I was reading a lot of MLS entries and wondering to myself ...does the agent even think before they enter these comments in the MLS? If over 85 of home sales begin on the Internet, and are a direct result of how thye are entered in our MLS...then we have a problem for the viewer. They may not want to see your listing. Are some of the comments counterproductive? The one I read recently accompanied a picture of a raging creek in the back yard. We must all be aware that words or photos evoke other images. Some of those may be negative, and adversely impact the market ability of the listed property. The agent's comment read "Enjoy the privacy of your own creek!" I could just imagine myself white water rafting at the back of my yard after a summer deluge. Gee, "Just What I Always Wanted! My own creek!" I also thought to myself, if flood insurance is needed. Does the home flood? Will the water running in the creek keep me up nights? Will the creek be an attractive nuisance...attracting children? Will the constant source of water contribute to mold issues, mosquitoes, frogs etc?
There are other comments that invoke other visions. "Please call 4 hours in advance so seller can remove the dogs, and pets!" Excuse me! Pet's? Is the seller's name "Noah?" How many pets do they have there that I need 4 hours advance notice? Are the pets destructive? What about my clients allergies? Other comments that makes us stop and think are:
- "A Must see home!" And yet there are no mls pictures.
- "Do not speak to dog in cage!" Does the dog have an attitude or being punished?
- "Now it is priced to sell!" So you were just pulling our leg last 6 months?
- Courtesy call a must! "Large dog that bites needs to be crated!" How big is this dog?
- "Motivated sellers!" Appointment Only! 48 hours notice for seller to put out lock box. How serious are they?
- "Squatter in property please do not try to view inside of property, drive by only.."
- "Friendly dog will not bite, but if it does...call us so we can remove him!"
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Jim, I saw one in Hawaii. "Comes furnished, just not with the furniture in the house at this time!" Yeah, we'll dig up some boxes and crates for you...
Ah yes.....good stuff, Jim!
I had an incident this week where I was searching MLS for a ready willing & able buyer.
I came across a listing for a home $400k+ (in my buyer's price range), which had been on the market for 6 weeks. It had one exterior photo (and not a very good one, at that!).
The "MLS comments" were that is was "beautifully updated".....I wrote an e-mail to the agent, who is the Seller AND Broker, and shared my "concern" for the interior condition, since there were NO interior pics posted. What did his words "beautufully updated" mean?
He called me and said "if you are interested in finding our what my words mean, then get in your car, drive over and find out for yourself". I thought he was joking.....he clearly was not. HUH?????
What's wrong with this scenario????
Edith Schreiber - Dallas, Texas
"Squatter in property please do not try to view inside of property, drive by only.."
Is that an actual remark from a listing? Wow, haven't seen that before.
I almost made a post regarding agent-to-agent remarks on listings. I ran into one that said: "PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME A COPY OF THE MLS WITH THE OFFER- WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU DO THAT??"....
Now was that really necessary? Maybe it's the caps that makes it seem like you're being yelled at and called an idiot...
Chanda panda
Jim : I think flood insurance might be a thought with a creek that isn't controlled by a damn. I think some of the other thoughts are a bit silly . Water front is pretty relaxing. Children usually don,t just come in your back yard uninvited. As far as the dog needing to leave you could put those comments in private remarks . The public wont even see the comments about the dogs.
Paul Henderson, Realtor ® Lacey & Dupont Washington homes (RE/MAX Professionals & Four Seasons Inc.) Paul it could even be furnished from a "Good Will Store!"
Edith Schreiber (Coldwell Banker APEX) Some agents like this like to double dip. They hope no one goes over to see the listing...and other are just lazy.
Jim - Showed a vacant lot this week where the MLS said "Babbling Brook" on property. Yep' you guessed it, a mosquito magnet, drainage ditch flowing out of a some wetlands.
Chanda Barrick REALTOR (Indianapolis, Avon, Greenwood) (1st Choice Real Estate) Unfortunatley it is hot off the press! True statement.
A good listing agent knows when a property needs some well written words to entice buyers in and what sort of red flags to avoid placing in the public comments.
Elizabeth Benefield (Montana Country Real Estate) The creek is a very big issue. In areas where they feed into larger bodies of water locally there are issues. You may own the land but have no control of your own property because of some environmental watershed act. You better understand this issues at stake. As far as the "For agent eyes only "that is as close as anyone may come to the property is from the agent going through the MLS listings.
FYI....The creek comment was in an area viewable by the public for photo descriptions.
James J Weber, CGP, CAPS (Nikles Realty, Ed Nikles Custom Builder, Inc) I like that! "Mosquito magnet!"
Robert W. May, Realtor/Mortgage Expert Lethbridge Mortgage & Real Estate Info (Canada First Mortgage) You are so right. The same way we place together an ad for the perfect description, we must go out of our way to do so on MLS listings since we have Broker reciprocity.
Great entertaining piece...and we've all seen some of these comments. There should be a bloopers show for it.
Jim, So funny and so true! I try to be very careful with my mls comments especially after I attended a class where they were recommending we be very careful about what we say from a legal standpoint. It may seem innocent enough but often can get you into trouble.
Michael Caruso Real Estate Group I loved all of the comments...that said "Bonus for agent if we close this before March 15th!"
Barb Szabo E-pro Realtor Cleveland Ohio Homes (RE/MAX Trinity) I agree.
These are mls comments ? wow ? Well, I have seen some in my mls as well.
Squatter in the house? Too funny!
How about this: It's on a lockbox, the code is XYZ, please do not disturb the children IF they are doing their homework!
Are you kidding me?
Jim,
Some of these comments require true creativity. They are really funny for discussion over beers after a long day. But for business purposes, maybe not so funny.
