Artfully Sloughing Off Seller Requests for Feedback —
or, “Minnesota Nice — Realtor Version”
The Realtor equivalent of “How are you?” or “Have a nice day!” is telling would-be home Sellers (and their agents) that their client is “just starting to look.”
While that may occasionally be true, more often it’s code for one (or more) of the following:
–“They didn’t like it.”
–“I don’t have the time or inclination to give you real feedback.”
–“The Buyer may actually be considering the home — but in the meantime, neither them nor I want to be bugged, engage with you in a lot of back-and-forth regarding objections, etc.”
Deciphering Realtor Code
As an agent who spends half their time with Buyers (and is habitually overwhelmed by Seller feedback forms this time of year) . . . I certainly get it.
Which is why I tell my selling clients: ‘the only feedback I really care about is a strong offer from a financially well-qualified Buyer.”
See, “The Best Kind of Showing Feedback”; “The Positive Uses of Buyer Feedback“; “Buyer Feedback: ‘Win, Place, or Show”; “Customized’ Buyer Feedback Forms“; and “Complete Showing Feedback Form, Get Miles??”
And also: “Knowing When to Flush Negative Feedback”; “Showing Feedback: Outlier or Mainstream?“; and “The “My-Client-Didn’t-Like-It-Stop-Bugging-Me’ Showing Feedback.”
