Back in the days of sub-agency, it used to be a common courtesy that selling agents (buyer's agents) would politely tell the listing agent the buyer's feedback after a showing. Few agents provide feedback anymore, and the justifications are many. But is withholding feedback really helping the buyer or the selling agent?

Who's got time for feedback after a showing? And why should I help the listing agent anyway? If the seller wouldn't believe her own agent why would she believe me? These are the reasons many selling agents don't provide feedback after a showing.

In a perfect world, agents should be able to list and show homes that are priced right, updated, and in good repair - ready to sell. The reality is that many sellers overvalue and underprepare their homes for the marketplace. That puts the listing agents and the selling agents between a rock and a hard place. If the listing agent refuses to overprice a home or list it in less than good condition, the seller will find someone else who will. The selling agent then must show homes that are market-ready alongside those that are overpriced or outdated. It would be nice if all sellers would take the word of their agents, but that's not the case.

Many agents don't feel helping the listing agent convince the seller to lower a price or update a home is their job. Rio Rancho, New Mexico agent Mark Warren works as either a buyer's agent or a seller's agent. When he puts on his buyer's agent hat, he wonders, "Is the listing agent not being honest with the seller about the green shag rug? The pet smell? The unmade bed? The dirty kitchen? The price/value in the market?"

But if the seller refused to change the conditions before putting the home on the market, why would s/he accept another agent's word after it is listed? Because of the accompanying sounds of the buyer's footsteps walking - away from the listing.

Sometimes the listing agent needs feedback as reinforcement with the seller to get the seller to be more reasonable. And this can be an advantage to the buyer, but only if s/he is interested in buying the home.

"When I am the listing agent, it does make my job easier when I can tell the seller that four other agents have shown your home and they all said the kitchen was dated, the carpet needed to be replaced, the "house pet" odor was strong, ect," says Warren. "I do know that sometimes the sellers do need to hear the opinions of other professionals. But it seems to me this would be better to do that after the buyer has been through and gone on to the next one that is staged and priced right."

"Then, if a buyer said to their agent, "I really like this home but I don't like the green shag rug or the blue paint in the bedroom.... That is when the buyer's agent should write up an offer with the seller to either correct the concern of the buyer or adjust the price to compensate."

"Let the seller decide what to do," advises Warren.

Feedback can help everyone in the home transaction:

• The buyer helps to clarify his/her search perimeters. S/he knows more definitely what s/he is willing to do, and is that much closer to finding the right home.
• The selling agent knows better what the buyer wants, and chances of finding the right home improve. The selling agent can initiate a dialog with feedback between the buyer and the seller.
• The listing agent has a reinforcement from the marketplace that can be used to encourage the seller to either fix the problems or adjust the price accordingly. The listing agent can call the buyer's agent when s/he gets a listing that is more suitable, or when the seller has made the changes to make the home more attractive to the buyer.
• The seller has the opportunity of making the changes and making the sale. Feedback provides a second chance, if the seller is willing to take it.

At the very least, feedback is a courtesy. After all, overpriced or not, the seller has just allowed strangers to enter and tour his/her private home. A response is the least a selling agent can do. At the most, feedback can open the dialog to closing the deal. By providing feedback, the selling agent is saying, "We're not gone yet. The ball's in your court." The selling agent can say, "Make an offer. We'll work on it." Sometimes seeing an offer in black and white can be convincing to the most stubborn seller.

Either way, the selling agent and the listing agent will find out how serious the buyer is about buying and the seller is about selling.

Published: July 23, 1999

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