Realtor Stopped at My Sale

[debodun]

A woman identifying herself as a real estate agent stopped when I was having a garage sale. She said I have a beautiful home and if I ever got around to putting it on the market, she would like to list it. I gave her a quick tour, then asked for a business card. She said she didn't have any, so I gave her a paper and pencil and had her write down her name, real estate company with which she worked and telephone number. Today I did a little checking on her. She appears to be a legit agent, but her photo on Zillow must have been taken 30 years ago. I also learned that she has not had any sales in the past 2 years. The company she indicated was her employer does not list her on their Web site, but if she is new to them, the page may not be up-to-date. Would you hire this person to list your house?

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would be leery.

If she gets a listing agreement with you she may not do anything else and would get a split on the fee if the house is eventually sold.

I would look for one of the top selling agents in your area and list it within the market price range that they feel fits the property, condition and local community.

Good luck!

 

[debodun]

One thing she said that I did not understand was that she gets 5% commission, but if she brings in her "own buyer" it would be 2%. What is "her own buyer" and does it mean she double-dealing the brokerage for which she works?

 

[nvtribefan]

You have said prior realtors were not interested in listing your house. You should jump at the opportunity to have an interested realtor working for you.

 

[Myquest55]

NVTribefan is right - BUT, I would call the agency she said she worked for and ask about her. If she hasn't sold much, she might be hungry now and will work for this. Ask her to make a presentation on how she would go about selling the property - that should indicate how interested she really is.

The usual sale % seems to be 6% (split between the buyer & seller's agents) and if she brings a buyer, then, usually they assign another realtor from "in house" because, she cannot represent both of you. The agency might discount the fee for that - ask them. Be pro-active but be careful!

 

[helenbacque]

Would I hire this person to sell my house? Only after a lot of verification of her legitimacy. All real estate agents MUST work under a legitimate, registered broker. A broker can work independently but MUST be registered and licensed as a brokerage. It sounds as though she may be trying to arrange a sale on her own which is against the law. Just having a license alone does not allow you to arrange a sale.

Of course, she may be an agent who has simply been inactive and is trying to accumulate listings which is fine if her license is in order, in other words, up to date and registered to do business under a real estate broker in your state.