Computer age fading away? Of course not, but sometimes in our business computers can make things more difficult.
Yes, I said more difficult. Overall computers and the Internet are an amazing addition to a Real Estate Agent's toolkit. It is when you depend too much on this one tool in the kit that you have to step back and ask if it is the best way to do business.
I am working as a buyer's agent for my client who is trying to purchase a house in Manassas, VA. I say trying because it has taken weeks just to get ratified. One of the big problems is lack of attention to detail on the listing agent's part with missing signatures and initials, taking over a week to return an incomplete contract. Another big problem, and the reason for this blog is that the final product (the contract) is so light and grainy that you can't read it.
Because the clients in this transaction live all over Northern Virginia and have busy lives, the computer seemed to be the best way to communicate and send documents for signature. Several times I have recommended hand delivering documents to the seller so that the integrity of the documents did not suffer, but my offers were not accepted.
So here we sit still waiting for a clear copy for the bank (it is a short sale after all) and for the title company. I should have put my foot down the first week when all the signs showed that this way of doing business was not going to work, this time.
Under normal circumstances, sending and receiving documents via e-mail and fax works great. It makes us more efficient and gets the job done quickly. At what point do you decide to go the old fashioned route and bring the human element back into the equation? I'm thinking this is one such case!
After all if you can't read the documents, how can you enforce them?
If you need a hands-on, detail oriented Real Estate Agent in Northern Virginia, give me a call. I can help you through a smooth transaction of selling your home, or helping you buy a home.
Pamela Stangler, Long & Foster Realtors, 305-433-1036 (cell), Pamela.Stangler@LNF.com
Your housing needs are my priority!
Comments(1)