Hire a Realtor that is a Local Expert
by Linsey Planeta
I found this searching my own MLS today and knew that I had to share it to illustrate the importance of hiring a Realtor that is a Local Expert. It’s not enough to hire someone to ‘just get it in the MLS’. In fact, you can do yourself a big disservice by hiring someone that is unfamiliar with your community. Let’s cover some of the things wrong in the following listing.
A – The neighborhood within Rancho Santa Margarita is listed as Las Flores. This property is not actually in the community of Las Flores; it’s in a Central Rancho Santa Margarita community. The cross street is ‘Las Flores’ and may be the source of confusion for the out of area agent.
B – This tract code SULF is incorrect. This SULF tract code is for a neighborhood within Las Flores that consists of homes in the over $1 million range. If someone is actually searching for a home within the tract where this property is actually located, it won’t be found due to the inaccurate tract code.
C- No model number or information is also a common thing for an out of area agent to leave out. The problem again lies in that there may be a buyer that may be looking for this listing’s specific floorplan. With the wrong tract code and no model number it will be tough for them to find this home.
D – ‘No picture available’ is entirely unacceptable in the age of web 2.0. It is a rare buyer will ask to see a property that lacks pictures.
E – Directions ’see mapquest.com’. Clearly, the agent doesn’t know where the property is, so how can he direct buyers or agents to it.
If the MLS entry is full of this many errors, how can the agent negotiate powerfully for the seller about value (if by some miracle a buyer actual looks at this property and makes an offer)? Agent selection is a critical part of your success and a ‘mls only’ listing may not do you any favors either.
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Tagged as:
MLS entry errors,
MLS Entry Only,
out of area agents,
tips to sell you home
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I like results! So, I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to get something done, get it done right the first time. So yea, hire a local realtor that’s the expert.
We get this all the time in Big Bear Linsey. Agents are listing properties here that don’t even know the area and will not come up to show it should they get a buyer. Talk about a disservice to the seller. To capitalize on that, they don’t even put it in the local MLS so the agents that are actually selling the properties up here don’t know about it. They usually end up losing the listing or finally referring the seller to someone more qualified to help the client. Great post.
Tyler,
I’m sure Big Bear get’s more than it’s share of out of area agents trying to represent buyers and sellers. Using a local expert has so many levels of importance. When I bought my home in Mammoth, I could have used my California license and ’saved’ the commission. Instead, I knew I needed the local knowledge of areas, communities, and associations. In the end, I know it was a good decision and ultimately when I sell that property, I still will be using the local agent for her knowledge, local connections, and potential buyer pool.
Thanks for reading!