It never ceases to amaze me that the Homebuyers I have run into lately just do not understand that buying a home is serious business and requires someone assisting them that looks out for there best interests.
We remember in our training that for the longest time until recently on the galactic time line, there waas no such thing as a buyer's agent ; that only the sales agent selling a home existed. The buyers were on their own. Then laws came up about disclosure and the buyer's agent was born.
I dont think much has changed really...in a buyer's mind.
Lately this is what has happened in my realm:
Had a buyer come through my open house three weeks ago and they wanted to write an offer on another neighboring house I showed them that day. They were ecstatic that the home was perfect and they even measured where their furniture would go. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEIR LISTING AGENT WAS NOT ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE AND SHE DID NOT LIKE HIS "TOO GOOD FOR THEM" ATTITUDE.
At the contract signing they stalled because they she started to think about the tax liability of a property switch despite the fact my research showed that they, because of her age could retain her property tax. They then wanted to rely on the tax position of their listing agent, despite the fact that this agent was not licensed to dispense tax advice ( I am a tax preaparer too with a CTEC license). Some checking determined that the office listing agent would not even have my offer considered (it was 13% off of list price).
In the end they wanted to only work with their agent only 24 hours later.
A week later I found them a property in the same area within their means and these buyers were offended that I was still going out of my way trying to help them,despite they had bad vibes with their listing agent.
More recently a brother/sister were going to buy a duplex to live in together. I had been working with the brother for 5 years on and off. I met with them on Saturday and wanted them to sign an exclusive representation agreement. The brother was ok but sister claimed I had not been in touch with her ( I was never able to get the sister on the phone but I could always follow up with the brother.) The sister said she was talking to another Realtor and so they agreed to meet and interview her.
As of today, brother called me and was shocked that other Realtor said I was not doing my job and subsequently supposedly she was in contract on a home (wonder what "shiny" thing she was told ie "flash a shiny object and they will be attracted"). As it is, the brother is going to work with me to find him his own home.
Homebuyers just dont get it: Many times their home buying success is a product of their own dedication. Not what any one agent finds them...but it is just because they are in the right place at the right time.
They forget that there is alot of diligence and that is why we agents get our 2 or 3 % or whatever...not because we turn keys.
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You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
By the way, I wrote a similar blog on this, you may want to check it out....http://reopro.ning.com/profiles/blogs/what-the-public-thinks-about-...
Hey John,
After reading this, I thought I would pile on a little. I can't stand it when I go to a listing appointment, ask the seller's, "How many agents they have seen before me?" and I am told...oh, 2 or 3 and then when I get to the listing price.....I hear gasp and see a chin hit the floor. The seller's say things like, "oh...no, that isn't going to work, agent # 1 said she could sell the house for 20k more than that" and then I ask them, "did you see her comparative analysis"? All of a sudden, a uncomfortable silence falls over the room and they say, "no, we didn't see an analysis", then I normally ask, "well, based on my analysis here, on the sales in your neighborhood, did you see anything I may have missed or have any questions about what I came up with?" I actually had a client tell me one time, "No...it all looks right but, Agent # 1 said she could sell it for 20k more so, can you sell it for that?" I tried to explain how the appraisal process works, I tried to explain how the agent maybe trying to buy the listing....I did everything I could to save this seller from what was going to be certain foreclosure. None the less, I didn't get the listing and about a week later, I saw it on the MLS for literally 20k more than my CMA suggested list price. 6 months later, I saw it listed again, with another agent, as a REO.......wow.