When we decided to sell our home in College Place, we selected a realtor from this office to represent us in our sale. His bio stated, "respectful and honest", and since he had been in the community and a member of the local church for some time, we had no reason to believe otherwise. Honesty was important, as we live several hours away and are not in the area very often. We had several conversations regarding the property, stating clearly that we needed several things from our realtor. First, if the home did not sell during the summer we would remove it from the market and place it on the rental market (it's not fair to rent something that you have up for sale), Second, that he would update me weekly on the progress and showings, Third, that he would notify me prior to any showings, and Fourth, that he would market it appropriately.
Not one of those stipulations were met. I NEVER received communication from the realtor unless I initiated it first. He NEVER notified me of showings, I only heard of them after I would call and bug him about what kind of activity was going on. He never photographed the place, using only some poor quality, old photos from a rental listing site, even though I specifically had the home professionally cleaned prior to the date he said he was going to take photos. I asked him to send me the listing link - NEVER received it. Googling the address, the only listing I could find is a poorly written one with awful photos on ONLY his company website.
Three months into the listing, with zero activity or offers, I told him I was going to end the listing and find property management to lease the home. I was told that the contract could not end prior to six months without his consent. Even though I had been specific about wanting to list the home as a rental if it did not sell quickly, he slipped a clause into my contract that stipulated a minimum of 6 months listing, and if I choose to make any legal effort to exit the contract I will be responsible for both sides of legal bills.
In my 30 years of real estate dealings, I have always been lucky to find realtors who listen and represent their client with "respect and honesty". Unless real estate contract law is your specialty, do not sign any contracts with Coldwell Banker First in Walla Walla. They are sly and unprofessional, and do not have their client's best interest in mind. So thankful I'm the seller and not a buyer with money to lose. Avoid at all cost. read more