Topics: Listings - "Is you is, or is you ain't?"

It's hard enough to find listings in the first place in this fractured Brooklyn real estate market. Perfectly good houses have listings that live under a rock that almost no one sees. Likewise, perfectly good houses that aren't actually available for sale (anymore, or ever, for a myriad of reasons) sit indistinguishably alongside houses that are actually available for sale. What's a buyer to do?

Take 138 Prospect Place, for example. We covered this SRO back in December 2010, and it still hasn't sold. Looks like a steal, right? Its listing is even still active on Zillow as if it could be bought today. But the truth is, it's in contract, has been for the longest, and has court issues holding up the sale. They're not showing anymore or taking back-up offers. That's all well & good, so then just take the listing down, Ms. Agent! Or put "in contract" on there - anything to let potential buyers know it's a dead-end. Is that too much to ask?

Apparently the same kind of situation is going on with another fave of ours (after it's extensive price drop) 414 Dean Street. This total ****tease can still be found actively for sale on Zillow, but the situation is so sticky, it's almost completely prohibitive. So do us a favor, Mr. Agent, and take your listing down, eh? Or at the very least, lay it all out there on the table, like one of our favorite forthcoming listings of all time did. If you give us the full story upfront, only qualified buyers will step-up to the plate and it saves everyone time. We have to also give credit where credit's due to Sharon Burroughs for another great, forthcoming listing for 628 Grand. She boldly lets you know upfront, "Renovations have been started so call your construction peeps, roll up your sleeves and lets do this thing."

Granted, many listings that call out their problems upfront, like 33 Cambridge, have managed to sell alongside listings that don't, like 204 Washington Avenue. But we always say honesty is the best policy. Agents, step your game up! The more you tell us about your property from the outset, the more appropriate buyers you'll attract & the less time everyone wastes.