I think it is honest. Why waste your time on someone with a derelict property that is over priced? Your time is worth something.

I think it is honest. Why waste your time on someone with a derelict property that is over priced? Your time is worth something.

I thought this was going to be a thread about Prop 19.

That said, I don’t see how any client would want anything but honesty from an agent. If I were them I’d appreciate your honest professional opinion. That’s what they’re paying for right? Then again, it is human nature to want to be told what you want to hear, so I suppose it depends on the client. If they are an absentee landlord and weren’t aware of the issues, I could see them appreciating the heads up. But if they are sloppy landlords and fully aware of the issues, perhaps you are just telling them something they already know and don’t seem to care about.

Tough love has a fine line, and how it is perceived completely depends on the recipient. Not knowing much about your client, it’s hard to say if you were too blunt or not.

I thought this was going to be a thread about Prop 19.

That said, I don’t see how any client would want anything but honesty from an agent. If I were them I’d appreciate your honest professional opinion. That’s what they’re paying for right? Then again, it is human nature to want to be told what you want to hear, so I suppose it depends on the client. If they are an absentee landlord and weren’t aware of the issues, I could see them appreciating the heads up. But if they are sloppy landlords and fully aware of the issues, perhaps you are just telling them something they already know and don’t seem to care about.

Tough love has a fine line, and how it is perceived completely depends on the recipient. Not knowing much about your client, it’s hard to say if you were too blunt or not.

I thought this was going to be a thread about Prop 19.

That said, I don’t see how any client would want anything but honesty from an agent. If I were them I’d appreciate your honest professional opinion. That’s what they’re paying for right? Then again, it is human nature to want to be told what you want to hear, so I suppose it depends on the client. If they are an absentee landlord and weren’t aware of the issues, I could see them appreciating the heads up. But if they are sloppy landlords and fully aware of the issues, perhaps you are just telling them something they already know and don’t seem to care about.

Tough love has a fine line, and how it is perceived completely depends on the recipient. Not knowing much about your client, it’s hard to say if you were too blunt or not.

Caveat: Acting on any opinion I have would probably be a mistake.

But . . . your usage of the phrase “Just adding more ugly pictures will not help” could be left out. I’m sure if you asked the client if “adding more ugly pictures” to the listing would help – they would obviously say no. It is not necessary to the advice you’re giving and may even have a negative effect.

Is it safe to assume that you are not being paid to give any specific advice regarding the price, other than pointing out that it needs to be lowered?

The phrase “invest in some paint” seems a bit snarky coming via a written opinion from a professional. Wouldn’t a client prefer to see “the exterior and/or interior should be painted”? And maybe even advice on color scheme?

About the security guard or handyman approach: Do you have an opinion as to which option you think is the right one, for this house, in that neighborhood? Again, that may be outside the scope of your task, I don’t know.

Same with the advice about keeping the exterior clean and tidy. Your idea of clean and tidy may be completely different than that of the client, so maybe expand a bit on what you mean.

It seems most of your advice is small one-liner zingers which are more aimed at driving home an obvious point in a fairly negative way. I think you can change the tone of the letter and still maintain the honesty you feel the client deserves.

I would lose the part where you apologize for being blunt and informing the client what you are being paid for. Again, just seems awkward and unnecessary to see that in a professional letter. And, if the tone is changed, the same info will be sent but without seeming quite so blunt, and you won’t feel the need to apologize.

Frankly, same with the rest of the letter. It seems like you are more on a personal rant, rather than providing a professional, written opinion. You’ve chosen a writing style for this letter that comes across as unnecessarily blunt, and in some instances, perhaps rude.

The client needs to hear the honest truth given the facts, but deserves to have it presented in a more professional, and possibly a more helpful, manner. Just my 2 cents, but as written, that letter would never leave my office.

Caveat: Acting on any opinion I have would probably be a mistake.

But . . . your usage of the phrase “Just adding more ugly pictures will not help” could be left out. I’m sure if you asked the client if “adding more ugly pictures” to the listing would help – they would obviously say no. It is not necessary to the advice you’re giving and may even have a negative effect.

Is it safe to assume that you are not being paid to give any specific advice regarding the price, other than pointing out that it needs to be lowered?

The phrase “invest in some paint” seems a bit snarky coming via a written opinion from a professional. Wouldn’t a client prefer to see “the exterior and/or interior should be painted”? And maybe even advice on color scheme?

About the security guard or handyman approach: Do you have an opinion as to which option you think is the right one, for this house, in that neighborhood? Again, that may be outside the scope of your task, I don’t know.

Same with the advice about keeping the exterior clean and tidy. Your idea of clean and tidy may be completely different than that of the client, so maybe expand a bit on what you mean.

It seems most of your advice is small one-liner zingers which are more aimed at driving home an obvious point in a fairly negative way. I think you can change the tone of the letter and still maintain the honesty you feel the client deserves.

I would lose the part where you apologize for being blunt and informing the client what you are being paid for. Again, just seems awkward and unnecessary to see that in a professional letter. And, if the tone is changed, the same info will be sent but without seeming quite so blunt, and you won’t feel the need to apologize.

Frankly, same with the rest of the letter. It seems like you are more on a personal rant, rather than providing a professional, written opinion. You’ve chosen a writing style for this letter that comes across as unnecessarily blunt, and in some instances, perhaps rude.

The client needs to hear the honest truth given the facts, but deserves to have it presented in a more professional, and possibly a more helpful, manner. Just my 2 cents, but as written, that letter would never leave my office.