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Be considerate. Don't waste my time and I won't waste yours.

ACTIVE RAINERS: SEND ME ANY IDEAS TO AVOID THE PITFALLS OF THE ETERNAL REAL ESTATE WINDOW SHOPPER.

Respect for other's time is the best way to ensure great customer service. When I first meet a customer, I determine whether they are working with any other Realtors.

I work well with the long tern buyers and sellers. I am patient and believe that not everysale will be successful and all deserve my undivided attention. However, I do not want to waste my time and others by running people around if they are not serious about buying or selling, nor do I want to upset a deal for another Realtor who's already invested time in a customer.

Sometimes in Real Estate it is very difficult to get an honest answer from some people. A perfect example of this happened during our open house weekend. I had a couple who called on another home 4 times. I was committed to spending the afternoon at the open house and made arrangements for us to see the home they chose the next day, Sunday. After two more phone calls I felt they were very serious. They had called our mortgage company for an approval and things supposedly were fine according to them. I hadn't received the written confirmation yet it being Saturday afternoon. You of course can guess the outcome.

I met them at the home of their choice, and it was being hosted as an open house by the listing agent. To my surprise, they had been their previously and the agent knew them by name. To her credit, she handled the situation beautifully and even though we work for different offices, we teamed as Realtors and didn't embarrass ourselves or our customers. She had a previous prequalifying letter that didn't allow for the price of the home being shown. They weren't fazed when I asked about this. They thanked us for our time and told me I'd hear from them this morning. I heard from them this morning and they still want me to write an offer for the amount approved which is a significant amount less than the asking price. Normally I don't have a problem with this but I'm 90% sure of the outcome. However, I'll do my job and hope for a miracle but will most likely waste all of our time in the end. BAD BAD BAD!!!!!!!!!

ACTIVE RAINERS: SEND ME ANY IDEAS TO AVOID THE PITFALLS OF THE ETERNAL REAL ESTATE WINDOW SHOPPER.

Posted by Lori DeLoera on 10/15/2007 09:19 AM

Comments (4)

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4 Comments on Be considerate. Don't waste my time and I won't waste yours.

Did you prequalify these clients? Most people are honest and I find if you start to ask lots of questions, and judging by their reactions, you get a good idea if they are pulling the wool over your eyes.

10/15/2007 09:34 AM

by Gail Reeves Reid (Keller Williams Real Estate Brokerage)

Hi Lori, Not sure I have the perfect answer for you but will offer an observation. It seems to me that at every point along the way the agent should expect the buyer to prove their intentions with respect to the buying decision. Such as making application for funding, etc. If they do not prove their commitment to the process it is a giveaway as to lack of intention to actually purchase something. Seems like you did a great job of qualifying them. Good luck with the offer.

10/15/2007 09:35 AM

by Bill Gillhespy Fort Myers Beach Realtor (Century 21 Tripower Realty)

As agents, we understand our business. I find we all too frequently expect our clients to know how our business works. Unfortunately, this situation seems to come from a lack of education on the clients part. As a professional, I always attempt to make sure that clients understand the nature of our relationship, my relationship with co-operating agents and how and with whom they may interact. "Working" or "not working" with another agent may mean a variety of things to people outside our industry. While it appears that you and the other agent handled this situation well, it may have been avoidable. Ours is a complicated business and making any assumption that average Joe citizen, regardless of the number of properties they have purchased and sold, understands it is a mistake.

Be of service. The rewards will come.

www.mattcrow.com

630-728-6051

10/15/2007 09:53 AM

by Matt Crow - www.mattcrow.com 630-728-6051 (Huntley Realty)

Thanks, Matt, I appreciate it so much when Realtors work together well under stressful avoidable situations.

10/15/2007 09:57 AM

by Lori DeLoera (Century 21 Sundance)