Is There Such a Thing As a “Bad Listing”?
One of my pet peeves is the notion of “bad listings”. I’ve heard agents talk about certain properties being bad listings, either because the home was not pristine, or because they assumed it was over-priced. I believe that the majority of those comments are simply sour grapes, because the agent lost the listing.
Maybe I’m wrong. If you are reading this and you think you have a bad listing, please feel free to refer it to me immediately. You see, I don’t think there are any bad listings, just bad agents. I’ll tell you why.
Listings are only considered bad because they are difficult to sell. After all, we get paid to sell homes, and not to simply list them. So let’s explore some of the typical hard-to-sell scenarios and see if they are really bad listings.
The “dog house” listing. You know what I mean — the listing that looks like a bomb went off inside. No maintenance for years. Pet stains and odors. Outdated. Landscaping is a wreck. The seller won’t pick up his junk so it looks like it’s in shambles. Many times the owner doesn’t want to do any repairs prior to selling, or it might even be tenant occupied (one of my personal favorites). Is this a bad listing? No!
The “over-priced” listing. This one is generally the polar opposite of the dog house listing. This is one of those sellers who has the best looking home on the block, and so he mistakenly believes that translates into a higher sale price. Maybe he’s spent lots of money on upgrades, a swimming pool, an in-ground hot tub, landscaping, an out building, and so on. He naturally assumes that since the money was spent on his home, it is a good investment. So he insists on pricing the home outside the reasonable range of value. Is this a bad listing? No!
The “invisible” listing. This one is essentially unavailable for showing. Maybe it’s tenant occupied, and maybe it’s a client who never seems to be available to show the home. Maybe they refuse a lockbox. Often invisible listings are what we consider to be un-motivated sellers. Maybe it’s just difficult to find. So does this make it a bad listing? No!
I think you’ll agree that almost all of what we call “bad listings” fall into one or more of those categories. Now let me explain why you should still want them, and why you should still take them. Here are just four good reasons. Feel free to add more in your comments.
Let me sum it up. I’ll take every single opportunity to list a home. I realize that some will be easier to sell than others. Some may never sell. But with the right approach, most will eventually sell, and I’ll get paid. That’s why I don’t think there are any bad listings. And that’s my quick answer.
