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Why Are Some Agents Plain Rude?

Let me start by saying I am speaking about a minority in the professional, but they do seem to come in clusters.

Rude Agent #1:

I get a call from an agent who says her client came to my open house two weeks ago and liked the home. The client has been bothering her to put in an offer. Did you pick up on that comment?

Rude Agent: I am in front of the home and see in the MLS you have to be there for showings. How soon can you get here?
Me: I am with a client on the other side of the island and will be available in about three hours if she would like to meet me then. I am also available in the evening or the after 3pm the next day.
Rude Agent: I have other things to do than come back. So you can't come right now?
Me: I am with a client showing property for another hour and I am about a 1-1/2 hour drive from there. I would be glad to meet you when I am back on that side of the island.
Rude Agent: It doesn't sound like you want to sell that house.
Me: I am sorry you got that impression. Can you explain to me why you have waited two weeks to see a home your client wants to put an offer on and you would not call ahead before showing up at the listing?
Rude Agent: I am busy.

I didn't say the obvious, but if she is too busy to write and offer or to make a phone call. How does she find the time to drive to a home she has no access to?

Rude Agent #2:

I receive an offer over $200,000 below asking price on one of my listings.
No pre-approval letter from a lender.
Subject to buyer selling another property.
No information on the contingency.
No address, no nothing.
Missing signatures from the broker, the agent and the buyers.
You get the idea.
My clients rejected the offer. No surprises here.

Rude Agent #2: What no counter offer?
Me: My clients rejected the offer.
Rude Agent #2: But my clients really want this home. What price will they accept?
Me: my clients did not get the impression your buyers were serious from the offer. We are miles apart on the price, there was no loan approval letter, the contingency had no details and the contract was missing key signatures. I can not say what price they would accept, but I am sure they would like the asking price and a clean contract. If you bring another offer, I will present it immediately to my clients.
Rude Agent #2: They want too much. Why would they not counter?
Me: We are too far apart and the contract is incomplete. What is the status of the contingency?
Rude Agent #2: That doesn't matter, your clients can continue to market their home while we try to sell their's.
Me: It is not even in escrow?
Rude Agent #2: That doesn't matter.
Me: Let me get this straight. You want my clients to take their home off the market, for an offer that is not executable, is more than $200,000 below asking price, with no loan approval letter and you broker has not even signed.
Rude Agent #2: If the price is a problem, tell me what they will take.

The saddest part about the second story was I met the buyers. They loved the home and really did want to buy it. I am convinced that their agent is either incapable or unwilling to be a professional and will most likely never get it.

I am sure if you have been in the business long you have many similar stories.

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® on 09/01/2007 10:03 PM

Comments (51)

real estate ethics, real estate, contracts, hawaii, century 21

Originally posted at: Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: Why Are Some Agents Plain Rude?

51 Comments on Why Are Some Agents Plain Rude?

SEP

2007

grrrrrrr....let me sick steroid Shadow on them.....lol!

Sally - That would teach them.

I'm not sure rude entirely covers it. Unprofessional would need to be included.

SEP

2007

Randy - wow - tough week - I keep thinking some of these agents will fall by the wayside with markets slowing down.

Jeff - Unprofessional, possibly dense.

Thesa - I question why they think they were meant to be real estate agents.

Randy, I shouldn't have laughed while reading about these 2 instances, but I did. The unprofessionalism of these 2 agents is sad AND laughable. I hope to heck with agent #1 that her "client" was in the car with her when that conversation was going on.

Unprofessional behavior!!! Sadly there are a lot of agents that simply have no manners and don't understand common courtesy.

Rude and unprofessional. I consider agents who schedule appointments and "no show" in the same category...what a bunch! Oh, and your cartoon character...are you implying US Army senior enlisted types are rude? JUST KIDDING!

You're right I think we've all had stories just like those. I've actually had a few of those low offers work out. My seller's are prepared for them and that makes all the difference. We thank them for the offer and "repectfully request another offer should they have continued interest".

In this slow market I may use the time to write a book about my similar experiences

It amazes me how much we do as Realtor in Education and still have way to many of the types of experiences you describe. I have had a few myself and really dislike starting work with a client and having to repair damage done by their experience with another realtor

You are so right. I especially dislike the agents that make a big fuss about showing your listing, your sellers stage the home and leave, and the agent never shows up! HOW RUDE!!!!!

Kris - Unfortunately she was there on her own unannounced.

