Chores

Every year I send out neighborhood comps to most of my past clients. There are a few who don't receive them. Some clients don't want them and have told me not to bother. They say they will call me when they want to move. Some I never want to represent again. Some have homes shaped like Noah's Ark or the EPCOT Ball and are in custom neighborhoods so unless they are moving, sending them comparable homes would be setting their expectations too high.

I don't know of many agents who do this. It is painstakingly tedious, especially because I want to get the numbers as close to accurate as possible. Additionally, I have been an agent for 16 years, so I have a few past clients.

Before Zillow thought they knew everything (really, they don't), comps were much simpler. Now, no matter what I send, I get at least one person telling me I am wrong, because they checked on the Internet and the house next door sold for $173,815 more than what I think their home is worth. Of course, the Internet's data was from 2005, but whatever.

In some ways, it is kind of fun to do this. I like going back and thinking of what it was like for the client when they found their house. The look on their face, whether they had bought 10 homes in the past or this was their first, is always the same: Christmas came early and they got the best present ever. I like that look, it is the fuel that keeps me going when I am dealing with the crazy folks, the unkind people or Zillow.