Short Sale Sellers — Know your short sale agent!!

Short sale sellers – Know about your short sale agent!!

I was at a networking mixer this week and had the opportunity to meet quite a few local Phoenix/Scottsdale business men & women in all walks of life. One encounter I had another real estate agent was quite interesting and thought I would share.

I was introduced to a real estate agent and before I could tell them that I too was in real estate he blurted out “I’m a short sale expert and I specialize in short selling people’s homes. Know anyone upside down in their property?” Wow, my name is Sean and it’s nice to meet you too!!

I thought i’d have a bit of fun and learn a bit about my “competition” so I told him “Yes, I know someone upside down in a property. What is it exactly that you do?”

The next 8 minutes seemed like 8 hours as I was subject to an onslaught of misadvice, miscalculations, and misinformation. When I asked how many listings he had he told me 3 but ALL of them were short sales. When I asked how many short sales he had closed he told me that ALL of his listings were closing soon and he hasn’t lost a deal yet!!

When I asked about his experience he touted that he had some letters after his name which made him a expert. (note: I am not going to name the short sale class that he attended as I have nothing against this particular short sale seminar…however simply attending a short sale workshop or class certainly doesn’t make someone a short sale expert and I certainly wouldn’t go for brain surgery from a guy just because he went to a weekend brain surgery retreat up in Flagstaff….)

I wasn’t even about to get into lender specific questions because obviously this genius had no idea who I was, how many short sale deals I deal with on a daily basis, nor how many deals I have successfully closed. It was pretty obvious that this “short sale expert” was nothing more than another overly anxious local agent wanting to join the short sale world.

Unfortunately without experience, a short sale mentor, or an unsuspecting group of clients I can’t see this guy getting very far in the vastly difficult short sale arena that makes up 1/3 of the Phoenix/Scottsdale real estate market. Hopefully he doesn’t spill his pile of beans on some poor client out there that really needs help.

My point is this — If you are looking to short sell your home, go with someone with experience, daily workings in the short sale world, and someone that can answer your questions and direct you to the right places.

If you are an agent and you’d like to work in short sales, please find another local short sale agent to work with that has experience and knows what they are doing and work with them for some transactions.

It’s not only what’s best for you but definitely what’s best for the client.

Related posts:

1. Questions to ask your short sale agent
2. Short Sale Agent — What to look for..
3. Short Sale Realtors
4. Short Sale Agent – How can they help?
5. Arizona’s Best Short Sale Agent