Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: experience with broker for real estate

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

This could be subtitled, The Hazards of a Free Market System.

At RoseWind, over the years, all of our initial sales, and most of our 
resales, have been done directly by us. We have found ourselves dealing 
with realtors, on resales, four times.
 
1) Elderly single died. Her estate/family had no affection for cohousing 
and locked the house, refused to return our calls offering to find buyers 
at a price of their choice, no commmission. Months later, a realty sign 
popped up overnight, at a below-market price. I called the realtor at 8 
am and he fended me off, regarding giving him info about RoseWind. By the 
end of the day, it had sold.
2) Same house, a few years later. Buyer hadn't sought community, nor 
enjoyed it. Resold, with a desire to shield buyers from info about 
RoseWind, which obviously the seller did not think was a selling point. 
Used a realtor who just wanted to get it sold. (We lucked out that time 
and the buyer has come to enjoy the community and participate.)
3) A couple who wanted to live elsewhere hired that same realtor for 
their house. The sellers were more gracious to RW, but in truth, they 
were "out of here" and were glad to have money in hand without taking 
forever to sell. Actually, they took it off the market, off season, 
rented it to a local, who then bought it. (but hasn't participated much 
at all).
4) Positive-minded seller, who was not in a hurry for money, chose a 
realtor and explained to her that we'd do the orienting of interested 
viewers, and we'd even get part of the commission if the buyer came from 
our contacts, not hers, initially. As happened.
Yet, because the house was "listed", there was anxiety as a stream of 
buyer/viewers came through, most with little interest in community.  

Moral of this story? Brokers work for commission and want to close the 
case and move on. Those selling are apt to include those community 
members least enamored of community. Dangerous pairing. 

I'm wanting to put together an attractive file on the community to donate 
to each of the local realty offices for their central files: with our 
documents, photos, PR prose. That way at least there's a chance that if a 
property is listed, an agent will make that available to inquirers.