Jim..you could handle a creek because you are a great swimmer but it is funny what is promoted as a big deal that is not alway perceived that way to the general public. Also, writing the copy can be trickier for other reasons to...for example, I wrote "Round up your sporting buddies" for copy for a log cabin, some recreation land and the HUD sirens start, and it was rejected because of the "up your". I have to call family, "loved ones". Mother-in-law apartment still flys without censorship.
And. . . . will you be "up the creek" without a paddle? All good questions.
Jim,
Motivated seller is always my favorite, so are there folks who aren't motivated to sell there home? As for the listings without photos, when stating a beautiful home, happens more than it should. In fact, for my buyers out of town I go and take additional photos for them..the good the bad and the ugly.
Katharine
Suma Kakani (Keller Williams Success Realty) These are the real thing!
Donna Harris, REALTOR® & ASP - Austin, TX Real Estate (RE/MAX Austin Skyline) I thought that was a scary comment...and yes it is real.
Donna Harris, REALTOR® & ASP - Austin, TX Real Estate (RE/MAX Austin Skyline) They are unbelievable!
Esko Kiuru - Las Vegas NV Mortgage Consultant (Sinifox Financial) They may not help their clients.
Andrew Mooers | Northern Maine Real Estate / Aroostook County Broker (MOOERS REALTY) It is amazing what can pass and what will not.
Tom Boos (Sine & Monaghan GMAC Real Estate) I showed a home in an average subdivision a few weeks ago that did not mention creek. The creek was too close the home for my comfort and only 7 foot from the deck.
Katharine Carey, Agent Carey- Realtor® (BuyerTours Realty, LLC) All sellers are motivated these days! Who could list a home without photos?
Hi Jim, this hits home for me. I have 3 squatters in 3 different homes. So I give my phone number to call before showing.....almost makes listing the home impossible. Because they are short sales, I'm getting offers without the clients approving the interiors. Now if I can just get the squatters to move!
Kay Van Kampen, Broker, Springfield Missouri Real Estate (RE/MAX Solutions) Wow. 3 squatters. I have never experienced anything like that. Offer them money. That is the oldest way.
Jim - Seems like some agents forget that they are in sales. Between their photos and their comments their customers are being short changed. I like to think about what I look for when I'm looking for homes to show. What I want to read in that circumstance is what I want to write for the agent that is going to read it and show as a result of my efforts. Thanks for the awareness.
This was funny reading:) However, some of these things need to be stated..ie Squatters on property. One of my buyers has an offer in on a house which we were unable to see the inside and we could not even loiter in front of the house, lest we angered the tenants. It needed to be said on the mls though so we would know better when we got there.
**offering squatters money in this new era does not work..why, they are living rent free! That is better than money to some:(
Jim---Good Ones! I ALSO love the MLS listings that are STILL showing Active (going into the 2nd week now..checked this before I posted) even though you have been told that your offer was not accepted/they went with another one. Alright, I can take the fact that I didn't win on this one but for HEAVENS SAKE if it is UC change the #@*# status! Whoops....guess I needed to vent LOL! :-)
Jim Valentine (RE/MAX Realty Affiliates) You are so right. We should have a sense of awareness as we write our MLS comments. This is marketing at it's best especially when IDX is involved.
Karen Hurst ~ Principal Broker ~ Warwick ~ Rhode Island (Stonehurst Realty) Thank you for sharing your insights. Yes vital information does need to be placed there for the safety and awareness of others.
Alicia Gibson/REALTOR, ABR (McLeRoy Realty Associates, Inc.) That is OK! We all need to vent. Things are not as they used to be.
Jim - I hate when I see "please present reasonable offers" ....well, how about we just wait until this listing is more reasonbly priced?
Carol Culkin (Houlihan Lawrence Realty) Yep you are so right...the other agent and their client will reject the listing before they ever see it.
Jim:
Listing should be more factorial, heavy descriptive words may raise expectation beyond the beholders needs. When they see the property it will be a let down. To the point, clear and clean.
Agents must use a sense of understanding of a possible buyer's perception. Pictures tell a thousand words, use them as often as possible.
Richard
Richard Stabile Bergen County New Homes Builder Realtor (REMAX real estate associates) It is interesting that many agents are not as educated as others. Some have college, some have corporate and marketing backgrounds, some have MBA's and others have a GED and passed the 45 hour license test. No tow persons have the same talents. Then there are sellers. Some are concerned only wiht getting a listing in the MLS and figure it does not take rocket science to sell their homes. They get exactly what they don't pay for!
Great job Jim! Thank you!
Now featured on the Optimist Group.
Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection Thank you Mirela.
ROFL...thanks for a laugh...these were classic.
Of COURSE it's a MUST SEE home because you are not gonna see any pictures in the MLS...you must see the home to see anything! LOL
This cracked me up.
Susan Haughton Alexandria, VA REALTOR® (Long & Foster REALTORS® Old Town Alexandria) I am glad you enjoyed this. I am sure we can all see these comments in any of our MLS sytems!
I saw a "Motivated seller. Show only Friday, Sat or Sunday 11-5" !!!! Yep, really motivated! No lockbox, no code, seller was going to lead the tour.
My favorite is "Hurry. This won't last!" but its been listed for 8 months. Time to change the comments. Thanks for the chuckle.
Kim Curran (Re/Max Unlimited) I am seeing that alot, and it is a seler that is listed wiht a no frills company. They are really FSBO's! They get away with murder.
Stacey-Ann Baugh (Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc) Stacey the only ones that are funnier are the ones that have "Hurry will not last...agent bonus if closed before Nov. 1 2008!"