Long Beach Real Estate-Long Beach Condos

Selling YOUR Long Beach Homes

Did YOU Read YOUR Contract?

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If you want to sell your Long Beach Homes, you have to make them easily available to be shown. If Realtors® encounter a difficult time showing your homes, they will pass on them. The Long Beach Real Estate Market is flooded with inventory right now; they will just move on to show the next available homes for sale.

Recently a new buyer called to see a few foreclosure and short sale homes, along with several other homes in the Wrigley neighborhood of Long Beach. One of the homes was not in the SoCalMLS, which was very odd.

A Google search of the address led to one of the generic online sites. The home had been on the market for 150 days, about 5 months with no local MLS presence. A link on the site led to an - out of area agent' who informed me that he had put the home on the MLS in his own area and didn't seem to care very much. No Long Beach Realtor® is going to find this Long Beach listing on the local SoCalMLS!

He also promised to email the MLS from his area, he didn't. The MLS listing was acquired through other resources; it did not include the contact information for the sellers, yet indicated call first-go direct, which meant yet another call to the listing agent to get the sellers phone number. It's really not supposed to be this cumbersome.

The buyer had called the listing agent from the sign several days before and was told he must come to the listing agent's office and start his loan application with them before seeing the property. The agent went on to inform the buyer that he would be expected to use their services if he decided to purchase the home. This is not an exclusive listing agreement; the buyer can use any agent he wants and get his loan anywhere he likes. The buyer unimpressed by the demands, passed on the agent/lender services choosing other representation, and rightfully so. These are not normal business practices.

The real kick in the pants here is that the agent did not violate the listing contract. 'Hiding' a listing in another MLS system with the hope of finding a buyer through either the for sale sign or an ad themselves - in order to earn the commission on both sides, is sleazy. With so few qualified buyers on the market this method of doing business is unconscionable. Sellers are owed every possible opportunity to sell their property. There is no guarantee that the listing agent will be able to find a buyer; taking away any opportunity to sell a home is unthinkable.

The real problem here is the ambiguous language in the listing contract. The standard California Association of Realtors® (CAR) listing agreement states in paragraph 4.F.6. "Listing will be provided to the MLS of Broker's selection unless a form instructing Broker to withhold the listing from the MLS is attached to this listing Agreement".

Did the agent act in the best interest of his client - the seller? Absolutely not! He also didn't break any actual rules or contractual obligations. Sellers listing with out of area agents should know that these agents, usually do not possess membership to the local board of Realtors® and MLS. They can, however, submit your listing to multiple boards (other MLS's) for a very minimal fee, usually around $25, not exactly going to break the bank. This is what most reputable agents do. That this agent did not place this listing on the local MLS for this short sale listing is unthinkable. The potential damage to this seller is immeasurable.

As a Realtor® I could argue that this is a great case for a statewide MLS, which not only makes sense but would avoid problems such as this. We Realtors are licensed statewide; we should have full access to all property information, statewide. We should not be limited by the geographic scope of the particular Board we must belong to.

If your Long Beach Home is not listed in the SoCalMLS it is unlikely that Long Beach Realtors will even know that it is for sale. If they don't know it is for sale, how areyou going to get showings? If you don't get showings, how are you going to get sold?

With so few qualified buyers looking most homes are receiving little or no showings at all. Each and every showing is critical to the sale of your home. Be smart sellers; make your Long Beach Homes easily available to be shown. Real Estate is local, hire a Long Beach Realtor®, they have the tools you need to sell your homes, know the Long Beach Communities and how to market your Long Beach Homes.

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