Monika - I agree, they have no common sense either.

Gary - Not poking fun at the drill sergeant, I so him yelling and felt it represented how I wish I could have represented to these agents.

Chris - The low offer was bad enough. The other issues with the contract were just too much. I would be embarrassed to present an offer that was that badly written.

Karen - I think we could all write books on this subject.

Charlie - The saddest part is the first agent came from a major franchise here. I normally expect clean contracts from them, becase their brokers review them. I know the broker never saw her's and of all the agents out there, she needs to be put on a leash.

If we signed her contract we would have all ended up in court.

Tina - I have two listings that require me or the seller to be there. One day I had three showings that I drove over an hour to be there from my previous appointments on the other side of the island.

You guessed it I sat there for an hour and a half; no showings. I only got voice mail for the three agents.

PS: That was coincidently for the same property that I am writing about the other two rude agents. I should have added those three to the rude list.

There must be a logical reason why there are no comic strips in the Sunday paper featuring characters who are real estate agents, and there are no prime-time sitcoms about real estate agents, either. I mean, who do we have? Hi & Lois?

Everyone has good days and bad days so I try to give people the benefit of the doubt when they behave poorly. But I'm confident that the agents you mentioned will not succeed in this business.

Elizabeth - There would be no shortage of material for a comic strip. They need a mortgage broker also.

Larry - They will most likely make a mess and move on to other endeavors. Unfortunately someone as bad will always replace them.

I think rudeness is on the INCREASE. Perhaps it's the market conditions, the lack of business some agents have right now, but over the past few months I've had more run ins with RUDE agents than I can remember. We're all overworked, busy and scrambling to put deals together. There's no need to be ignorant to each other. This week one agent called me for feedback on her house, and when I told her it seemed high for the square footage, she HUNG UP on me. Hello! That was my honest opinion--and what my buyer said. Oh, and the house has been on the market for months & months now, so apparently it's the opinion of others too. :0

Randy,

Just another rude and obnoxious agent that probably is getting desperate to feed off of your success. Won't be the first and won't be the last.

SEP

2007

Erica - I do not like to give feedback to agents I do not know. In the past I have had agents ask my opinion like they did to you and get angry when I tell them the home is overpriced or did not show well. I more than one occasion I let the agent know their listing information was wrong and was told in on occasion to mind my own business. (I turned her in to the MLS). She obviously was misleading the public on purpose.

Neal - The more some agents get desperate the worse they will become.

SEP

2007

Randy - what can you say?? It boggles my mind how rude some agents can be. After all, don't both sides have the same objective? I honestly feel sorry for the clients of some of these agents...they're not looked after at all!

Randy

I don't know about rude, I think clueless is more an appropriate term. I sure we all have enough stories about these types of agents to fill a book.

Randy,

It's sad but true that every profession has its losers. You are describing two of them in your post. Imagine these types talking with us in the mortgage end of it. The conversations go pretty much along the same incredible lines. Things have to be explained three times and they still have trouble grasping it.

SEP

2007

Linda - I am sure their clients will figure it out. Hopefully before they are hanging in the wind.

Sandra - I have a few chapters at least.

Esko - I have run into as many from the lender side and a few more that were other types of vendors in the industry. I guess they are in every type of business.

Randy...

The following is the "Red Flag" for me...

"What price will they accept?"

That tells me you're dealing with someone that either thinks you're stupid or that the person that said it ain't so bright :)

I'm sure it's the latter. SVW.

TLW...ROAR!

Randy- lots of people, in genral, are rude, unprofessional or tactless.....Realtors should be no different. I loathe getting calls from these types! It only takes a moment to be polite.

WOW - and you wonder why people view Realtors poorly? These are the agents that NEED to GET OUT of the business and go sell used cars or something!

2 weeks ago the Alarm company called from my listing saying the alarm was going off.

2 minutes later the agent called "I would like to see your listings at .... We are there and the MLS says I need an Alarm code. Can I have the Alarm Code?"...

My answer "Well seeing as the alarm company just called me and shut it off from their end - I think you can go back in and look around"

Agents Reply "OK"

How about a "OOPS Sorry.. Kiss my butt.... SOMETHING !"

