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Things that blow my mind!

So, I have this client who is looking for the "needle in a haystack" house. You know the house, everything included plus a bunch of land for a penance. We don't have many of those on the market anywhere.

Well, we found THE house. It is all that and a biscuit!

So, my mind is blown because the agent is MIA. I have left two voice mail messages and two email messages in the past 21 hours. "I hate to be a pest. I have an offer for your house at ..." And, get this, the agent is related to the seller. Truly, his family must be more forgiving than my family!

Each and every one of our businesses depend on each other. Have I been spinning my wheels showing this home? We have visited three times.

What about the extended time on market? It has been on the market for a while. Could this be why? Are other agents desperately trying to buy this home too?

Does the agent not feel the same sense of urgency that I feel for my client's properties? I suppose I am unaware that there is EVER a market so good that you can just ignore the buyers.

Dear Every Other Professional REALTOR,

I look forward to selling your homes and I can hardly wait for you to sell one of mine!

I am so excited about a transaction with you that I can promise that I will do all I can to get the needed information where it needs to be and keep the transaction moving.

Neither you nor my clients will ever have to wonder where I am or why I disappeared. The only thing that will blow your mind is how well I represent my client and how smoothly the transaction goes!

I look forward to it! Thank you, Virginia Halter

Posted by Virginia Halter Broker, ABR, CRS on 01/09/2008 08:34 AM

Comments (23)

seller representation, buyer representation, concord real estate

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23 Comments on Things that blow my mind!

JAN

2008

Call the broker, you may get the agent mad but so what if the deal goes through.

I wonder if the sellers know the agent isn't available? Calling the bic would be the next logical step, you have the proof you've tried to reach the agent, it's ultimately the firm representing the seller anyway...

Faxing the offer to the office will get their attention too... But OMG 21 hoiurs without instant gratification. Come on... I always allow 48 hours on my offers...

cary

Virginia: YOU GO GIRL!! I only wish I could work with YOU! I have the same problem with agents. I love when it says agent must accompany and you can't find the agent. I once had one call me back a week later and say "sorry,I was busy". Fortunatelyl, my client bought something else. Too busy to show a listing? She's from a big office too. Hello... Don't you have an agent in your office to work with you? I carry a lot of lisitngs with all different showing instructions due to pets, owners schedules, etc. I do whatever I have to and get the property shown!! Loved your letter, but the key here is Dear professional Realtor! The agent in your example wouldn't recognize herself, I'm sure!

I agree with Virginia in her wanting the "quick" communication. Things move very quickly here. One would think that when a seller wants to sell - they want to sell. When a buyer wants to but - they want to buy. 48 hours? Not here, not acceptable. There may not be an acceptance or a counter offer but you at least make contact to stay in touch and keep each other in the loop.

I can't believe an agent will disappear and not present an offer. That's one of my favorite tasks....negotiate a sale for a seller.

I have been gripping about agents not returning calls for months now. I bet their client would blow a gasket.

I hate to keep the agent bashing going, buuuttt I have to say you are are so right, it makes you wonder how some of these agents stay in business. They NEVER answer their phones, I know some that I have never had an answered call and IF they call you back it is to say I'm sorry I am at the beach, I'm in Vegas and didn't hear the phone ring over the slot machines and so on, and worse yet they have assistants who are too busy to answer the phone too. It is hard to explain to a buyer with an offer that the agent is MIA for a day or two. I want these listings! They don't deserve them! I answer my phone and emails promptly if not immediately. If I have an offer on one of my properties I am in contact with my seller ASAP that's what he hired me to do. SELL IT I am all for contacting the BIC. We are in business to sell real estate and if we can form great relationships with each other along the way then that is great, otherwise the agent will just have to be mad and will get over it or not... Gotta go my phone is ringing

Sally in Greenwood at RE/MAX Action Realty

Lake Greenwood SC Real Estate

At Home Carolina

Southern Homes & Land

Living Green

Go around the agent to the broker. Or if you have a showing service that provides feedback to the client and agent. Send a feedback email stating that you have a contract to submit. That will get fire under the agent via the client.

Right the broker needs to know the agent is non responsive. Good Luck.

It is amazing isn't it? I had a couple once who had his, her's and their kids. They wanted a six bedroom house in a particular area. By God if I didn't find it for them by contacting an old expired that had expired about a year and a half before.

It was a bit rough...these folks had kids too, but basically in good physical shape. My people looked at it and said that it needed too much work! I just about shook them by their ears! Too much work!

We ended up negotiating new carpet and the walls to be painted. They later wrote me a note thanking me for being firm with them!

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.

