How Cheating Realtors is an Upfront Disclosure From Sellers

When is cheating Realtors an upfront disclosure in the home selling process from a seller’s point of view? I had a phone call today from a future seller who had already talked to and chosen a Realtor. So why was he calling our firm to ask me questions, why didn’t he ask his Realtor?

His first questions were about what types of agency did we use when when listing a home. What he wanted to really know was if he could get the home listed and not pay a Realtor under certain circumstance. It got me to thinking about an old boyfriend who told me upfront about potential cheating and he asked questions about how I felt about cheating. I told him I would drop him like a rock in a deep pond! Why go into a relationship with someone devaluing you up front?

This seller’s second question what if he is out front on his sidewalk when someone stops to talk to him and he gets them to write an offer, does he owe commission? YES. Does he have an exclusion? NO. Under an Exclusive Agency listing agreement, he would owe a commission no matter who brought a buyer.

A better answer here is if a buyer is standing in front of a listing, did she already find the house on the MLS, or did she drive by first and see a sign, or view it on Zillow, Trulia, Metrolist, Realtor.com, RE/MAX Gold, or or any other online listing-based marketing company. So do you think cheating Realtors is an upfront disclosure from sellers? None of these websites are seller-generated opportunities.

Then the seller wanted to know how to access MLS and read what agents wrote in agent confidential remarks. So it is getting clear he doesn’t really want full-service real estate. He was nice enough and perhaps didn’t understand we don’t work for free. Agents spend time and money, we pay employees, also, we are running a business. We pay errors and omissions insurance, self employment tax, membership dues, health insurance, advertisement fees, professional photos, drone photography, association fees, and so much more. Our time and efforts are value added.

When a seller is already trying to get out of paying the listing commission, it is like they are already disclosing they are going to cheat on their agent.

I did my best to explain why this type of listing arrangement was not possible. Top producers earn our commission. Is cheating Realtors an upfront disclosure? Yes, absolutely, in my opinion, it is. I talk to so many sellers who hire our team and are very happy to do so, and to pay us, as they have seen our results online and our mile-long Zillow reviews of happy past clients.

To hire a full service Realtor team who earns their fees, please call Weintraub and Wallace today at 916-233-6957.

— JaCi Wallace