5 Things I Don't Do as a Spokane Real Estate Agent

Someone asked me recently what makes me different from the other agents in Spokane, and I gave a very forgettable answer. So I thought about it for a few days and came back with a better one. Not what I do. What I refuse to do.

The first one on the list is about a dog.

I Don't Miss the Chance to Apologize to the Dog

Think about a showing from the dog's point of view for a second.

His people keep leaving the house at odd hours. Strangers walk through and open his closets and stand in his kitchen. Boxes are going up. The furniture is disappearing one piece at a time. He has no idea whether any of it is coming back, and nobody has explained a single part of it to him.

Selling a house is disruptive to everyone living in it, and some of the people living in it are not people. So I never walk past him. A quick word and a scratch behind the ears, every single time. We are in his house and he knows it, and it goes a long way toward everyone getting through the next twenty minutes.

I Don't Open a Door Without Yelling HELLOOOO

Vacant listings are usually vacant. Usually. I have opened enough doors on contractors, house sitters, and one very startled cat to have learned that announcing yourself is free.

Neither of these is a skill. They are just how I move through someone's home, which happens to be the most personal building any of us own.

I Don't Let You Write on a Horse Property Without Measuring the Arena

This one has real money behind it, and it is the reason I bring a tape measure to showings.

Listing remarks say "riding arena." That phrase covers an enormous amount of ground. It can mean a properly built 20 by 60 with drainage and maintained footing, or it can mean a graded flat spot behind the barn that will never let you school a correct 20 meter circle. There is a difference between a 20 meter circle and a 5 meter circle, and you will feel it every single ride for as long as you own the place.

Because I ride, I am looking at more than the footprint. I want to know what the footing actually is and how deep it sits. I want to see where water goes when it rains and whether the barn aisle stays dry in March. I am checking fence lines for sag and rot, looking at where the gates are hung and whether they swing into a corner you will fight every time you lead a horse through, and I am mentally driving a truck and trailer up the driveway to see if I can turn around without a fourteen point reverse.

None of that is in the MLS. It is the difference between a property that works and one you spend three years and a lot of money fixing.

If you are shopping horse property in Chattaroy, Deer Park, Elk, or across the line in Rathdrum, you can set up a search here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.trevorandhaileyhomes.com/buying-a-home-spokane-northern-idaho&source=gmail&ust=1788366667231000&sa=E

I Don't Let a Listing Hit the MLS With Dirty Windows

Professionally cleaned before the photographer shows up. Every time.

It sounds like a small thing. It is not. Light is the entire game in a listing photo, and it is especially the game here from October through April. Dirty glass flattens a room and makes a house look tired in a way most buyers cannot name but absolutely feel when they are scrolling. Clean glass is one of the cheapest returns available to a seller and I am not willing to skip it.

If you are thinking about selling, here is how I approach it: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.trevorandhaileyhomes.com/selling-your-home-spokane-northern-idaho&source=gmail&ust=1788366667231000&sa=E

I Don't Call the Listing Agent Once

I call until I understand exactly what it takes to win the house for you.

One call gets you the basics. More calls get you the seller's actual timeline, whether they have somewhere to go, what fell apart on the last offer, how they feel about a rent back, and what the agent on the other side is worried about. That is the information that shapes an offer that wins without you overpaying to get there.

Being persistent on the phone is not glamorous. It is just work, and it is where a lot of deals are actually decided.

The One I Hold Hardest

I don't answer the phone after 7 or before 7 unless it is an emergency.

Bedtime with my kids is not negotiable. Neither is showing up sharp for you the next morning. I used to think of those as two things competing for the same hours. They are not. They are the same thing. The agent who is available at 11pm is not the agent you want reading a counteroffer at 9am.

Real estate has a habit of confusing availability with quality. I would rather be the person who is genuinely on it during working hours than the person who is half on it around the clock.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If this is how you want someone working for you, whether you are selling in Spokane Valley or hunting for acreage in Cheney or Post Falls, the fastest way to start is to fill out my client questionnaire: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYnNuFt-_i_oyF3-TkjVqIyEmIKfwJL3HOlHe1lZNjNlHJBA/viewform&source=gmail&ust=1788366667231000&sa=E

It takes a few minutes and tells me what you actually need before we ever get on the phone.

Or call or text me directly at 509-818-4881.