Friday, March 29, 2024

Agents Should Stay In Their Lane

Posted

KNIEPER REAL ESTATE

 

 

Pam Knieper, Broker/Owner of Knieper Real Estate, is and has been the #1 Top Producer for more than 15 years in Hood County and running. She is known as the Waterfront Expert and the Authority on Real Estate.

 

I don’t jump up on my soap box very often, but I’m up there today! Recently I have noticed properties coming onto the market that are represented by agents from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, as well as offers coming in on my listings written by agents who know almost nothing about Granbury.

REALTORS® have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients. The agent you are relying on to represent you should know the area. More and more we are seeing agents STEPPING OUT OF THEIR LANE by working with buyers and sellers well outside of their geographical area of expertise and that is not good for you, the client.

I have seen multiple listings in the MLS recently that state the home is on City Water & City Sewer, when in fact the property is in an area outside the city limits and on a water well and septic system. That mistake, if not caught and corrected in time, can cost the homeowner a sale. Acton Municipal Utility District (AMUD) provides water and sewer for multiple communities in Hood County. AMUD is a taxing authority, and while they are not currently collecting property taxes that could change in the future, which is why anyone buying in the AMUD service area must be informed in writing prior to entering into a contract. I have met numerous buyers who were not informed until they were at the closing table and even worse, after it was too late to walk away.

DeCordova Bend Estates is an incorporated city, DeCordova, but uses Granbury mailing addresses. The Peninsula on Lake Granbury and a section of Bentwater on Lake Granbury is an incorporated city, Stockton Bend, also with Granbury mailing addresses. Agents unfamiliar with our area often post their listings in MLS using the legal city name rather than Granbury. Those properties will not appear in any internet searches for homes in Granbury, TX, and that is a huge disservice to the seller.

I talked to an agent recently who listed and sold her parents’ home without checking on the HOA transfer fees. She was unaware that the fees had gone up substantially since she moved to Dallas and that mistake cost her parents almost $8,000.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and it is, in my eyes, a disturbing trend. Ladies and Gentlemen, you deserve better, and you should demand better. When interviewing an agent to represent you, whether buying or selling, ask the kind of questions that matter. How many homes have you sold in Granbury? What do you know about the community or HOA this property is in? Who provides the water for this area? What do you know about Granbury Schools, or the Hospital? Is Lake Granbury a constant level lake? The agents at Knieper Realty can answer these questions and many more. Can your agent from San Antonio do the same?

Competent, ethical competition is good for the industry. It keeps us sharp and makes us better REALTORS®. Agents failing their fiduciary obligation to their clients by ‘stepping out of their lane’ are, in my opinion, neither competent nor ethical, and as I said earlier… you deserve better.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please give us a call. We can be reached at 817-219-0456 or visit us online at www.WeSellGranbury.com.

pamK@knieperteam.com | 817-219-0456