Spring buying season is in full swing, so last weekend I was showing properties to clients looking at homes in Bethesda and Potomac, Maryland.

These buyers were laser focused on finding a home, and had selected five listings to tour that weekend.

Four of the homes were brand new to the market and presented by seasoned agents who properly prepared their listings for showings. But the 5th property was another story entirely.

It was listed by a discount broker (one who charges a reduced commission in exchange for reduced services) whom I shall not name publicly. This discount broker touts how much they save sellers on listing fees, but in reality they will list just about any property at any price with little to no guidance on properly preparing the listing for the market or pricing it correctly (see also, the importance of determining your home’s market value). This particular listing was no different.

The first sign that something was amiss was the Days On Market (DOM) for the listing. Right now, most listings are selling in a week or two. So, 70 days on market is a flag. But we decided to see it anyway and this is what we found:

1. A yard and walkway full of wet leaves left over from the fall (mind you we were touring in mid-February) and cobwebs in the entryway. The house looked and felt unwelcoming and abandoned.
2. Mixed-matched flooring in the living room that made it clear that there had once been a water issue, and the flooring needed to be replaced. This isn’t a huge issue itself, but when matching flooring could not be found, they just installed any color they could find. This made us question what other repairs were made on the cheap that we could not see.
3. A dated kitchen – not a deal breaker, but with a slew of easy repairs that had NOT been made.  Cabinet doors needed to be tightened so they line up evenly (or close), etc. This further reinforced the idea that this home was not particularly well cared for.
4. Signs everywhere that the house was not cleaned well when it was vacated and had likely not been cleaned since, including this dirty tray in the refrigerator ice and water dispenser.
5. Mixed-matched light bulbs in light fixtures with an off-putting glow that bathed the room in an awkward light.
6. Cable wires sloppily running from the cable outlet to where the TV used to be.
7. Chirping smoke detectors that beeped seemingly every minute, reminding us that the no one had been there to check on the house for a while. And if they had? They just didn’t bother to replace the batteries.

With so many off-putting signs that the house was not well cared for, these buyers quickly moved on and focused on other properties.

In fact, they went on to make an offer on one of the other listings and beat out 6 other buyers. 3 of the 5 listings we toured that weekend were under contact by Tuesday morning (with the 4th likely by mid-week).

The only one that isn’t? The discount broker’s listing. A “discount” on the brokerage fee ends up costing this seller heavily in the long run, because their property wasn’t presented in selling condition or marketed properly. It was merely dropped into the MLS and then quickly abandoned.

The bottom line? Who you hire to sell your property matters. Preparing a listing for the market correctly matters. Timing matters. Maintaining and checking on a listing while it is on the market matters. Pricing matters. Work with an agent who has a proven track record of getting all of these factors right from the beginning, so a “discount broker” doesn’t end up costing your dearly.

The Stokes Group is a team of dedicated professionals who have passion for the real estate business and will advocate for our clients with the utmost honesty, integrity, and confidentiality. We believe in building solid relationships with our clients and that starts by getting to know who we are. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.