Rob & Catherine Hallberg, Long Realty

My husband and I chose Rob and Catherine as the listing agents for our home. Much of the service they provided was favorable, but we also had some serious complaints.
The good:
— They hired a professional photographer to take quality photos of our home.
— Our home was listed in a timely manner.
— Our home was well represented in a variety of online sources.
— They ordered quality full color business cards that showcased our home and served as a great takeaway for potential buyers.
— They responded very quickly to phone calls and text messages.
— Our home was part of two home tours for local agents which increased our visibility and marketability.
— They did an excellent job of advertising and marketing our home.
The not-​so-​good
— They lacked expertise in pricing. During our first meeting, they suggested that my husband and I list our home for $ 400,000. We thought that was significantly too high and so I asked Rob point blank what was the lowest number he would feel comfortable listing our home for. He replied that he would not suggest listing it any lower than $ 400k. When it came time to list, my husband and I insisted on listing at $ 369k. The home eventually sold for $ 349k. I feel that listing it too high initially had a negative effect on our final sale price and I wish we had been given a more accurate listing price from the start.
— They lacked expertise in negotiating. We received two offers in one weekend, approximately six weeks after our home was listed. My husband and I felt that Rob and Catherine should have used the competing offers to our advantage in order to secure for us the highest possible sale price. They did not do so despite our explicit request.
— Our best interests were not their top priority. Once we had accepted an offer, Rob and Catherine seemed to «switch sides». The buyer made one specific request that would have been detrimental to our interests. In response, my husband and I pressed Rob for further information, requesting he talk to the buyer’s agent to better understand why the buyer was making the request. Rob resisted and lobbied my husband and I to concede on the issue stating that the deal might fall through if we didn’t. Eventually my husband called the buyer’s agent directly in order to completely bypass Rob and Catherine because we felt as though their top priority was simply to close the deal without regard to our best interests and getting us top dollar for our home. This happened within the first ten days of getting an accepted offer. From that point forward, we completely worked directly with the buyer ourselves because that was the only way we could trust that our best interests were being represented. We did not end up conceding to the buyer’s request on that one issue and the home did indeed close successfully. Unfortunately, we do not believe that we obtained top dollar for our home or that Rob and Catherine were concerned with our best interests.
Everything considered, my husband and I could not – in good faith – recommend Rob and Catherine to someone looking to sell a home. They might be fine as a buyer’s agent but given their lack of negotiating skills and willingness to concede to a buyer’s every whim without even understanding the buyer’s motivation, they are a detriment to a homeowner who wishes to obtain top dollar for his or her home. To be fair, I will say that they were very competent in marketing our home and seeing us through the listing process. That competency went out the window as soon as we had an offer. I recommend looking elsewhere for an agent who will put your interests at the top of his or her priority list and will expertly negotiate on your behalf. That, by definition, is what an agent is for.