Why Hand Online Cranks a Megaphone??
“In the architecture of online media, comment sections are the septic tanks.”
–“Still Kickin”; Mpls St. Paul Magazine (April 2016)
I don’t know about other agents, but there’s not much doubt in my mind about whether or not to allow online consumer comments for a listing.
In case it’s unclear, the correct answer is “No” (make that, “hell, No!”).
Good vs. Bad Feedback
That’s because people who really, really like a home don’t go online to gush or otherwise leave flattering comments.
They make an offer.
Meanwhile, the folks who don’t like the home — and have the time and motivation to go online to publicize that fact — aren’t exactly people you want to hand a megaphone to (they may not even be in the market for a home, giving them even less credibility).
Or as I like to tell clients, “the only feedback I really care about is a full-price offer from a well-qualified Buyer.”
See also, “Showing Feedback: Looking for ‘The Glass Slipper’“; “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: “Knowing When to Flush Negative Feedback”; “Showing Feedback: Outlier or Mainstream?“; and “The “My-Client-Didn’t-Like-It-Stop-Bugging-Me’ Showing Feedback.”
Thank you for allowing me to enter your site’s septic tank.
The main value of comment sections on the web is to give consumers access to opinions that are not filtered by sellers.
Do you access consumer comment sections before you purchase a product or service? I suspect that you do. If you don’t, I’d wager to say that you are in a small minority.
When I shop for an electric toothbrush, I trust the comments of purchasers over the advertising copy on the packaging. Likewise, I would find the comments of folks who have walked through a home more valuable than the rose-colored descriptions of a home seller’s realtor.
While a comment might be useful occasionally, I think a house is something too personal for that kind of feedback. That’s why there are agents in the first place, so that it stays professional and doesn’t get personal. But I suppose it would be interesting to see what happens if a site decides to do this.