Realtors Must Stop “Playing Dumb” on School Quality

Ask the average guy on the street about the quality of schools in the District of Columbia, and he’ll tell you that it’s not too good.

Ask the President of the United States about whether the quality of D.C. schools is comparable to those of certain private schools and (on the Today Show and reported in the Washington Post) he’ll say:

“I’ll be blunt with you: The answer is no, right now,” Obama said. D.C. public schools “are struggling,” he said, but they “have made some important strides over the last several years to move in the direction of reform. There are some terrific individual schools in the D.C. system.”

Ask a Realtor about public schools in D.C. or elsewhere, and you’ll hear: “Well, umm. I really can’t say. I’m not permitted to say. So I really can’t help you. Sorry. But I encourage you to check online. And talk to some parents of kids who go to the school. Try calling the PTA. Or talk to the school principal.”

What?!?!?!

I acknowledge that a school that’s great for some kids may be terrible for others. I’ve written about that before from personal experience. My son attended an elementary school with a great reputation. But it was absolutely a horrible experience for him. And I’m not picking on D.C. schools. There are plenty of other examples, good and bad, out there. So it’s true that you can’t accurately sum up an entire school with a grade of “A” or “F.”

Still, there’s a growing focus on the quality of education in the United States, and how it compares to that in other countries. There’s the movie Waiting for Superman, which is attracting a huge amount of interest and focusing laster-like attention on our educational system.

Ignoring realities doesn’t help buyers. Refusing to share expertise and perspective on quality of school doesn’t help buyers. From the Preamble to the Realtor Code of Ethics:

Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. . . .They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment. Such interests impose obligations beyond those of ordinary commerce. They impose grave social responsibility and a patriotic duty to which REALTORS^® should dedicate themselves.

Are these goals–creation of adequate housing, development of productive industries, preservation of a healthful environment–possible if, in our professional roles, we deliberately ignore educational successes and failures? If we ignore reality? If we deliberately withhold information from clients and customers?

I think not.

How To Sell A Home Cost-Efficiently

I recently answered an online question regarding methods to sell a house cost-efficiently. I thought I’d share those thoughts here.

First, a lot of the discussion revolved around whether a seller should opt for “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO) or should list with a Realtor. Both sides quote statistics: Realtors will argue that on average they can sell a house for x% (usually around 15%) more than a FSBO can. And they’ll point out that around 85% of houses that start off as FSBOs end up getting listed with a Realtor. On the other hand, proponents of FSBOs argue that most of the services offered by Realtors can be purchased a la carte, with the total adding up to far less than the commission some agents might charge.

A final note on the point of Realtor commission: Commissions are negotiable. An agent might choose not to lower his/her commission. That’s part of the negotiating process. But commission rates are not “set” — they’re not set by any group of Realtors, or by the state, or by federal law.

So it’s not just adding up the Realtor commission on one side, then adding up your a la carte costs on the other. Further, some people just don’t have the organizational structure to sell a home on their own. Some people are left-brained, some right-brained. Some thrive in structured environments; some are free spirits. So, even when all other factors may be equal, the seller’s personality, organization, and mind-set are important elements.

Further, even if you do it all yourself, what’s your time worth? You’ve got to factor that in.

So, I don’t think there’s a blanket answer as to whether a Realtor or going FSBO is a better choice from a cost-efficiency standpoint.

However, setting aside for a moment the debate about Realtor vs. FSBO, keep the following points in mind:

Price it right. It can be priced right even as a FSBO, and it can be priced wrong even using a Realtor. Now, while there’s no one “right” price, you probably want a balance between price and anticipated time on market. That’s especially true if the house is sitting there empty. Price it too low, and you’re leaving money on the table. Price it too high, and it probably will take longer to sell, if it ever does sell. So look for maximum efficiency regarding your price.

Second, regardless of FSBO or Realtor, it needs to be marketed. Most marketing costs some money–web sites, direct mail, signage, listing on the MLS (even if you’re a FSBO)–but it’s necessary. And that makes it cost-effective. It doesn’t help to “save” a couple thousand dollars on marketing if that marketing budget would have sold your house.

Third, consider home staging, either using a professional (highly recommended) or doing it yourself, but being absolutely ruthless. As with marketing, home staging can cost several thousand dollars or more (or as few as a few hundred, for a walk-through and report from a home stager on things you can do yourself). In today’s market, home staging may not bring you much more in the way of an offer. But it can be the difference in getting offers and not getting offers. And speaking of cost effective, home stagers like to point out (correctly) that even a full home staging is going to cost far less than the first listing price markdown you do.

There’s no point in spending more money than you have to in selling a home. But sometimes you may have to spend a bit more in order to sell more quickly, or for the best price.