The Dreaded Call: “We have decided to appoint another agent but thank you for your time.”
“Thank you for letting me know. May I ask why you chose the other agent?”
“We thought you were really professional and it was a difficult decision but the other agent thought they could get us a better price and they seemed pretty confident.”
The problem with this type of conversation is firstly that it happens at all and secondly, the outcome is almost always predictable. The property will likely sell for what the lower quoting agent advised and the agent who quoted the higher price (and most likely knew it was too high) will get paid. So what do you think the agent tempted to do after this happens a few times…?
I recently advised a prospective client that their home would likely sell for between $1.2 to $1.3 million. In this instance there wasn’t even a polite call to follow; there was anger at me not knowing what I was talking about. He wanted $1.4 million and there was quite a degree of pride in his home and its expected appeal to buyers. So another agent was appointed and the property was auctioned a few weeks later, passing in initially and then selling for just over $1.2 million shortly later.
Tempting as it is to fall into line and simply “list, condition and sell”, there is no real excuse to lie to win the business (that’s what it really is); agents have to simply get better at telling the truth and still winning the client over to accepting honest advice rather than a deception. Of course this is easier said than done.
