There Are Agents ... And There Are Agents

A few weeks ago I was opening the door to let the agent to show my listing, which is a nicely remodeled unit in on the 8^th floor of Oceans Five in Daytona Beach Shores. I know that this unit is one of the two nicest (the other one being my listing in Oceans Seven, unit 704, which is new after complete make over). It was not yet listed at time of showing, so, I mentioned it to the agent, Cyndi McFarran of ReMax Signature.

She immediately told me it would not work for her clients as they have a dog, and Oceans Five allows a dog, and Oceans Seven doesn’t. You see, Cyndi did her homework. She has a list of all condos in the Daytona Beach Shores within her clients’ price range, and she checked every parameter important to her clients.

I love agents like Cyndi. I am so tired of agents, who are more like useless guides lost in the condos, that they are supposed to know. They bring customers and waste ton of your time, and then you call and they tell you that their clients can’t afford the condo. No, it is not that my Seller is asking $200,000, and they would like to start with $175,000 offer, which would not have a chance to get accepted.

No, their customers are looking for something under $100,000…. Or they have 3 large dogs, and there is a “no pets” policy, or they have 3 cars and need three reserved spaces… does not matter what, it is always something that agent could and should have figured BEFORE making the appointment with the Listing agent.

That’s why I love Cyndi McFarran, and will rush to open the door to her customers any time she calls. I know that I am not going to get a BS Offer from her customers.

It reminded me a different story. An agent, who I know quite well, called me on my Listing in Marina Grande on the Halifax. It was (we closed it last week) a 2 bdr/2 baths unit on the 14^th floor. It is a gated complex and you need to give them your first born to get into, so she asked me to get her and her customers in.

Fine. She will be there at 1 PM and I will wait for her by the gate. I am there by 1 PM, make arrangements with Security… and then I am waiting, and waiting, and waiting… It is summer, no shade by the gate, and they are not there.

At 1:30 PM I am calling her.

- Oh, they are not coming.

- What happened?

- They said maintenance fee is too high.

Was it less when she called me? Why wouldn’t she first check with her customers about the maintenance fee? It is fine that her customers do not want to look at condos with high maintenance fee, but shouldn’t the agent figure this BEFORE begging for the appointment…

- So, why didn’t you call me and tell me not to wait for you under the July scorching sun?

- I am sorry…

I feel sorry too… for her customers. Because first she sets the appointment on the go… and second, when she cancels it because of high maintenance fee. If her customers were looking for condos, they got to expect that all condos come with maintenance fee.

If the agent would read what is covered by the fee, she would notice that besides “regular” stuff that every condo includes in the maintenance fee, Marina Grande on the Halifax goes farther. There are no hot water heaters in the units, they have a central boiler in the garage. So, you do not pay for heating your water. Plus they include high speed Internet into the fee, so if you figure this, the maintenance fee looks better now. it is now comparable to some other condos.

How do you expect agents explain these things to their customers, when they do not have a clue about these things, and when they did not spend time on preparing for the showings?

Oh, well… there are agents … and there are agents