Holiday Weekends and Real Estate
While I did enjoy a full day of, and half of another this Memorial Day weekend, I was shocked by the attitude by many listing agents and sellers had this weekend. One incident in particular really set me off.
Let me begin by saying, I believe 100% that we do not have to devote our lives to the pursuit of real estate. However, if we choose to take time off, having someone to cover for you is a MUST. After all, we are to look after the best interests of our clients, and sometimes, that is time sensitive. It doesn't wait for your cookout weekend to be over. Deadlines in real estate are firm. And whether you are representing buyers or sellers, the effects of deadlines trickle down.
My buyers were rethinking their home purchase. They are under contract and their last "out" in the contract was up Monday, Memorial Day, at 9pm. The neighborhood was concerning them, and they needed to see some alternatives immediately. There isn't much on the market as homes in their price range are flying off the shelves. So I set up appointments to show them a few properties. One such property was in exactly the neighborhood they had wanted, but nothing had been available when the home they were now rethinking. When I had to dig deeper for information on the HAP aspect of the sale, and what time frames my buyers would be encountering, I was ignored. No call back or email from the listing agent. These were answers I needed as the buyers were also sellers who had a limited rent back.
I had explained in my messages the need for immediate information to the listing agent. The sellers were cooperative and were going to let us see the property on Sunday, but the listing agent was stonewalling me. So I called the alternate agent. If the listing agent is taking time off, this should be his back up, right? Well, this guy was a trip. He answered his phone, had ZERO knowledge of the property and when I begged him to please have the primary agent call to answer my questions (since I had already called and emailed) he said, "I'm on vacation. It's Memorial Day Weekend." Really? It's Memorial Day Weekend? Thanks for the news flash!
Despite being on vacation, he had answered his phone THEN developed an attitude. Maybe his hands were too full of hot dogs and cold beverages to actually DIAL the phone and ask his partner to help. That's literally all I needed. Clearly, my explanation of the time crunch my buyers were facing was of no concern to him. I wonder how his sellers would feel if it was explained that the lack of help from their crack listing staff ruled out their property for my buyers.
Quality time with family and friends is a must for everyone, but when you are in business, you need to make sure you have coverage for when you are unavailable on high traffic holidays like Memorial Day weekend. The real estate world doesn't shut down because you are taking time off. It's still rolling along. Problem is, your propeties may not sell.
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