(and yes I read the lockbox later and his key opened the lockbox 2 minutes prior to the Alarm companies call"

What about an agent that shows up with client in tow...no appointment, I guess I'm lucky he even bothered to knock on the door. Of course my client called and asked why she hadn't been called. I had to tell her it was because he didn't call to make an appointment. This kind of thing really inspires trust from our clients.She wasn't happy,neither was I. He didn't leave a card so I don't even know who he was...grrrrrr

Randy, in both scenarios the rude agents just were not listening. Who sells these "personal communication" tapes or passive-aggressive CD's? Stay on message. Repeat what you want until you get it. Raise the tone and volume of your voice. If it wasn't an epidemic it would be laughable. Great blog!

Rude may be only a small part of it. Untrained would be more like it.

There are very many unprofessional and inconsiderate people out there and many get their real estate license. Having a license doesn't mean that they know how to sell real estate, it means they have some of the very basic knowledge about the business. Most agents have no concept of how to sell property and they never rise to the top of the game.

It's a pity that we have to trip over them as we go about our own business.

Randy Holy cow how did you remain so calm! Your suave intelligent yes I will keep calm attitude deserves 5 stars!

Just joined AR today..... I feel like I have finally found some professionals that have been dealing with the same agents I have been dealing with! I AM NOT ALONE!!

Where have you been all of my life!?

People are just plain crazy these days...from the local "Wally-Mart", Mickey D's, and of course...the jerk Real Estate guy that makes us all look bad!

My reputation as viewed by the public is very important to me. But just as important is how I am viewed by my peers- the people that will be bringing me offers on my listings and the people getting offers from me and my buyers.

TLW - I am assuming it is the other agent, since I wouldn't touch that question.

Jim - The only thing worse than getting a phone call from them is to go into escrow with them. You know it will be messy.

James - They went in then called you? How clueless can you be? I would have said it is not a good time to show it. The police are on their way, someone just broke into the house. LOL

Cait - I instruct my clients to not anyone in without an appointment. There are some who pose as REALTORS®

Andrew - It is sad, when they are dealing with properties as expensive as these and are that unprofessional.
Ray - These were agents with large companies who have training programs. I guess that tells us how good their training is.

Diane - I do not know about suave. Maybe a little. LOL

Jeff - Important point! How I am viewed by my peers makes a difference when I submit offers and when I try to get my showings shown.

SEP

2007

Unfortunately a lot of consumers think that all agents are like. We all get lumped into the same category, which is unfair to those of us that do act professional.

SEP

2007

David and Kristin - Hopefully the people who have dealt with me all believe we are professionals. Unfortunately when I get a client who has dealt with an agent like I described it takes more time to build trust.

Randy-- don't worry they will be out of the business with the next slowdown..

SEP

2007

Kaye - They will not figure out why either.

SEP

2007

Geeze Randy, I'm speechless... Very unprofessional!

SEP

2007

Lysa - In the last two days I haver had three more no shows from agents who have made appointments to see my listings. I can not believe how rude some agents can be.

SEP

2007

"What price will they accept?"

Always cracks me up.

My scripted answer, "I'm pretty sure they will accept $XXX,XXX." That being the Listing Price.

Close to this is, "Will they take less?"

Me, "I think so."

Them, "How much less will they take?"

Me, "There's only one way to know. Write it up. Let's find out."

Mike - Good responses. I always tell them I will submit all offers and encourage them to submit it in wiriting.

Randy:

I use the same track as Mike, except I say, "They will accept full price, Anything more than that may have some serious tax consequences so full price will be appropriate." Then I smile and say, "No seriously, there's only one way to find out."

This may sound like a foolish question but sometimes agents will spill the beans.

Ray - Some agents do spill the beans. I always ask because nine times out of ten, they will tell me. Of course, when they disclose that the seller will accept anything less than list price, they are violating their fiduciary relationship with the seller. The only correct answer is list price. A listing agent cannot even hint that the seller will accept less than list price unless the seller has authorized that agent in writing to disclose that information.

Ray - I have a similar sense of humor. I can see me saying somehting like that.

Elizabeth - You are so right. I can not tell you how many times I have heard inappropriate comments from agents. On the other hand I have had clients who freely tell people how much less they are willing to take, even after I suggested they may not want to do that.

I never understood why there are a few agents that have to be rude. I mean, we are trying to work for the same goal, to sell houses, right?

SEP

2007

Andrea - There are some who don't get it and probably never will.

SEP

2007

Wow! Those are some pretty unprofessional agents that you describe in your post. Glad to hear that they in the minority. It's these types of people that give us all a bad name. What a shame. As far as why they are rude... maybe it's their only defense for being so dense.

Katherine - They are definbitely dense.

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