Lately, more than ever, I have been getting calls from agents who are all asking the same question and, that is, “are you working any offers on 666 Money Pitt Lane”
Well, before I tell you my typical response, I would like to share some insight and see if you agree.
Per Realtor.com,
“An agent is bound by certain legal obligations. Traditionally, these common-law obligations are to: Put the client's interests above anyone else's; Keep the client's information confidential; Obey the client's lawful instructions; Report to the client anything that would be useful; and Account to the client for any money involved.”
So, here are my questions.
1. Is it in your clients interest to reveal to other agents that you are or are not working other offers?
My argument is NO, it is not in your client’s interest to reveal that you are or are not working other offers.
Simply put, when answering the question, you don’t know the motivation behind the person who asked it. We can get into a bunch of “what if” questions but, ultimately if by answering the question the agent decides not to show the home or not put in an offer then, you just hurt your own client. Ultimately my job is to get as much for my client as possible in the shortest amount of time and that means, getting as many offers in the door as possible. I could be wrong but, I suspect that the main reason Realtors ask this question is because they want to avoid being in a multiple offer situation or they want to be in better negotiating position. I guess that’s all fine and good but, it’s not my job to make that so for another agent and their buyer.
Now, let’s flip the script a little here.
Do you think my argument is valid for bank owned properties? What about Fannie Mae properties? HUD properties?
I won’t answer that question for you, I would love to get your responses.
