Dishonesty or Coincidence?

How strange that a property that has been on the market for over 50 days without a single price reduction just happens to get another offer coming in the day I'm ready to submit an offer for less than asking price. What are the odds of that happening more than once?

As Realtors we have a primary obligation to protect and promote the interests of our clients, but we are also obligated to treat all parties honestly.

I'm obligated to counsel my buyers that the listing agent is presenting a second offer. My buyers are just as apt to wonder about such a coincidence.

Maybe I'm just a suspicious cynic, but if a fictitious second offer is used to further the seller's interest, what really happens is that it lowers the public's trust in our profession.

Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia Area Real Estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com