So you had your Phoenix house listed for sale and for whatever reason it didn’t sell. The listing expired, or you decided to rent it, you decided not to move, or for some other random reason the listing was canceled.
BE PREPARED. You might think it is more common to look for new listings, but there’s more to it than that. Listings that didn’t go through turn into a market unto itself. It has been common to observe that tomorrow the calls will start (probably about 7:00am or so) and they’ll keep coming and coming for the next couple days. Hundreds, likely. And you should also prepare your family. Your children, and your parents, and your dog’s previous owner’s cousin’s father-in-law will start getting calls. The agents calling have a polished (or maybe not) script about how your previous REALTOR didn’t get the job done and how they will. They might even have a slick deal to sell your house in so many days or they’ll buy it (have you seen the asterisks on those promises?). They’ll pressure you and tell you that you should go ahead and list with them ASAP.
You should know it’s not your previous REALTOR’s fault. And they can’t do anything about it. It doesn’t matter if your phone number was in the listing or if your REALTOR remembered to remove it. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if they’re calling a REALTOR who had their own house for sale. The agents calling you don’t check the MLS…and frankly they don’t care. They’re purchasing a list of addresses from any number of services who specialize in selling them. And the services will find every phone number that has ever been associated with the home (and then some). And the agents will call. Using auto-dialer systems. The committed ones will knock out 300 calls a day.
“But I’m on the DO NOT CALL LIST.” Bwahahaha…I wish that mattered. Really, I do. I’ve heard many of these agents tout how no REALTOR has ever been fined. And how few businesses have EVER been fined. They know that the DNC list doesn’t have teeth and they’ll take their chances harassing people. Harass 100 people and they’ll get their next deal. Nothing like giving the profession I love a stellar name. {insert sarcasm}
“How do I get REALTORS to STOP calling me?”
You might want to stop answering your phone for a couple of days or switch phone plans. It will just take time. If you’d still like to sell your house, we suggest listing it with someone like one of the Phoenix Real Estate Guy agents. Someone who respects the Do Not Call List and promises not to harass you or your family. If we can help in that endeavor, we’d value the opportunity to earn your business.
As always, if there’s anything I can help with feel free to give me a call at 480.420.4441 or email me at [email protected].