Rick's Real Estate Blog

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I am working the floor today, a Sunday afternoon. Of course, I have had a couple of really good calls from people looking to buy properties, it is Sunday afternoon after all. One was from a buyer who was sitting outside a competitor’s listing and wanted me to drive over and show it to them.

Of course, I replied, I am happy to do so let me call the listing agent and let them know. Here is how the process went:

1. Called listing agent’s “direct” number
2. Answered by someone other than the agent
3. I told them I had a buyer that wanted to see 123 main street right away what should I do?
4. She put me on hold.
5. Next thing I know some “showing service” answers the phone.
6. I explain that I want to show 123 main street (all the while my customer’s are on hold on their CELL PHONE!)
7. They ask me for my “agent ID”. Huh?
8. I have no idea what this is, I tell the lady on the other end of the phone obviously somewhere in India or something.
9. She asks if I have ever show a property through her listing service
10. I say no.
11. She says she needs to set up an account for me to be able to show the property
12. I ask her, how long will that take?
13. She says if can happen today if she can verify my information??????
14. I tell her TODAY!!! I have a client sitting outside the house waiting for me to show up!)
15. She says she is sorry but that is what will have to happen.
16. I tell her “that’s a great way to sell!” and hang up.
17. I then explain to my customers, that no, I can’t show you the property today, I am sorry. To them they hear, “this realtor is an idiot who doesn’t want to sell anything”.
18. I call back the agents “direct” line again and get someone other than the agent !!!!!!
19. I tell her to patch me through to the listing company again, she does.
20. I give them all my information around 1PM and they say they will call me back right away
21. It is now 3:50, I am leaving, and I have not received a call.

I have one question for you, do you really think the poor people who are selling this property, at 7% no less, know how difficult it is to show their property? I have a ready, willing, and able buyer that may have written a contract this afternoon who couldn’t even get into the property to see it!

The realtor is one of the largest in the country, I presume they feel they are being efficient using this service, but aren’t they in fact doing a disservice to their customers? I will let you decide, though I would love to hear arguments for doing it this way. Maybe it makes sense? I don’t think so.

Here is how the process that took 21 steps should have taken place. (And would have it you listed the property with me)

1. Call listing agent direct number and they answer their cell phone
2. They ask what time and instruct you to proceed
3. They call the owner and inform them
4. You show the property

Everyone knows I like to break things down into the least common denominator, keep it simple, but geez, should showing a person’s house really be any more difficult than that? And should the seller have to pay a premium for the right to make it more difficult to sell their house? What do you think?

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 4:02 pm and is filed under Home Buying, Home Services . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.