Email Elizabethcomplaints about real estate agents
About Realtors Who Do Not Return Phone Calls
Realtors who do not return phone calls are like a bad apple. About two weeks ago, we received a call from a buyer who had found us online. She was looking for agents who specialize in short sales. She had been trying to obtain information about a condo listed for sale in Rancho Cordova; it was a short sale. This property is listed by an agent from out of the area, by an e-brokerage.
I have been calling, texting and emailing the agent for information for two weeks. These efforts were made to help this poor frustrated buyer as the agent would not even call her back. My phone log shows repeated calls, texts and emails made to this listing agent. To date, no communication from the listing agent. This behavior reflects poorly on Realtor and often is the cause of buyers not having the utmost respect for our profession.
The property is listed as a short sale. The MLS states there were three offers made originally, before the property went pending sale. The commission offered to the buyer’s agent is below the standard buyer’s commission rate. There is not a fixed rate for buyer’s agent commission, but there is a trend you see in MLS. On top of that, lenders mostly approve full commissions, so there is little need to short-change anybody.
I was happy to help facilitate contact information for this very frustrated buyer. She took the time to find us based on a book, the “Short Sale Savior,” written by Elizabeth Weintraub. Maybe a new title could be about Realtors who do not return phone calls on short sales, just kidding.
There are no real estate police to force this agent to cooperate and treat all parties honestly and practice fair dealings. Not doing these things is a potential ethics violation. However, if an out of area agent is not a member of our board, there is little than can be done. Even then the time to file a complaint with the board and make your way up the process can take months.
My suggestion to this buyer was walk away. If you want to buy Rancho Cordova real estate, let one of our exclusive buyer’s agents help you to find another property. She was very grateful for our efforts to help her.
The motto of this story is if you want to buy Sacramento real estate, hire a local Realtor with 5 star reviews, to help you. Additionally, to have any repercussions the listing broker must be a member of our board, Sacramento Association of Realtors. Complaining about Realtors who do not return phone calls will not solve the immediate problem. Our advice, move on and work only with Realtors who are within our local board.
To have phone calls returned when you need professional representation, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors with RE/MAX Gold at 916-233-6759.
— JaCi Wallace
Biggest Peeves Among Home Sellers in Sacramento
There are 3 things I do that other agents don’t seem to do on a regular basis, which is how this Sacramento real estate agent keeps her home sellers happy and content. I know there must be times when an agent looks at my new listing in MLS and wonders how I got that listing and why didn’t he get the listing. What is it about this agent, they may ask? I will tell you. Not only will I tell you but I do so without worrying that oh-my-gosh, now every real estate agent knows my secrets and will steal all of my business in town — because it won’t happen. I’m not bragging, it’s just the way things are.
Deep down my competitors know they should do this, they often just don’t do it.
It’s consistency, overall. Which agents can adopt if they want to badly enough.
The first secret is respond quickly. Don’t take all day to get around to answering an email or return a phone call. People don’t have all day. I don’t have all day. When a potential home seller contacts me, I answer. Naturally, if they leave me a message after hours, that is, after 7 PM or they send an email at 3 AM, they won’t get a response until the morning, but I do address concerns and questions with the fastest speed humanely possible.
The second secret is to answer the phone when it rings. Sometimes, we agents are on the other line when the phone rings and can’t disconnect. But for crying out loud, if an agent is talking to her hairdresser or one of her kids or friends, hang up and take the darn phone call that’s coming in during business hours. What the hey?
The third secret is to keep sellers informed about what’s happening with the sale of their home. Ever since the market shifted 2 years ago and short sales stopped being the dominant sales driver in Sacramento, it’s been a wild ride with those regular home sales. They close so quickly, and often tend to sell quickly, too, if they are priced right. If I hear anything about a home that I think the seller would like to know, I immediately pass on that information. I keep sellers informed. I’d hate for a seller to wonder what’s happening.
How do I know sellers want a Sacramento real estate agent to perform in this manner? Because they tell me so. My mission is to consistently perform.
