DawnM Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I have had a realtor come highly recommended to me. Apparently he is very busy as he is very good. I phoned him last week and he said he wanted me to email him all the info (he was in the car driving and couldn't look it up at the time). An email was sent with all the info, including my phone number. I haven't heard back via email or via phone. It has been 6 days as of today. Do I call again or do I find a new realtor? Part of me thinks it isn't that big of a deal since we aren't selling yet (hope to list by March of next year) but part of me wonders if he will give us the attention we need if he can't even get back to me. It seems to be a bit of a trade off.......get a very highly successful realtor but realize you won't always be able to get a hold of him, or get a realtor not quite so busy but possibly not get your house sold as aggressively either. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 If you're not selling now you're not only not a priority, you're wasting his time. A lot could change between now and March. Get your house ready and call back when you're ready to sign a contract for him to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 No, on the phone I explained that we need some work done on the house and he said he wanted to come see it to give us some pointers and help with figuring out exactly what to do with a few of our projects to make it the most sellable. He is the one who made a big deal about coming out here to see the house. Dawn If you're not selling now you're not only not a priority, you're wasting his time. A lot could change between now and March. Get your house ready and call back when you're ready to sign a contract for him to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 We just went through this, only on the buyer's side. The realtor we contacted initially (supposedly one of the area's "best") didn't respond to our request to view a handful of homes for several days, and when she did, it was to pass us on to one of her colleagues. :glare: We called someone else. Buying or selling, you want someone who communicates promptly with you. There is NO shortage of realtors out there. I think you should find someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I'd call someone else. There are a LOT of very good realtors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 In that case he's a flake and you should find someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I have had a realtor come highly recommended to me. Apparently he is very busy as he is very good. I phoned him last week and he said he wanted me to email him all the info (he was in the car driving and couldn't look it up at the time). An email was sent with all the info, including my phone number. I haven't heard back via email or via phone. It has been 6 days as of today. Do I call again or do I find a new realtor? Part of me thinks it isn't that big of a deal since we aren't selling yet (hope to list by March of next year) but part of me wonders if he will give us the attention we need if he can't even get back to me. It seems to be a bit of a trade off.......get a very highly successful realtor but realize you won't always be able to get a hold of him, or get a realtor not quite so busy but possibly not get your house sold as aggressively either. Dawn Maybe give him another try when you ARE ready to sell. But then be prepared to move on. When selling a house (or buying) you need folks who are responsive. OTOH the realtor has to be responsive to his current clients. Not someone thinking of selling 9 months from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I'd move on. Otherwise I would worry that he would be very responsive while trying to GET the contract, but after he got it, he would let the MLS do the work for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipling Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 When we sold, we went with a realtor who was one of the top-selling in the area; she was also extremely busy, and it felt like we were low on her priority list. If I were to do it again, I would pick a slightly less popular agent who has fewer houses on the market so that we would get more of the agent's attention. So, in your case, I would look for a different agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 He said he wanted to come out and give us suggestions before we did any more renovations. He also said that if we plan to list in Feb/March he would like to take outdoor pictures now so that the trees have leaves, things are bloomed, etc..... he is the one who made a big deal about starting now. Dawn Maybe give him another try when you ARE ready to sell. But then be prepared to move on. When selling a house (or buying) you need folks who are responsive. OTOH the realtor has to be responsive to his current clients. Not someone thinking of selling 9 months from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I would find a new realtor. I called some very good realtors in my neighborhood when I sold my house. One had her nose so high in the air and acted like my house was beneath her. But she would love to list it! I went with the top realtor in the neighboring town who has sold a ton in my neighborhood. I obviously did not have the fanciest house in town but he treated it as if it was a palace (photographer took amazing photos). I listed with him on Tuesday and it was sold by Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Yep I would move on to a new realtor. What would you do in the negotiation stage when he's too busy to respond in a timely manner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I might give him the benefit of the doubt this one time. If he is super busy, your email might have gotten buried in his inbox. I'd give him one more try but tell him that you are interviewing several realtors to determine who would be the best fit for you. And do that. Have three different people come to your house to give you an assessment. They should do this for free. Then pick the one you like the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 One more thing. The high volume realtors sometimes work with a team. Be sure to ask him if he will be helping you personally throughout the whole process. If not, who would you be working with? You would want to meet with that person as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I would move on. I regret our realtor choice. I had clues before we signed with her, but she had a good reputation. I pushed reservations back in my mind. She was frustratingly slow to respond to me, and consistently failed to follow through when she did respond. She did sell our house. I don't feel like she really earned that commission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I would give him the benefit of the doubt this once and email again. If he does not respond within 24 hrs I would move on. It is possible the email got buried or went to spam. My DH is a realtor and it amazes me how quickly his inbox can fill up sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Benefit of the doubt. This time. And ask him about what