The Shoe is on the Other Foot Now
I am responsible for selling my mother’s home. Great I got an easy listing. Well not that quick. She lives in New Jersey. And they do things differently than we here in northern California and I am not licensed in New Jersey. They use lawyers instead of Escrow and Title companies. I pondered how a deal is ever going to close with two lawyers involved. The people I spoke with assured me they do. It seems radon gas is an issue in this part of New Jersey and the seller is responsible for mediating it. My mother lived in an adult community where Open Houses and For Sale signs are not permitted. No wonder as I drove the community I did not see any other homes for sale. I thought there was no inventory and I would receive multiple offers just like here in the San Bruno and South San Francisco. After doing additional research I come to find they have a year’s worth of inventory in the area adult communities.
I was recently in New Jersey and spoke with three realtors. Prudential is not strong in the area so I went into a GMAC Realty office at the local shopping center and I made an appointment with the floor agent. Immediately she told me she will come with her partner. Good! Two for the price of one. She and her partner came very well prepared. They presented information on themselves and their office. After speaking with them for a while I could tell they were not very experienced. It comes out they were in the business for five years. They were very friendly, easy to speak with, extremely motivated and aggressive but not pushy, understood marketing but not to knowledgeable on the contract, (do they need be since an attorney will review it?), they were the only ones that came with complete information on solds, actives and under attorney review. They had scheduled to show my wife and me three active listings. There was one under attorney review listed in their office that I mentioned interest in seeing. I was impressed that one of them immediately called their office to verify that a lock box was still on. We were discussing painting the home and once again immediately called a painter they work with and got a ball park price over the telephone.
The second agent I spoke with was recommended by a friend. My friend did not have a business relationship only a personal relationship. I called him on a Sunday about 3 PM and returned my call at 9PM and we set an appointment for 9AM the next morning to meet my schedule. I already liked his response time. I will justify him being the least prepared with the fact he had the shortest time to prepare. He did have information on the market but no marketing information. He did discuss marketing briefly. His mother in-law lives in the same complex and he lives in the complex next door, so I felt comfortable that he was familiar with the area. He offered to paint a stained area himself to save money. I appreciate saving money.
We had a very good rapport I thought. We discussed our mutual friends, the Real Estate industry and Back home.
The third and final agent I found on the internet as a “Top Producer” for a local old time one office company. She definitely knew the complex. She said I should hire her because she is the best and her office is the dominating listing office. She showed me all sorts of stats. Not much at all with buyers. She told me the various websites she will list the property on. She spent most of forty five minutes we spoke, discussing pricing. She suggested that I offer 4% to the listing agent because there was over a year of inventory available. It is a thought that was shared by another realtor as well but I’m not a big believer in that. She was not warm and friendly but she was not cold either. She was opinionated.
Real estate is very localized so before interviewing the agents I prepared a list of questions to learn about the area: market procedures, lock boxes, inspections, time frames, the attorney situation, inventory, Open Houses, marketing, availability, full time or part- time, experience, DOM, list to sale price, their mix of buyers to sellers, office activity and more. 
Could I hire all of them? Sales people are easy to sell. we trust everyone. We don’t want to say no to anyone. Each had pluses and minus. They were all pleasant. Now I understand what our clients go thru. Let me tell you by the third agent in two days I was burnt out. Do I go with experience, relationship, motivation? I thought I would hold off my decision until I see how their follow up is. I ask for your help; whom do you think I should hire?
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14 Responses to “The Shoe is on the Other Foot Now”
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Lee:
The last one.
Hi Lee…
Although I haven’t personally interviewed any of them, on the basis of what you wrote I would hire the 1st ones. They seem very motivated and caring, which is what you need. From the little facts you have presented, I believe that they will get the job done.
If any of these agents do as thorough of a job selling your Mother’s house as you did finding an agent, you’ve got it made. For the agents who lack experience their management support might be an important factor. You could ask the agents about their most recent transactions and then ask if you can call any of these past clients for a reference. Their customers might give you an insight you didn’t get in the interview process.
Hey Lee!
I’m all for the first team of agents! They were prepared, they are eager, and sound like they will work hard to get the place sold. Once they get it sold, they pass it on to the attorney anyhow, right? They sound like they have YOUR best interest at heart!
Lee
Your gut feeling is better than mine
how about our friends Doug and Andy
Dee Dee
Good Luck
Lee,
I had to laugh when you said a Realtor was opinionated- Isn’t every east person form the east coast opinionated?
I am going through the same process, and the property, also a unique one is still on the market, although I feel I am in good hands.
I know a broker owner of a successful office in the area whom I have spoken to about the property and I got the feeling he just wasn’t really interested in listing the property as he was used to dealing with higher end properties.
Rather than call on someone else, I asked him to have an agent in his office that dealt in that price point, had the time and energy to devote to such a lsiting and that a newer agent was OK.
I was looking for someone to get an offer that would work, the technical parts could be handled by the broker, if needed, was my thinking.
So, I have an enthusiatic lisitng agent that I feel comfortable with.
You may want to even call the President of the HOA and ask who he or she would list with, or who they can recomend.
Don’t forget the web and search the complex, REALTOR.com, etc.
Good Luck!
Brian
Hi Lee,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. If I might ask, have you tried googling the agents as well? That might provide a little more insight into the different agents, especially their marketing techniques considering that there’s a year’s worth of inventory right now. And in the end, I guess it’s going to be a matter of who you feel most comfortable with and who will be most proactive in helping to sell the home, especially since you’re not in the area. Please keep us updated on how they follow up with you, what you decide, and how it goes. Best wishes! Jean
Hi Lee,
Time, do they have the time to service your mom’s home the way you expect them to? Sounds like the first team has more of this time.
Good Luck, Lucy
I, Lee, would go with #3 because you live out of town and SHE will get it SOLD -of course another company will probably bring the offer and so what – it will still be sold. Just my opinion! Peggy
Hi Lee….I can imagine that trying to sell your Mother’s home in another State is a challenge. I pick #1…because I think this couple will give you all the service you need to get the job done. They’re even going overboard with wanting to do some painting for you. That’s an indication to me that they will do what it takes to sell your home. The attorney can take care of the paperwork. What you need is agressive Realtors who know the market and they might be hungrier than the others!
Good luck! Pat
Hi Lee,
I think I’d look into the support that the GMAC office might have for the first two you interviewed; if there appears to good support I go with them.
Larry
Go with #1…sometimes these 1 office agents think they know it all and simply rely on their “my office is #1 and we’ve been here the longest” to sell a house, and do no work at all! Unfortunately they only fool some of the sellers, but an agent like you wasn’t fooled. Congratulations on going with a GMAC office, they sound like they would work hard for you, not simply rely on “I’m the best and I deserve the listing”.
[...] What great thoughts on my last blog http://www.pruvoices.com/2009/10/the-shoe-is-on-the-other-foot-now/. The voting overwhelmingly said hire the fist agent team I interviewed. That is whom I chose and am [...]
Lee,
Here’s an advice from a top producer in my office to a newbie…”Tell the seller if you hire me, I give my 100% to you, but if you hire the top producer, he’s very busy, and he’ll ask me to help him and hold your house open. So, why don’t you just hire me directly?”
Shokoofeh