I recently had a property that my client wanted to see that was listed by another agency and listed as "active". The showing instructions said to give a courtesy call to the listing agent and to go direct and use the lockbox. I made the call to the agent the day before, left a message with the time I was going to show and also left my phone number. When I got to the property the next day, the homeowner was there and had no idea that I was coming. The agent never called her or me. She then told me she thought the property was under contract but wasn't sure because she hasn't talked to her agent in 2 weeks. "She's impossible to get a hold of". To make matters worse, the agent was a relative. Incredible!

Cary - My stush is with the fact that the listing agent wouldn't return my calls of interest. Not that she hasn't accepted an offer. I want my client acknowledged by the listing agent. By the same token though, I do not allow 48 hours on an offer. It depends on the time of day but usually 24 hrs is long enough to respond with acceptance or counter.

Chris and Diane M - My nest step is to call the BIC. I hate the idea of someone getting in trouble over a phone call but I also hate that we have to police ourselves in this business. Our profession looks poor when there are some who don't follow the rules of engagement.

Diane L - Amen sister!!! That is exactly why I worded like that. We are all Professional REALTORS. I have two children and a life as well but I am not doing real estate on the side. It is a professional career. When you think of having the responsibility of someone's home on your shoulders, you have to take that seriously and professionally!

Leesa - You hit the nail on the head! Communication is all we are asking for. Are you at a casino? Then what time is convenient. Playing golf? At the spa? Who is your back up?

Kay - It is a high isn't it!

John - And the client is related to the listing agent! Another reason not to work with family!

Sally - This is nothing about agent bashing!!! I love and need other agents to keep my sellers and buyers happy with all of our inventory; working together!!! This is about professionalism. We all need to start demanding it of other agents! Thanks for stopping by.

Ive never heard of an agent not getting back with someone A.S.A.P. bad business and just plain rude!

Carol Nova Star

Mary and Terry - Exactly right! Thanks for stopping in!

Carol - I have said it before and I will say it again. Amen sister!!

Bob - Man that is cool that you found them a house that wasn't even there! Congratulations on getting them to see straight with a good shaking!

Jim - OMG!!! Seriously, how does a homeowner not know if they are under contract. I hope you sent that to the MLS board for an MLS voilation (if nothingelse).

I can't stand it when you can't contact the other agent! How do these people get the listing? It just doesn't make sense to me.

It makes you wonder doesn't it!!!

JAN

2008

Here I am with an update. I gave one last call to the agent yesterday afternoon. One last ditch effort before calling the BIC! The agent answered the phone. I introduced myself and this is the response I got, "You won't believe me but I was just getting ready to call you." YEA RIGHT!!!

At any rate, it sounds as though we will be able to work things out. Maybe a good transaction is all that is needed to jump start this agent to accept phone calls and sell more real estate!! Only time will tell...

What do we expect when we, as a group of "professionals", allow just about anyone into the business, when there is plenty of activity to go around?

When a large percent of people are in the business as a sideline, those of us that are "career" minded, must take up the slack.

It is incumbent on us to deliver all offers as soon as possible, whether we have a cooperating fellow agent or not. Make the effort to contact the listing agent. Then contact the Broker-in-charge through your Broker-in-charge. If no reasonable response is received, go directly to the seller. Just be sure to document your actions and times of calls. Your client is the Buyer, not the other agent or the seller. It won't take long for the listing agent to get the message and get back to paying attention to his/her duties.

The next step to take is to get involved on the Professional Standards/Ethic committee or the MLS committee or something at the Board level. Help educate your fellow members about the disadvantages of this kind of laxity.

The next step is to insist that the Real Estate Commission increase the standards and licensing requirements to get into the business. Write them letters requesting those higher standards.

The next step is to find a Broker to work for that does not believe in the "throw mud on the wall to see if it sticks" theory.

Its all about quality, not quantity!

JAN

2008

Don - I would love to see the rules change on our education and other requirements for getting into real estate. We aren't desperate for everyone to join the field. We handle major transactions on a daily basis. We need the Top 10 percent! I know that the commission wants all of the dues. I accept that! So raise the dues for the rest of us. I would be willing to pay more to stay in business if that is what it would take to clean up our reputation. HAPPILY!!!

JAN

2008

I've had to delete my response 3 times, for fear something might come out wrong. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is working with certain agents. I cannot tell you how many times in the last year that all I needed to get a deal going was the agent to fax me the contract, and it took them 2, sometimes 3 weeks after it was signed by the buyer AND seller to get it to me. I can't do anything without it. I can't order appraisal or title, and without appraisal and title, I can't submit it to the lender. THEN the agent is on the phone screaming at ME because the deal doesn't close on time, or right on the day the contract expires. Well duhhhhh!!!!

grrrrr....I feel your pain.

www.brokershawna.com

MAY

2008

Hi Virginia,
Unbelievable! Two voice mails and two emails in 21 hours? Enough is enough... I'd be on the phone with the BIC, unless of course, the agent is the BIC.

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