Communicating: Using our Mouth Words!

I think that next to Location-Location-Location, Communication-Communication-Communication are the next 3 more important words in real estate!

The flip side of this is the ones who do nothing but talk and talk and never do what they say. Wonderful communicators with no "follow through" leaving YOU to do it all if it's going to get done.

Lazy folks come in all kinds of packages just like quality folks do!

I have never figured out why it is some agents can't simply pick up the phone or sit down and type an email to just pass on a simple message. It really does make things run a little more smooth when we all know what's happening.

Any agent that doesn't use email, check it on an hourly basis is not going to make it in this business.  Any one that can't shoot off a quick, got your email reply, seriously. that takes 2 seconds. I love it when it says in the MLS, do not call me or our office, do not contact us in any way except with an offer, and even then don't call us. if you win the bidding war, you will get a call.  Sheesh.

Communication is so important.  My poor First Time FHA buyer just lost out on another home.  Only two agents have ever bothered to e-mail me on the situation, and one was nice enough to call; I think highly of her.  Are you listening Monica Chavez - Thank you for being so polite.

So much easier not to communicate; then you can just cause frustration and confusion. LOL

Wow, it's surprising that this agent is still working as a realtor

carla, this blog entry touches on a several very important points.  failure to deal timely during business hours is inexcusable, as is the inability to make the home available for the appraiser.  everyone has email and a voice mail at the very least, many of us have assistants that can handle the mundane stuff.

that said, sunday?  come on...give the guy a break.  and 24/7 is beyond ridiculous and a sure way to burnout.  there is little that can be done after hours or on  a weekend that cannot be done during reasonable business hours.

that the appraiser would want ANYONE to drop what they were doing to open  a home on short notice is silly.  their failure to plan is not your emergency. 

i decided years ago that my personal life is more important as my professional one and resolved to not allow other agents or clients to set my business hours.

Alot of agents don't tell anyone when they go out of town. Then when your talking to them about something they tell you they're at the airport in Oregon & don't have the file with them??????  Yeah, I guess it's not in your overnighter.  Don't know what to say, other than for some reason the listing agent didn't want you in the loop. 

It is important to be able to have some personal time and not work 24/7 and most people can understand and respect that but communication is the key in all things.  If you tell people you work with what your hours are, then they know how to work with you to get the best results (ie: "I return calls at 10 AM and 4 PM daily", or "On Saturdays and Sundays my schedule is consistantly booked, so I return calls and answer e-mails in the evening", or whatever may apply).  If you keep it a big secret, and other agents can't reach you, then you are not being fair to the sellers, buyers or other agents.  People get more upset about not knowing what's going on than they do about working with someone else's schedule.

I've known too many listing agents who also seem to think that putting the sign in the front yard means their job is almost complete and assume that the buyer's agent will take care of the details because they want the deal to close (I actually had an agent say that out loud to me and to at least two other agents I knew).

A good way to keep things balanced is to have set times that you deal with messages (phone & e-mail).  For example, it is not too invasive of someone's personal time to check their e-mail once a day on their time off and respond as needed.  For urgent (such as "I have an offer to present!"), give the appropriate response.  For the routine, a simple "Got your message, Thanks. I'm working on that / I'll have that for on____, etc").  Simple Courtesy goes a long way toward successful working relationships, closed transactions and building referral business for the future.

Evening Carla,  Great reminder of how we need to be a little more considerate of each other.  I wonder if that agent will be reading this ?  You're preaching to the choir here.

Communication is absolutely necessary in our business. Not communicating is rude and unprofessional

Lack of communication - one of my biggest pet peeves!  The worst is when several parties involved in the transaction (that could include buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, etc.) do not communicate.  That is a disaster waiting to happen...