MAKE Buyer's Agents Earn Their Money

As I spin off to Greg Nino's "Just Call the Listing Agent" and his ending quote of:  "Buyer's Agents work for Buyers. Don't "let" them earn their money - MAKE THEM" and my post of the other day, I thought I'd share another buyer agent/listing agent story.

By way of background, I currently have two listings in East Orange, NJ. Keep in mind that I am a full service agent and all my listings are full service, exclusive rights to sell.  I do not handle any limited service type deals.

A buyer's agent calls me last weekend and wants to take her buyer to see both of them.  The first one could not be shown on Saturday due to showing restrictions for that day only.  Needless to say she shows up at the restricted listing anyway and now my seller (frightened by "strangers" walking around the property) calls her son to come home from work.  Needless to say, he's a fireman so he now pulls up in the big red firetruck and the agent says to him..."sorry, we didn't call you."   After he explains that he lives there and she is not to be on the property, he calls me and I get on the phone with her and again reconfirm our earlier conversation that she cannot show the house today and to please leave the property.  She is trespassing at this point and that my seller could have and should have called the cops instead of calling her son.  After sitting on the front porch steps for a while, updating her keypad....she eventually leaves. 

Next I get a call from seller #2 who tells me that not only did he, THE SELLER have to show his house as the agent WAITED in the foyer, she started asking him how much less he'd take to sell and starts throwing numbers out at him.  Stepping aside from the latter part of that sentence, since when does the buyer's agent NOT show the home to her buyer even if the homeowner is willing to guide the tour.  (Meanwhile he wasn't going to give the tour but was going to sit in the den with his children but since the agent was NOT doing her job, he wasn't going to let the buyer walk aimlessly through his house UNATTENDED).  He politely responds to her "verbal" numbers saying that she should direct all inquiries to me. 

This past Friday I get a call again from this buyer's agent saying that her buyer liked property #2 (they never did reschedule property #1) and that her buyer wanted to bring her fiance on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.  Sure, no problem, I gave my sellers a courtesy call and the appointment was set.  Saturday morning I get a call from the agent at 11:25 a.m. (no big deal I figured they were running a little late...it happens) however that was not the case.  The agent wanted to confirm that the owners are at home.  I told her I wasn't sure if they'd be home or not but to use the lockbox and any "questions" be directed to me not the seller. 

She then continues to say that she is NOT (yeah, you heard me NOT) going with them but she assumed the owners would let the buyers in.  Why would my sellers let buyers into their home without agent representation!  AM I MISSING SOMETHING!!!!  She didn't think it would be a big deal since the owners were home last week plus her keypad was reading an error and she couldn't fix it and the house across the street was letting them in.  (Although I cannot speak on behalf of the agent/owner for the house across the street but that house too is listed with a broker but if they agreed to let the buyers in, that's really none of my business or concern). 

LONG PAUSE..............I took a deep breath to recompose myself and told her to get in touch with her buyers because they were not allowed access to the property without an agent.  She still didn't see why I was making such a big deal of things!  Again....AM I MISSING SOMETHING????  For what its worth, she is from a big, well-known real estate company too so its not like she's not from this area or where she comes from things are done differently.

With that I called my sellers, advised them not to let the buyers in because their agent refused to accompany them to the showing.  I checked back with them later and she obviously got a hold of her buyers because they never did show up there.  My sellers are confused as to why she thought that they could come without her and honestly I'm just as puzzled as they are.

I have sat many open houses where buyers come in, hand me their agents card or sign in noting their agent's name, etc. and I'm fine with that but to send their buyers to my seller's house without accompanying them...is crossing the line!!   Why would a buyer want a buyer's agent who isn't even willing to go out and SHOW them the homes. 

BUYERS BEWARE - if your agent can't even accompany you on property showings, do you really believe that THAT agent is capable of representing you in what is probably the biggest purchase you will ever make in your life?  Think again!  Showing homes is the easiest part of the home buying transaction.

Again, quoting Greg and this time it may even be an understatement as far as this buyer's agent goes,

"Buyer's Agents work for Buyers. Don't "let" them earn their money - MAKE THEM"

Gina Chirico, Sales Associate

973-715-1158 cell

973-992-6363 ext 116 office

Gina.Chirico@PrudentialNewJersey.com

 As always, Essex County Real Estate at its BEST!

 
Gina Chirico, Sales Associate
Lattimer Realty
397 Route 46 West 
Walgreens Shopping Plaza
Fairfield, NJ 07004 
Cell: 973-715-1158
Office: 973-575-6353 ext 17
Fax: 973-882-8543
http://GinaChiricoRealEstate.com
Gina@GinaChiricoRealEstate.com

****With deep roots in Essex County, I service buyers and sellers throughout many Essex County towns and neighboring Morris, Passaic and Union Counties, specializing in the West Essex Communities of Fairfield, Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Roseland, Essex Fells, Verona and Cedar Grove and my hometown areas of Belleville, Bloomfield, Nutley and Little Falls.****

 

When Opportunity Knocks...Make Sure Gina Chirico is There to Answer Your Door!

                     

 

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