Real Estate Blog - Do you think that these might be fake listings?...How do you deal with them?

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Do you think that these might be fake listings?...How do you deal with them?

How can I show your office listing if you don't know who the listing agent is?

Everyone is entitled to make a mistake..... but 4 in one day sounds a bit peculiar...doesn't it?

About week ago I received a call from one of my market reports I wrote for rentals in Weston FL.

The prospect gave me a list of what they were looking for. I then fired up the old computer to see if I could pinpoint exactly what they wanted. I came up with about 20 possible properties that they could choose from and I emailed the prospect those choices. They responded with 4 properties they wanted to see. We set up a day and time to go and preview them. All I needed to do was make a few calls and I figured that it wouldn't be a difficult task to get access into them. "NOT".

So I pick up the phone and call the first one.....we have this link available in the MLS where the listing agent can make it more convenient for the agent showing the property to simply click and get the instructions without ever having to speak to a live person. So I click on the link and set the times I was looking for. I then get an email telling me that they've only confirmed that the appointment was requested but I would still receive a call from someone with the instructions. Eight hours later....I still don't get a response. I call the listing agent and leave a message. Two hours go by and finally I get the agent on the phone and they claim they aren't even hooked up to that system. So they finally tell me that the property has a tenant in it and it cannot be showed for the time being. "WTF?" Why list it if I can't show it.

Strike one...my second choice had almost the same response...except this one had a contract on it yet the agent couldn't find the time to call me back just to tell me that it made no sense to show it.....5 hours and 3 calls later.
Strike two.....my third choice....I use that convenient link to make the appointment...I get the email response that it's not possible to show this property at the moment and that the agent would call me to discuss alternative times. Do you think I ever got a call from that agent? "NOPE" I had to call the agent to find out that there was a tenant in the property and currently they were not allowing it to be shown and that I would have to wait a few weeks for them to vacate it first....why even list it if you can show it? The funny part about it is after going through all this to make the appointment with this link...I get an email asking me for feedback! This seems to be a really flawless system...LOL!
Strike three....now this one is the best of them all...I call the listing agent at the number entered and get this long office message which eventually allows me to access that agents extension. The agent actually picks up the phone and it turns out that the agent is actually the owner/broker. He claims to have no idea who's listing it is yet his name is the primary agent with no secondary agent listed. He puts me on hold for 5 minutes and I'm sitting there listening to some dentist music and he's searching for the name of the agent. He gives me this name and connects me to that agents voice mail...but of course I can't get the line to pick up and it reverts back to their automated front desk and that beautiful dentist music. Before he made the transfer he had told me "Don't worry" if she doesn't pick up her line.... because tomorrow she'll be in at 8:30am and would be able to help me.

I call back the next morning and get my friendly little automated voice again.....I try once again to connect to this agents line...only to once again get reverted back to the operator. To my surprise...a live person picks up the phone and I tell her my problem.It turns out that she was the agent I was calling for and said it's not her listing either. She then asks me if I wouldn't mind if she calls me back after doing a bit of investigating on who this mystery agent is..finally after 2 hours I get a call with a name. By the time I was able to track it down .....the listing agent tells me there's a contract on it...."Gee Thanks!"

Are these listings real or are they just fakes?.... Why list them if you can't even show them?

If I was the clients on these properties and found out how they were dealing with the process...I'd probably fire them....if you're the consumer...would you want your Realtor® representing you this way?

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /Keller Williams Properties

1625 N. Commerce Parkway,Suite 105

Weston FL 33326

(954)608-5556

Posted by Neal Bloom-Realtor ® Assoc.-CRS-Weston FL on 07/09/2009 07:30 AM

Comments (15)

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Originally posted at: Weston Florida Real Estate Blog, Neal"The Real Deal"Bloom : Do you think that these might be fake listings?...How do you deal with them?

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15 Comments on Do you think that these might be fake listings?...How do you deal with them?

JUL

Neal it sounds like you are dealing with the run of the mill agents that don't have a clue about operating as a professional.

Real listings with agents who are dolts :-)

How very frustrating! Not to mention Unprofessional in a business that screams we are professionals... no wonder the public thinks we do not earn our money. I think I am glad our MLS does not have that automated system. We just skip right to frustration and contact the owner or agent on the MLS sheet. It is not always easy, I agree. It's persistence though that makes you a professional Neal.

That smells pretty bad to me. Can you not report this to your board and have it checked out by the Ethics Committee?

Neal - It makes you wonder- how are these agents in business? Or maybe it's just their part-time job?

Neal, this is happening more and more. More often than not, part time Realtor with no one to cover their business, or a brokerage that charges fees and no one to man the phones.

I'd rather be working at McDonald's than dealing with that c**p. ;-)

Bill,

Amazing to see that in a market where agents are complaining about getting business that they would operate this way.

Cindy,

I'm not sure what a dolt is but I must guess it's sarcasm:)

Gail,

In our MLS it's not required to add the owners name or number so there isn't any way for me to go over the agents head and in fact...I spent more than enough time trying to get into the properties.

Jennifer,

I could but it's not worth it...too much time for that type of nonsense.

Wendy,

I'm wondering if the broker is "part time" too.

Gabe,

I've seen this over the years...in my 14 yrs of selling here and even in NY it seems to be a frequent thing among lazy agents.

Susie,

Would you like an apple pie with that? I hope if I order it...they'll have one.

What a waste of your time .... some need to put themselves in others shoes in order to see what the heck they're doing to people. On the other hand, they could care less...just like they are caring less about their client.

Sally,

Unfortunately it was a great waste of time and for all I know I might have even have lost my prospect because of it.

Hi Bill! Don't you SO wish that these agents would fall off the face of the earth! I've had several frustrating situations lately with buyers too and I just can't believe that these folks are still in business! I said a year ago that it wouldn't be long until they're all gone but, some of them are STILL hanging around!

Debe,

First off my name isn't Bill so maybe you were thinking of someone else above?:)

Those people are making you think they are in business but they really aren't....they are just hanging around looking for crumbs.

Very frustrating.

Neal - unfortunately these stories are far more commonplace than they should ever be. Sometimes I suspect agents are working their own deals, not thinking about the implications of what they are doing (or not doing), or are just incompetent. The other thing that is frustrating in listing a home and not having it able to be shown fior 2 or 3 weeks. Why bother?

Jeff

JUL

Susan,

Yes it was..wasted valuable time I spent.

Jeff,

Exactly...very common...agents just looking for a free ride but at what? Makes no sense and it ends up giving us a bad name. They list it because they don't want to give the owner the chance to give it to someone else.

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