Buyers, Why (Good) Agents Aren't Returning Your Calls
Great advice here from Susan for everyone out there considering buying a home --- finding the RIGHT agent is very different from working with the FIRST agent. Good agents may not answer on the first ring or call you back within 30 seconds ---- and good agents are very worth waiting 24 hours for a return call.
A common complaint about real estate agents is we don't answer our phones.
There is a lot of truth to that; some reasons are justified and others, well, not so much.
Most good agents are, well, busy. They're busy because they're good and they get a lot of their business by referral.
And busy agents are, well, busy doing all the things real estate agents do.
When we're not out showing property to buyers, we're:
- Previewing property
- Meeting with buyers
- Meeting with sellers
- Talking to builders
- Meeting appraisers
- Meeting home inspectors
- Meeting pest control inspectors
- Meeting contractors and handymen
- Checking on vacant properties
- Meeting with home stagers
- Meeting with photographers
- Talking to other agents about listings, offers and feedback
And so on and so forth...you get the drift...
I used to worry about missing phone calls, but now not so much. You know why?
Because motivated buyers who have gotten my phone number from a prior client or from my blog posts will leave a detailed message as to why they are calling - and they will wait for a return phone call because they are specifically calling me.
They are not randomly calling agents until one happens to answer the phone.
They are calling for me, specifically, because they have heard I'm a good agent and will do a good job for them. They are willing to wait until I have a chance to call them back; they understand that good agents are also busy agents and they're worth the wait.
So, if you are randomly calling and just want to get in touch with an agent, any agent, who is available at the last minute to run out and show you property, good luck to you. It may work out just fine for both of you.
If, however, you are calling in the hopes of finding a good agent, you're going to increase your odds by taking these simple steps:
- Leave a detailed message, including name and phone number, as well as the purpose of your call;
- Call more than a day or two before you want to see property; we are really not sitting in the office waiting for the phone to ring;
- Include the phrase "I have already spoken to a lender" and response time will be shorter;
- Mention a friend or family member who referred you and you'll move to the top of the list;
- If you stumbled upon my website or a blog post, mention it - we love hearing that stuff.
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