We brokers advertise with e-fliers. What happens is that a flyer anouncing a new listing, a price change, or whatever goes out to a selected list og every broker in Portland Metro. I have used them on occasion just to try to create some noise. Some brokers use them for EVERY price change and EVERY new listing. The effect of this, of course, is to advertise the broker, not the property, but that’s another story.
Today, I received an e-flier advertising a price reduction. The copy said, “Relocation forces sale of this Bethany beauty.” That sentence offended me.
Why? Because a broker should never discuss a client’s motivation. It’s just not germaine. In the instance cited above, why not just say, “My client is under pressure to sell, they’ve lowered the price but offer less than that.” Would you like it if your lawyer, in a lawsuit, told the other side that his client was running out of money and is anxious to settle?
Now, to be fair to this broker, perhaps she discussed it with her client. Maybe the client ianxious and told the broker to get some urgency into the copy in order to generate an offer. I have no way of knowing.
But I do know that other brokers ask me constantly about my clients personal business. One even called and asked if my client had made selling cost concessions on a closed sale! Honesly, I get sick of it, and these people need to (a) get a grip, and (b) appreciate what client loyalty–and fiduciary–means.
