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Listing a Home in Sacramento and Interviewing Realtors
There is no rule about interviewing Realtors that means you can’t pick the first agent.
Many of the sellers I’ve been meeting with lately to list homes in Sacramento have been interviewing Realtors. It makes sense to ensure it’s a good fit between client and agent. On the other hand, most of my sellers already know they are going to hire me just by talking to me on the phone and reading my online reviews. I also encourage them to hire me. You betcha. I mean, who else has as much experience as I do? I’ve worked in real estate since the 1970s, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I don’t sell 3 or 4 homes a year like 90% of the agents in town. I have real hands-on, day-in and day-out experience that saves my sellers a world of future headaches.
One seller told me yesterday that she’s already interviewed a couple of agents. One agent suggested to her that she should interview more agents; said the seller should talk to at least 3 agents. What kind of agent would say that? I don’t know. I tell sellers they don’t have to interview anybody but me, but if they insist, I’ll probably look that much better by comparison. That always gets a laugh. When the seller said one of the agents told her we are in a slow market, I razzed her, “Hey, was this the same agent who accused you of doing a bad job of interviewing Realtors?”
Our market in Sacramento is still red hot. Listings that are priced right are getting attention and quickly selling. We have more buyers than we have listings. Some lucky sellers are the only game in town, the only home for sale, so you can bet I’m going to position them to attract top dollar. It’s what I do. It’s unusual for me go on a listing appointment where the seller is interviewing Realtors and not walk out with the listing.
Success breeds confidence. But even when I wasn’t so overwhelming successful, like when I first moved to Sacramento and was getting to know the marketplace and everybody in it, I never felt like a failure. I was talking about this topic with my husband yesterday because some people, like BoJack Horseman, OK, he’s not a real person, well, some people are insecure. They second-guess their decisions and down deep worry about everything.
An example. We watched the new Mike White movie, Brad’s Status, at the Tower Theatre in Land Park on Sunday, starring Ben Stiller. A very adult-looking Ben Stiller, unlike the guy from Midnight at the Museum or Zoolander, where he sucked in his cheekbones and pretended to be a model. In Brad’s Status, he has a mid-life crisis, worried that he’s failed in life. It also stars the guy from Masters of Sex, Michael Sheen, and Luke Wilson, who was also in Roadies. Stiller imagines everybody else is better than him. I’ve never had that feeling. I’ve always known I had the ability to do whatever I wanted to do.
Motivation is not a problem for me either. I am self motivated. I set goals and achieve them. Winning listing presentations when sellers are interviewing Realtors is one of those goals. I believe in myself and my clients do too. It comes through loud and clear.
Sacramento Realtors Who Answer the Phone
Sacramento Realtors who answer the phone deal with a lot of crap.
Sacramento Realtors who answer the phone probably do ten times the business of agents who send calls to voice mail. That’s what I’m betting. I mean, I don’t have any hard statistics to back up this theory, but the reason I say this is because I get calls from buyers and sellers who often start out by saying, “I found you on the internet.” Just by sheer reasoning, you can pretty much figure if I don’t answer my phone, there will be another agent they found on the internet they can call. One thing that separates me from others is I am one of those Sacramento Realtors who answer the phone.
Well, THAT, and I’m so incredibly non-opionated and humble. Ask anybody.
Because I’m one of those Sacramento Realtors who answer the phone, I get all sorts of phone calls that aren’t necessarily related to me making any money. Here are some of the calls this Sacramento Realtor has received recently.
Newbie real estate agent:
Hello? This is an agent with XYZ Realty and I’m calling to tell you I have a listing in Carmichael.
How wonderful for you! Why are you calling me?
Well, it’s a beautiful home on ABC street, priced at $400K, plus I am paying a good commission.
Why are you calling me?
I thought you might have a buyer.
I don’t work with buyers. And any other agent you call is likely to be a bit irritated that you’re calling, even the agents who actually work with buyers.
Oh, I’m . . . fading into distance . . .
(See, this is why we have MLS. If we want to find a listing, we go to MLS. It’s how Sacramento real estate works. We are in the middle of one of the hottest seller’s markets in Sacramento. I wonder if she has heard we use computers now?)
Telemarketer:
Hello, Elizabeth? Do not hang up.
