Red Flags, the Nerve, and a Surprise!
I should have known.
Red Flag number one: A return call from an answering service in the East Coast confirming my showing appointment for a home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"Wow! This agent must be killing it," I thought to myself, as his team uses a virtual assistant to confirm a house showings.
Red Flag number two: The owner of this short sale pulls up in an Escalade and whispers to me that they would really like to stay in the house and rent it back.... hmmm.... do you think they might have over-extended themselves... possibly used the home as an ATM? Rushing back home to write an offer for my investor client thinking to myself, ..."this is too easy... the price point is 40% market value, the owners want to rent back (ethical? well, that's another posting for another day)."
Red Flag number three: The listing agent and his team CANNOT be reached. You heard me right! They have some lame voice mail on all the phone numbers listed which states something to the effect of - we are simply too busy or too rich to pick up the phone, submit offers via email and we may or may not return this call as we boldly declare that we only check our voice mails once a day. No confirmation of offer receipt, no thank you and we will review, no nothing.
REALLY! SERIOUSLY? DID I ALREADY MENTION REALLY?
Well, here's the real kicker! Just as I was complaining to my husband that after two days and countless voice mails and emails to this agent and his team, all I received back was a one line email response indicating that we were outbid (though we offered over full list price)..... I receive an email from a fabulous local Realtor asking me why I did not respect him?
WHAT!!!!! In my zeal to assist my clients, I failed to respond to his request for a showing on one of my very own listings which turned from Active to AWC in about a day or so and I did not provide him the opportunity to view it!
Turns out that.......
I was the Red Flag! I own it! The NERVE! Surprisingly enough, I behaved in the same manner as the agent and his team I was criticizing!
HUGE WAKE UP CALL!!!!!!!!!!
My thanks and sincerest apologies Realtor Daniel J McNulty.
I appreciate the wake-up call and will do better.
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