happened, that he didin't get back in 6 days. Don't be accusatory. Ask him point-blank if the house you are planning to sell is in his wheelhouse, if it is the kind of real estate he is most booked for and most familiar with. Because there has to be SOME reason for that delay...6 days is too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We used a popular and well known realtor once. We'll never make that mistake again. I've found that others are far more willing and able to make an effort to take care of us, take calls, handle things timely in general, and encourage or advise us when needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 He said he wanted to come out and give us suggestions before we did any more renovations. He also said that if we plan to list in Feb/March he would like to take outdoor pictures now so that the trees have leaves, things are bloomed, etc..... he is the one who made a big deal about starting now. Dawn If you called and we had this conversation, I'd consider you a 'hot' prospect....that's the very next thing to being an actual client. I would be all over getting back to you. Have you confirmed that he got your email? Email addys can be tricky sometimes. My only thought is that he is super swamped...but even at that I'd expect a call or a response to an email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I would give him the benefit of the doubt and one more attempt at contact. Maybe even both an e-mail and a voice mail. This is peak selling season in our parts and if you really said you weren't going to go to market until NEXT spring, I can see why that might get pushed down the pile a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I agree with those who suggest one more chance. However, I have a good friend who is a realtor, and she openly says that she keeps her business medium-sized specifically so that she can serve her clients better and more personally. And I know from experience that she really does that. She has high producers in her office, and could certainly adopt their tactics, which would be in her best interests but not those of her clients. I admire her for her ethics. Big is not necessarily bad, but it's not necessarily good either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I would get a new realtor. 6 days is too long. I could see how you might be pushed down the pile for a couple of days, but not 6 days. When we sold our property we had a fantastic realty team of 2 people and I still consider them our friends. Our house was on the market for 5 months (thanks, 2008!) and they never lost focus, talked to us themselves, and returned calls within a couple of hours on the rare occasion they didn't answer the phone. I was completely shocked when I later learned that they had moved close to $50 million in homes and condos that year. I thought maybe they had 3-4 other clients during that time. Love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Get someone else. Don't feel badly about not using Mr. Popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Get someone else. Don't feel badly about not using Mr. Popular. :iagree: The only time we used "Miss Popular" we regretted it. After we signed the contract we found out she has a team and we barely saw her. We made the mistake of laying too many cards on the table (corporate move) and she used that to her advantage. Find somebody who will respect you and your time, and will keep his word. If the guy said he would call you, he should have done so by now. The only way I would use him if he has a valid excuse like a family emergency that took him away from his office/phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 He said he wanted to come out and give us suggestions before we did any more renovations. He also said that if we plan to list in Feb/March he would like to take outdoor pictures now so that the trees have leaves, things are bloomed, etc..... he is the one who made a big deal about starting now. Dawn You can take those pictures yourself and give them to whichever realtor you choose when it's time to sell. He doesn't need to come out for that. We've had Ms. Popular Realtor and won't choose someone like that again; there were too many problems with communication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 You can take those pictures yourself and give them to whichever realtor you choose when it's time to sell. He doesn't need to come out for that. That depends. We found that the pictures our realtor took were much better than any we could take with our own camera. We are house hunting right now, and having high quality photos matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtzc2009 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I'd say get a new realtor! I don't agree with the idea that your not ready to sell so you fall to the bottom of his priority list. Once you contacted him & told him of your intent to sell you are a client and if he doesn't handle you well you'll take your business elsewhere. Thus he just lost a sale/client. To me a good realtor will always communicate quickly & effectively at any stage in the selling/buying process. The market is far to competitive for them to not be following up in a timely manner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 MLS rules here require you to use a photo taken within so many days of the initial listing. I'm not sure how you could use photos taken now for a March listing. It is also a bad sign here to have a summer photo attached to a winter listing; it suggests that your house has been on the market a while. I'd move on....sometimes you need to find a realtor a little hungry for commission money....especially if you are not a high end house. The only reason I *would* stay with him would be if he specializes in your niche market---(there are 1-2 realtors here who handle most houses over $500K, a couple others who specialize in "horse" property, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Well, that is what I was kind of thinking too. The front of our house is in dire need of some landscaping. Because our house is so set back, away from the road, and has a lot of trees, you can't even see the house from the road, so we haven't bothered. We do live on a cul de sac with only 4 homes on it, so that helps too. I thought maybe selling at the end of winter would be an asset! :laugh: It would be expected to not have things growing in front of it! MLS rules here require you to use a photo taken within so many days of the initial listing. I'm not sure how you could use photos taken now for a March listing. It is also a bad sign here to have a summer photo attached to a winter listing; it suggests that your house has been on the market a while. I'd move on....sometimes you need to find a realtor a little hungry for commission money....especially if you are not a high end house. The only reason I *would* stay with him would be if he specializes in your niche market---(there are 1-2 realtors here who handle most houses over $500K, a couple others who specialize in "horse" property, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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