Don’t Believe the Feedback-Why Agents Showing Your Home Won’t Tell You the Truth

April 3rd, 2008 categories: Home Sellers

The linchpin of the Multiple Listing Service is real estate brokers cooperating with each other to facilitate the sale and purchase of real estate. One way in which agents cooperate is feedback.

When a home is placed on the market, listing agents request that all agents showing the property give them feedback on the price, condition, and interest of the buyers.

Earlier this week, I was filling out one of a dozen feedback forms for showings I did over the weekend and it occurred to me that I was being less than truthful. Why? Don’t I want to help other agents help sell their listings? Don’t I want to cooperate?

Rewind to a four years ago. As a new agent, I made negative feedback comments to a listing agent about a home. My clients later decided to put in an offer on the home. Later on, I discovered the listing agent had shared my comments with the seller and the seller was offended (she printed them out, which seems much worse than just repeating). I knew he was offended because he called me.

The deal eventually fell apart and I suspect there was a lot of lingering resentment about my comments.

The comments were dead on - and I thought I was helping the listing agent. Here is where I learn one of the great universal truths - some people don’t want my help.

From then on, I stopped giving really honest feedback. From the home seller’s “adult” collection in the office or a bong on the living room coffee table to the really amateur faux paint finish on every surface, specific matters of taste that can impact the sale of the home are left out of my comments.

I doubt I am the only agent to refuse to give meaningful feedback comments. If you are getting really specific and meanigful feedback, it’s probably because the buyer agents knows the listing agent (and knows hurtful comments won’t be shared) or the buyer agent hasn’t had a bad experience like mine.

Because of this, I caution every home seller to not count on agent feedback to guide in making decisions.