[tags]fsbo, birmingham michigan, bloomfield hills, unrepresented seller, selling a home, listing a home, listing agent[/tags]

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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