Stupid Pet Tricks

Blonde and dumb, and won’t outshine its Greenwich owner: the official Nantucket dog.

Gideon pointed out that the usual reason for canceling a listing just before it expires, like the Taconic Road property discussed yesterday, is to fend off the onslaught of “hey, I should be your agent” calls and postcards that desperate, novice agents who have no clients send to the owners of houses after a listing has expired.

But that’s just one trick; there are others. Years ago, when I was at Raveis, there was a new agent, old enough to know better, who prowled Greenwich Time obituaries and sent solicitation letters to the surviving spouse before the ink had dried, extending her deep, sincere condolences, and asking if perhaps they were considering moving out of town or downsizing after such a loss.

Whoo boy. An irate widow in the backcountry was not amused, and called and let our manager know it. While I’m sure our agent’s salesmanship and initiative would have been applauded in some other agencies, in other towns, it didn’t go well with Raveis, and she was ushered out.

Which is almost as bad as another agent, at another firm, who sold a house to a couple who had specifically told her that they were only interested in buying the property if they could expand it. She assured them that they could, and when it came out that zoning and our FAR regulations prevented adding a single inch to the house, she asked, “what’s zoning?”.

She was related to the owner so she stayed around, even though our errors and omissions insurer paid out a (very) hefty sum. Competence and expertise may be essential in the used car business but in real estate, not so much.