As a listing agent, I often have to educate buyers' agents, which I have no problem doing, but if you don't listen, it may cost you and your client time and money.
A couple months ago, I took a listing on a short sale. It was a good property and we quickly got an offer, my buyers accepted and I advised the buyers' agent to NOT deposit any money into escrow and write an addendum to the contract so that the inspection period and the earnest money didn't need to be deposited with title, until the contract was accepted by the banks.
Fast forward two months when the 2nd bank wasn't working with my seller either and it didn't look like the bank was going to budge and the house was going to go in to foreclosure. My sellers, tired of the calls, letters, and the non response when it came to trying to get the negotiator to work with them on the short sale, packed up their stuff in the middle of the night one night and moved away. (Unfortunately I didn't know where to and had no way to contact them.)
So, I call the other agent and inform them what was going on and that if they wanted to they could send over the cancellation notice and I would mail it to the sellers address and hope that they decided to forward their mail. This is when the buyer's agent asks me "How do we get our money out of escrow?"
WHAT? You deposited the money in escrow? I told you not to until the bank accepted it. It turns out the title company didn't want to release the funds until the seller signed the termination agreement for liability reasons since we were still technically still under contract, despite the bank not responding and the seller was no where to be found. It now has been 1 month since that first call and the buyer still doesn't have their money because the buyer's agent didn't listen to my advice.
I was saddened when the buyer called me directly and said, "We want our money, why didn't you tell us that this could happen?" I had to say to them, "Your agent did know about this. I told them on the phone and via e-mail. You need to contact your agent. I'm truly sorry, if I knew where the seller was, I know I could get that signature for you, but I don't."
So, buyers agents, if the listing agent gives you some advice on how to do something that is in you and your clients best interest, I suggest you listen and maybe it will save you some sleepless nights trying to figure out how to fix something. By the way, this also can apply to listing agents getting advice from a buyer's agent, but this story wasn't that.
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