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Amazing what agents will do!

By
Real Estate Agent with Kendall Haney Realty Group

Well here is a new situation.  I am an Associate Broker at one firm while my Significant Other is an Associate Broker at another firm.  He had an interesting situation happen today.

One of his sales associates had a "Buyer Agency" agreement.  Now in this area we are tri-jurisdictional so if you are licensed in all 3 jurisdictions (states of MD & VA and the District of Columbia which isn't a state) and you are showing properties in all 3 jurisdictions you have to have a Buyer Agency Agreement in all 3.  In Maryland if you don't, you have what is called Presumed Buyer Agency.

So the client goes to another Realtor because the REALTOR she had been working with didn't get back to her when she wanted to see properties; took a couple of days to return phone calls, basically acted pretty unprofessional.

So my Significant Other was working with his associate to try and work through the issue.  The buyer didn't remember signing a Buyer Agency Agreement, but she told him that with all the paperwork that she had been signing on the sale of her home that she might have signed paperwork.  She couldn't remember.

My Significant Other called the agent almost a week ago and asked the Associate to fax over the Buyer Agency Agreement to him.  He had spoken to the Managing Broker at the other firm and they had said that they would of course not intentionally try to violate the Buyer Agency Agreement with the other Broker.

Well it took 6 days.  My Significant Other called the Associate and told her that she had to get the Buyer Agency Agreement to him by Noon today.  A little bit past Noon she appeared in his office.  She looked at him and told him that there never was a Buyer Agency Agreement and she was bluffing.  She wanted the commission and thought since the Buyer was a friend of a friend that she could pull it off.

She was incensed when my Significant Other told her that someone with her poor ethics wasn't welcomed in his office any longer.  She left the office and promptly called the Principal Broker and told him that she had been fired. 

She weaved a beautiful tale to the Principal Broker about how she had been scorned, it was racial, is was because she is a woman and anti-heterosexual ... just use your imagination!!!!

Well she didn't get her job back.  And he is considering filing a complaint against her.  What are your thoughts?

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Comments (13)

Fred Jaeger
High Lakes Realty and Property Management - La Pine, OR
Real Estate Connection - Central Oregon

It's not customary in our area to require what we call a"Buyer Service Agreement," but boy am I getting ready to start using it.  Some of my buyers will head for the hills, but maybe that will save me from wasting my time in the first place.

On balance, it might be a plus.

Jun 26, 2008 01:02 PM
Jerry Murphy, CRS, SRES
Long Realty West Valley - Anthem, AZ
Anthem, Phoenix, and Scottsdale AZ Real Estate

My business partner and I keep hoping this market will weed out all the bad agents but it seems that every week we encounter agents that just really shouldn't be in the business at all. Stretching the truth or out and out lies and deception seem to be par for the course for some of these people.  Your signicant other did the right thing.  And for someone like that agent to use claims of discrimination is ludicrous.  There is no discriminating against poor ethical standards.  Good for him.

Jun 26, 2008 01:15 PM
Anonymous
Not Yet Licensed

Hi Dana,

You live in a wild town,  That's another story that needs to go into your reality show about real estate agents and brokers.  I'm telling you.  It will be a smash hit!  :)

Bruce

Jun 26, 2008 01:29 PM
#3
Lisa Friedman
Alliance Realtors - Bedminster, NJ
Central New Jersey Real Estate

I have been the recent victim of two other parties trying to get in on my commission - when they didn't even show the houses or have a buyer agency agreement.  They just decided to write offers on houses that I had shown.  This market breeds desperate people.  I won the procuring cause suit by the way.

Jun 26, 2008 01:38 PM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Way to complicated set of circumstances to grasp from one blog post.  I recommend that your S.O. document the time line and conversations that took place NOW while it is fresh on their mind.  Keep it filed in case something comes up again.  Filing a complaint seems a bit drastic but perhaps when everything is outlined on paper the Principal Broker can decide whether a compaint is warrented. Otherwise it is a let it go experience.

Jun 26, 2008 01:56 PM
James Downing - Metro DC Houses Team REALTORS®, CRS, GRI, ABR,MRP, MilRes
Real Living | At Home - Washington, DC
When Looking to Buy or Sell - Make the Right Move

Anti-Hertosexual?  I love it.  Tell her she was discriminated because she was a Idiot.  I think thats called Anti-Idiot.

Jun 26, 2008 02:13 PM
Pippa Mac
Chevaux Group Realtor, The Woodlands and Spring - The Woodlands, TX
The Woodlands TX Real Estate

 

Hmmmm ... I don't care what "card" someone tries to play ... there are ethics that we all need to stand by.

www.PippaMAC.com

 

Jun 26, 2008 07:04 PM
Amy Salisbury
Leading Edge Properties - Charles Town, WV
West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley

Dana,

Just another example of one agent making all of us look bad.  Pathetic, really, on the "idiot's" part.  I don't think its too drastic to file a complaint.  We all need to police ourselves.  Good luck to your S.O.!

Amy Salisbury

Jun 27, 2008 06:06 AM
Marie Meyer
Keller Williams Realty - Central Valley, NY
Orange County New York Realtor

Hi Dana ... The agent lacks ethics and was underhanded to boot.  Of course, she will say anything to get herself out of the hole into which she crawled.  In my experience, too few complaints are filed against unethical agents, and they continue to make our business an unpleasant one in which to work. 

Jun 27, 2008 11:43 PM
Dr. Stacey-Ann Baugh
Century 21 New Millennium - Upper Marlboro, MD
A doctor who makes house calls.

It really is quite amazing what people will do when they don't want to look bad.  Good luck with all that.

Jun 28, 2008 01:06 AM
Mary Strang
Viroqua, WI

More realty drama, in commission sales work, drama will always be there. Some agent have the unique ablility to be really ugly, yell louder than anyone on the planet and become shockingly unprofessional when fighting over potential commission dollars.  I would bet the majority of the fights start over a buyer that has jumped ship to another agent for what ever reasons.

Jun 28, 2008 01:51 AM
J Perrin Cornell
Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate - Wenatchee, WA
Broker, ABR, VAMRES

What goes around comes around...eventually. But there are always a few.

Jun 28, 2008 05:23 AM
Kathy Anderson
Arizona Luxury & Lifestyle Living - Cave Creek, AZ
Arizona Homes For Sale

We have an agent in our office that pulls that kind of crap all the time and up to this point the broker hasn't done anything about it.  I think she is a tremendous liability to the company and I am surprised they haven't cut her loose.

Jul 05, 2008 02:46 AM