Janice Dalston Kreymborg

On Long Island, and in all of New York State, agents are required by the Dept. of State to prove that at the "first substantive contact" with a potential client or customer, we have explained clearly our role in the marketing and sale of a property. The Agency Disclosure form is provided by the DOS, and the first thing it says is "This is Not a Contract," which should ease the mind the person who is afraid to sign anything. One of the purposes of an Open House sign-in sheet is to let the seller who came into the house. Any customer who is uncomfortable about future contact is free to make a "do not call" or "currently represented by X agent" next to his or her name; most agents will respect that. We probably should do a better job of explaining to the public that the agent who takes the time to ask a customer to sign an Agency Disclosure and/or Open House sign-in sheet is acting in a more responsible manner than one who does not. - Thu Oct 2 2008, 05:58