Should a Listing Agent Tell the Seller Which Offer to Take?

Should a listing agent tell the seller which offer to take?

There are some sellers in Sacramento who would prefer it if their listing agent would handle every single detail of the transaction and make all of the important decisions for them. For a variety of reasons they obviously feel are very valid. If an agent tries to pass the responsibility back to the client, they feel dismissed, undervalued and rejected. They wonder why the listing agent doesn’t care about them.

There are other sellers who are much more hands on, sometimes too much so. They want to rewrite marketing materials, rearrange the order of photography and micro manage every aspect of the listing paperwork, sometimes to their own detriment. It’s evident that these guys don’t view themselves as others do. So, we go with the flow. What’s important is the client is happy.

But the bulk of sellers in Sacramento expect their listing agent to guide them to make the right decision. They don’t want the listing agent telling them which offer to take. When I am guiding sellers, I try to lay out all of the pros and cons of each offer. Cash offers aren’t always best because the buyers often display little loyalty to the transaction and can make unreasonable demands. VA buyers aren’t always worse due to the requirement for a pest completion because they are extremely committed to closing and tired of writing offers.

Not only do some sellers want the listing agent to tell them which offer to take but they want their agent to dictate terms of a counter offer. I always share my opinions and professional insight with my sellers, but the final decision is always theirs. I’ve suggested counter offers that sellers sometimes reject. They want that bird in hand and don’t want to take any kind of risk. That’s their decision to make, not mine.

My job is to ensure they have enough information to make an educated decision. If they want to take more time to weigh the pros and cons, I can make it happen. A seller in Sacramento should always be able to rely on her listing agent. Further, every transaction is different. If you’d like to hire an experienced listing agent who is on your side, engaged in your transaction, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.