BEWARE of the Real Estate Postcard ! #FactCheck
by Steve Martin Smith
This is just one example of how misleading ( yet legal ) advertising can be. This blog is meant to inspire you to ask questions that could draw out the facts about a REALTOR you may be considering. You should be able to trust your REALTOR to be experienced in your local area. Asking the right questions can help you eliminate those who are not experienced, but are hoping that you won't find out. People who interview me learn much about the interviewing process.
The picture above is of an authentic post card that I received in my Venice mailbox.
I’ve created this Public Service Announcement for educational purposes only.
The face, name, phone number and brokerage has been blocked out.
What you see here is a common
practice in real estate marketing
that the general public
should be aware of.
Do not assume that the properties listed on these post cards were listed or sold by the agent that sent the post cards to your mailbox. In this case, the agent on this postcard had nothing to do with any of the homes listed. I know, because I checked the MLS to find out.
Many would believe that this agent is a local expert due to the appearance of these sold properties being listed on his postcard.
A Seller's Horror Story...
Earlier this year an elderly couple with a serious health condition hired an agent off one of these postcards to sell their home in Venice East. They believed him to be a local expert because of the information on the postcard. The sellers later expressed to us that this agent turned out to be a great disappointment. Once the husband fired the agent and hired us, I looked into the situation. It turns out that the previous agent had NEVER sold a property in Venice, yet led the homeowners to believe otherwise. He had under priced their property and quickly got it under contract with one of HIS buyers. Ten days later - the buyers backed out of the very buyer friendly contract and received their deposit back in full. The agent did not tell the sellers of this until two days later when the seller called the agent to find out why someone told him that his property was back on the market.
All REALTORS are NOT equally qualified !!!
A REALTOR’S job is to protect the public. Hire one you trust to protect YOU!
Steve Martin Smith is a Top 1% REALTOR who specializes in Residential New Construction and Resale in Sarasota County, including Venice and The West Villages.
SteveMartinHomes.com is the GO-TO Real Estate site for Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee Counties.