And, She's Back

I got a call from Inga yesterday. Last summer she and her husband had been talking with me about selling their home. They are past clients, but frankly Inga was a bit of a hard pill to swallow when it came to our working relationship. During our courtship last summer, Inga e-mailed me and told me they hired another agent and not to contact them again.

So I didn't. I did however write about their experience as I saw it. You can view the MLS (bad) photos here and see the outcome here if you would like. The pictures alone struck me as doom from the beginning. But then again, the home was overpriced and the listing stated there was no lockbox, making it difficult for buyers to see. So, there's that.

Anyway, Inga called me yesterday. Guess what! She is thinking about selling her home. Would I help her? Her first option was a family friend who has some sort of ponzi scheme he wants her to be involved in. She asked what I thought of it. I pointed out the extreme liability to Inga and her husband if they went this direction. I (hopefully) tactfully explained that there are ways this can work, but for the most part, those who get involved in this type of sale tend to be folks who are less sophisticated sellers and are unsure of real estate law. That's what the buyers are looking for. What he was offering wasn't illegal, but sleazy and could backfire and cause her a lot of headache. I cautioned her to proceed very carefully and discuss this with an attorney. However, if this guy really wanted to buy the place, tell him to get a mortgage and I would write up the paperwork.

Her second option was to just outright sell the place and be done. I told her what I thought it was worth (based on the last time I looked --which was last June). I asked her about her last sale and how it went with the agent. And by the way, did the agent have a professional photographer come in and take pictures? "You can do that?" She asked. Anyway, she told me it did not go well. The agent bad-mouthed the property to a potential buyer in front of Inga. She did a few other questionable things too. Now please keep in mind, I know Inga. I have worked with her before. If asked, the agent probably had a few things to say as well.

Inga said, and I so wish I had recorded this, "I regretted not using you right away." Nice words, but given the house was over priced and there were several restrictions to view the property, I am guessing it is best I wasn't the agent. Let the sellers cut their teeth on another agent first.

Later today I am going to send Inga a market analysis on her property. If she can't get Mr. Ponzi to buy it, she is talking about listing it. If she lists it with me, there will have to be a few ground rules set in place. Because I am not hanging my sign in her yard to announce to the world I overprice homes.