Click.
Telemarketer:
I am calling from hot sexy real estate dot com.
Click.
Telemarketer:
Hey, Elizabeth, I’m on your website.
Well get off before you hurt yourself, click.
Phone call before 9 AM on Sunday:
I read an article you wrote about agents not selling their own short sale, and I have my own short sale listed.
Here’s some free advice. Don’t try to sell your own short sale because the bank won’t allow it, and even if your home wasn’t a short sale you should not be the listing agent. Too much liability.
But I already disclosed everything I know.
You don’t know what the buyer will sue you for now, do you?
Can I get a referral fee if I send the listing to another agent?
See, it would be a secret agreement the bank has no knowledge of, and that could be short sale fraud. You can’t profit from a short sale without the bank’s knowledge, plus you will sign an arm’s length saying there are no under the table dealings going on.
How would the bank find out?
Don’t you work for a broker you can talk to?
Buyer’s Agent:
Your listing says go direct, no calling required. Does that mean I don’t have to call the sellers and can just go over there?
Yes. Go direct. Just get in your car and go.
Guy walking a dog:
I’m in front of your listing. Is it for sale or rent?
Agents don’t work on rentals so it must be for sale.
How much is it?
Where is it, what street is it on?
I don’t know. I’m just in front of it walking my dog. I want to rent a house.
Telemarketer:
I’d like to talk about State Farm.
Trust me, I have more insurance than I need.
Wouldn’t you like to buy a State Farm franchise?
Click.
(And just about the time you start thinking to yourself that maybe it’s not a good idea to be one of those Sacramento Realtors who answer the phone . . . )
No Caller ID:
I have a home in Elk Grove I would like to sell, and I’d like to talk with you about listing my home.
You’ve come to the right place. How can I help?
Raising the Bar for Sacramento Realtors Means Speaking Up
Raising the bar in Sacramento real estate is the duty of every Realtor.
Raising the bar does not mean calling the real estate police. For one thing, there are no official real estate police. One also can’t just notify the California Bureau of Real Estate of a violation and expect the staff who handle consumer complaints to know which rules or regulations had been violated. The staff is made up of people who just work there, they have a 9-to-5 job, and that job is not to monitor or memorize every real estate regulation on the books.
If one is gonna file a complaint at the California Bureau of Real Estate, one needs to do one’s own homework and point out the codes or regulations the perpetrator has trampled. Otherwise, one most likely will encounter some yo-yo saying that seems OK to me, when the actionable item is against the law. Perhaps the violation could be grounds for losing a real estate license, but then we agents are not the commissioner running that arm of state government. Tip: don’t just say an agent can’t do XYZ without citing case or code numbers.
Raising the bar is what every real estate agent has a duty to do, but few get involved. They’re too busy with clients, family, friends, themselves. Yet, how much effort is it to educate the violator? Sacramento Realtors should speak up. When you see something, say something to the agent. Care enough to educate. I’m not suggesting punishment nor do I advocate filing a complaint with the Sacramento Board of Realtors, unless it’s the last resort. Just talk to the agent.
Sacramento Realtors are often unsupervised. Or, they are complacent: been doing it this way for X number of years, buddy, ain’t seeing no reason to change now, sort of attitude. They are not interested in raising the bar. Nobody died and appointed them Governor. But if we don’t speak up, it makes us part of the problem.
For example, an agent sent a text message to one of my sellers yesterday, thanking them for allowing a showing. He also rambled on, sharing personal specifics about his buyer and then asked the seller whether the seller would consider a particular type of negotiation. When I informed the agent he was violating Article 16 of the Realtor Code of Ethics, he denied it. He became defensive, explaining he was only trying to . . .
It was Labor Day. Nobody was really working in Sacramento real estate. Yet, I took the time to explain that the agent appeared to be interfering in my fiduciary relationship with the seller. He cannot negotiate with the seller directly. He cannot throw out ideas for consideration nor try to influence the seller’s opinion of the buyer. I wonder how long he’s been doing business this way?
I don’t want to make enemies out of other Realtors. Nobody does. I don’t wanna report real estate agents, that’s not my style. Just stop and think, people. Raising the bar will only make the real estate profession better. Speak up. Inspire greatness.
