I recently heard a story from a buyer -- or at least that's what I wish it were. Unfortunately I suppose it is true. She told me that she had a real estate agent say she would meet her at a property in order to show it .... not once ... not twice ... yes, three times. After that this buyer gave up on the agent. She probably gave up on all of us.
Now I can come up with a few different reasons why this agent might have blown off these appointments as I'm sure most agents could, but none of them excuse the agent's behavior. So I say if a buyer wants an agent to take him or her seriously, there are a few things they can do to signal that they are serious --
1. meet with the agent their office, at least initially, to go over things
2. be willing to at least look at the Buyers Broker agreement form, and listen to what the agent has to say about it (or even sign it, that would be radical)
3. be prequalified and be able to talk budget.
And if agent's don't ask for these things, then buyers won't know what's expected and/or may still be inclined to abuse you. Without those three things, I would doubt the seriousness of a buyer. And that's ok. Maybe theyre not prepared to buy for awhile yet, maybe theyre still in the process of determining which agent to hire. That's cool. Just say so, and I can figure out a way to help a buyer with their search that doesn't waste anyone's time but still provides value.
Certainly promising to meet someone and standing them up is NOT the solution.
Just like anyone, we only have so much time in our days. Preferably we'd like to spend it with people whom we respect and -- dare I say it -- respect us.
;)
;)
