Michelle Rizzo-Re/Max Welcome Home

There is one thing a seller can say to me that immediately makes me nervous.

It is when I hear hesitation about telling the truth.

“Do we really have to tell them about that?”

Yes.

If you were buying the house, would you want to know?

That is the question I ask myself.

Houses are not perfect. Older houses especially are going to have things that need attention. Basements can have water. Roofs get old. Systems need maintenance.

That does not automatically make a house a bad house.

But it does mean we need to be upfront about what we know.

I have seen situations where a seller says there has never been water in the basement, and later the buyer discovers evidence that there has been.

I have seen buyers get all the way through inspections and financing, only to have an insurance issue come up because the property had previous claims.

That is not where you want to discover the truth.

I would much rather deal with an issue honestly at the beginning than have it become a problem at the end of the transaction.

And there is another side to this.

Buyers need to understand that when they buy a home, they are not buying a maintenance-free product.

Homeownership means maintaining a house.

So my rule is simple.

Be honest.

Disclose what needs to be disclosed.

And do not start a business relationship with a lie.

If I could make one rule that every Realtor had to follow, it would be simple.

Treat people the way you want to be treated.

That sounds basic, but I think it has gotten lost in our industry.

One thing that bothers me in particular is when an agent receives a commission and then offers another agent less than half of that commission for representing the buyer.

I understand that the industry has changed. I understand there have been lawsuits and changes in how compensation is handled.

But my philosophy has not changed.

For more than 40 years, I have believed in treating the other agent fairly.

I have always shared half of my commission with the buyer’s agent, and I do not add an MLS fee because there is no MLS fee.

Why?

Because sometimes I am the listing agent and sometimes I am on the other side.

You show that buyer 25 houses. You write four offers. You spend hours working with them.

That work has value.

I do not believe in looking at every transaction as an opportunity to squeeze a little more money out of the other person.

I believe real estate works best when the people involved respect one another and understand that there are two clients in the transaction who both deserve good representation.

For me, it really comes back to one question.

How would I want to be treated if I were on the other side?

That is the standard I try to follow.

When a buyer starts making unrealistic demands during negotiations, I do not believe the seller should simply sit there and take it.

One of the most important things I want to have is leverage.

That is why I like backup offers.

Let’s say you had five offers on your house and accepted one. Then the buyer starts using the inspection process to negotiate over every little thing.

Meanwhile, the other buyers may have already moved on.

So I want to move quickly.

I want the inspections done. I want to understand what is happening. And if I see that a buyer is becoming unreasonable, I may start calling the other interested buyers.

Are your people still interested?

That changes the conversation.

I have had situations where a buyer suddenly asks for a very large credit, and I know it is not reasonable. I am not interested in wasting two or three more days going back and forth just because someone thinks the seller is stuck.

My seller owns a house.

The buyer needs a house.

Both sides have something at stake.

Time kills deals. I have said that for years.

My job is to keep things moving while protecting my seller.

I do not want to lose a good buyer over something reasonable.

But I also will not let my seller get pushed around simply because the buyer thinks there are no other options.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is homeowners thinking their house is ready to go on the market when it really is not.

And I understand it.

You live there. You know the house. You have gotten used to the little things that may need attention.

That is exactly why I like to come in early.

Sometimes a seller will tell me, “Let me get everything ready first, and then I will have you over.”

I always say, “No. Have me over now.”

Why spend your time fixing things that are not going to make a meaningful difference?

Why spend money in the wrong places?

I would rather help you decide what matters before you start doing the work.

Sometimes it is something very simple, like a storm door that is falling off the hinges. That is one of the first things a buyer sees when they walk up to your house.

Sometimes it is a small leak under the sink, a loose toilet, or a missing roof shingle.

I have even had sellers do a pre-inspection so they can identify issues before a buyer does.

My philosophy has always been to be proactive instead of reactive.

You do not need a perfect house.

You need a house that has been prepared thoughtfully and honestly.

That preparation can save you time, money and a lot of stress once you are under contract.

One of the best ways I believe you can build a real estate business is by building good relationships and doing good work for people without immediately asking, “What do I get in return?”

For example, if I refer a painter to one of my clients, I do not expect that painter to send me something back.

I want my client to get a good price.

I want the painter to show up.

I want the work done properly.

And if my client calls me afterward and says, “Thank you for sending that person. They did a wonderful job,” that is enough for me.

But here is what happens when you consistently do the right thing.

That painter may get five or six jobs from people you referred.

Eventually, that painter is going to be standing in someone’s house giving them an estimate, and that homeowner may say, “We are thinking about selling.”

Who do you think that painter is likely to recommend?

That is how relationships build a business.

Not by keeping score on every individual transaction.

Not by expecting something every time you help someone.

You do a good job. You connect good people with good people. You become someone others trust.

And over time, those relationships come back around.

I have always believed that if you do the right thing consistently, you will have more than enough business.

When I say everything becomes my job, I mean everything.

Putting a sign in the yard and putting a property into the MLS is the bare minimum.

A big part of my job actually starts before the house ever hits the market.

I spend a lot of time helping sellers prepare their homes properly. Sometimes that means bringing in a stager. Sometimes it means making repairs. Sometimes it means moving furniture, opening up windows, taking down personal items, or simply helping the homeowner see the house differently.

If there is a beautiful backyard, I want buyers to see it.

If there is a great kitchen window, I do not want it covered by closed blinds.

Preparation affects the photography. Photography affects the marketing. Marketing affects who sees the property.

And then, once you have a buyer, the work is far from over.

There are inspections, appraisals, certificates of occupancy, title issues, attorneys, permits, repairs and all the little surprises that can appear along the way.

I have people I can call for almost everything because I have spent years building those relationships.

That is part of my job too.

Every transaction is different. You never know what is going to come up.

But when something does, I want my seller to be able to look at me and know I have a plan.

When someone tells me, “My cousin can sell my house,” my first thought is not to argue with them.

Family is family.

I usually ask who the cousin is. What office do they belong to? Do I know them? Have I worked with them before?

Because ultimately, I want to get to the appointment and have a real conversation about what is best for the homeowner.

Selling a house is a big responsibility. For most people, it is one of the most valuable things they will ever own.

And honestly, some of my worst transactions have involved relatives.

Not because the relative was necessarily a bad agent, but because family changes the relationship. People sometimes do not listen to a relative the same way they listen to someone they hired specifically for their expertise.

And then you have another question to consider.

What happens if something goes wrong?

Are you willing to risk damaging a family relationship over a real estate transaction?

You are going to pay for the service either way. So I think it is reasonable to ask who is going to protect your interests, manage the details, negotiate properly, and get you from the beginning of the transaction all the way to the closing table.

This is not just putting a sign in the yard.

There is a lot more involved.