Why Does an Agent Prepare an Agent Visual Inspection?
All real estate agents should prepare an a thorough agent visual inspection.
Agents who don’t prepare an agent visual inspection deserve what they get. For many real estate agents working in Sacramento today, the 1984 case of Easton v. Strassburger is nothing but a legal phrase they recall from a real estate exam and meaningless to them today. Since I had already been working for years in real estate when the California court of appeal ruled on this legendary case, the ramifications of Easton v. Strassburger struck fear in my heart and it’s never left. This landmark lawsuit changed the way I forever since have done business.
It’s odd for me to think back at that time and realize I practiced real estate for so many years before that ruling and I never inspected homes. I had team members who showed homes, but I handled the offer preparation and was responsible for all negotiation. I never personally looked at the home myself. My feeling back all those decades ago was the house had four walls, a roof and somebody would live in it, so what did I care? My job was to get our investors a good rental property. Prepare an agent visual inspection? Why?
After Easton v. Strassburger, I changed my tune. Easton bought a home on a hill in Danville from the Strassburgers. After escrow closed, the house suffered extensive damage from sliding soil and the Easton sued. The court ruled the broker had a duty to conduct a reasonable inspection and to disclose. Further, agents have a duty to disclose what they know or should have known, which could have been concluded from a routine physical inspection. There was evidence of previous slides that the Strassburgers did not disclose, which the agent should have picked up on. Ever since then, I inspect.
As Sacramento Realtors, we are not required to conduct a home inspection. But we are expected to walk the property, identify possible defects and point out areas that could become a concern. Sometimes, I shoot photos of defects I spot and include them with my agent visual inspection. If I spot a crack over a door, I note it. It could be a settling crack or it could be indicative of something more serious. I’m not a home inspector, so I wouldn’t know. Yet, I disclose.
Imagine my shock yesterday when I received a buyer’s agent visual inspection for one of my listings. The agent didn’t complete the inspection at all. The AVID was blank. Instead, the agent wrote across the face of the document verbiage to the effect that the buyer is advised to obtain a home inspection. Lazy-ass moron. I’ve encountered other difficulties in the past with this particular agent, things that left me scratching my head and wondering why this agent is not in jail. And here is yet one more piece of concrete evidence. A disaster waiting to happen. Buyers deserve so much better.
Beware New UPS Phone Scam Hitting Sacramento Realtors
You can’t track anonymous calls made through a VoIP to report a UPS phone scam.
My midtown Lyon Real Estate office forwarded a UPS phone scam call to me yesterday from 916-235-1321. It registers as a Folsom VoIP number, which means it could have originated from a computer or a mobile. The caller even acknowledged that he had asked my office to forward the call. He sounded so hokey. Said he was from UPS and had received a field inquiry about a damaged shipping label. Right away red flags went up, because he did not sound like a UPS employee.
Twice I asked his name, but no, he was transferring me to an individual with more information about my damaged shipping label. I also asked how he got my office number because I don’t ever use that number for anything, especially not for UPS. He said he got it from the shipping label, which is even more dubious.
Hmm . . . I quickly reviewed my situation of this UPS phone scam: UPS doesn’t have my office number. I don’t have any shipments from or to the office. A quick review online would provide my cell, not my office phone, in case a person needed to search for my phone. But I was still curious. What were they trying to pull?
I am going to transfer you now, he said, and the next thing on the line was a recording, thanking me for my patience and offering to play a clip from a “well known comedian, Jeff Foxworthy.” Who probably voted for Trump. He seems like that kinda guy, and I really do not like Jeff Foxworthy. Couldn’t this company afford the bucks to pay for better comedy, like maybe Patton Oswalt, instead of some has-been loser? Second thought, why isn’t this recorded music?
Within 3 seconds, just as I was about to hang up, somebody answered the phone. He gave a nondescript first name and told me this was my lucky day. Yes, I thought so. Lucky enough to hang up. After Jeff Foxworthy, I had lost my curiosity.
This is definitely, without question, a long, drawn-out UPS phone scam for something against the law. They obviously don’t want to be traced or reported. They seem to be targeting Sacramento Realtors. If a person calls pretending to be from UPS, get a name, tracking number and call UPS yourself. UPS Customer Service in Atlanta is 800-742-5877.
