Philadelphia Short Sales - Welcome to the Real World !
We are fortunate in Philadelphia that a relatively small percentage of our sales are made up of distress properties - bank owned properties and short sales. Many Realtors in their Philadelphia careers will never be a part of a distress property sale, which is okay. Others make it their livelihood. With us, we are not exclusvely short sales agents, but we are short sale specialists as we recognize the need for sellers and consumers to have an agent that is proficient in the process, and even more so in Philadelphia since there are not too many Philadelphia short sale properties -- thus not many agents that are short sale experts.
In any event, after listing a short sale condo in Center City, I got a phone call yesterday from a top producing agent 
blasting me about my lack of professionalism in regards to the photos that were taken on the property. "Have you seen the photos ?" she asked over and over.
What was worse is how my professionalism was questioned as a Realtor and was basically labeled as a bottom-feeder for being so awful. She was flabbergasted in how I would not get the place more cleaned up and so forth.
I was really taken aback by this phone call. She does not know any of the history with this property or the distress situation of the owners. Without going into all the details, the place looks ten times better now than it did two months ago !! We took 25 photos of the property and have many nice photos of the exterior and the common area. We spent an hour inside the unit moving around trash and cleaning off counter tops doing the best we could with what he had that day. We did not have time to wait to get this property on the market due to the distress situation as it needed to go on the market immediately.
Besides, if we have a fluff description and only took pretty photos of the one or two spots of the condo we may be able to find, I know what would happen. The agents would yell at us when they got there saying why did you waste our time with this faulty description and misleading listing ? We are being honest with this listing. It is in distress and in complete need of repair and updating and thus, priced accordingly.
As an agent or a consumer, what would you rather see ? The truth and honesty ? Or fluff and misleading statements and well picked photos of the unit ?
I am thinking that this agent is perhaps living in a bubble of only selling million dollar condos where every listing is picture perfect which is a great world to live in. We have some of those listings, too. But there is also the real world... the real world of bank owned, reo properties and short sale properties.
My suggestion is to get used to it.... even in Philadelphia.
Welcome to the Real World !
What do you think ?
Oh yes, to really answer that question, for those R-rated property photos and a full opinion, we want your honesty, please click on the link below:
http://www.thesomersteam.com/logansq/2301cherry_3j/gallery.php
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PHILADELPHIA SHORT SALE SPECIALISTS
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Luckily most agents will prepare clients for bank owned properties but when when you get a direct call from a buyer like this, you do have to explain why the place looks the way it looks. You are right, this is the real world, no fluff, take it or leave it!
On more than one occassion my buyers and I have been lured to a property by puffery. When we arrive we find a smelly stinky mess, mold or other things that if disclosed up front would have kept us away. I say be upfront and tell it like it is. If the home needs work say so, if it needs a good cleaning say so. Then my buyers and I can decide if we want to see it anyway due to location or price. The call was out of line.
Terrie - Yes, both agents and buyers can have the information up front. In this case, the call was from an agent, not a buyer. If it is so bad it will be interesting to see if we get other calls from other agents. I am still a bit surprised why this agent went out of her way to play phone tag with me and lay into my lack of professionalism. It was a complete waste of time on both her end and on mine.
Cindy - I agree with you. That has happened to me on many times as well and you question what the heck ??? This is not what it says in the listing ?? And both you and the buyer are a little upset that you went out of your way to show the property. I agree with being upfront, especially with a distress property ! It is what it is !