Realtors and housing (Casper, Sheridan, Cody: appointed, sale, real estate)

[stuff]

Why does it seem so hard to find a realtor in Wyoming? We have CASH in hand, ready to buy a home. We've looked on realtor.com and have emailed realtors about their listings on there. But we can't get anyone to reply to us. Why?

[ElkHunter]

Where are you looking to buy? What town? Or have you made up your mind yet?

Here in Sheridan, we have some wonderful realitors. Most any of them are good. I used one and had great luck, but my brother used a different one and had just as good of experience.

Do you have an area in mind?

[sunsprit]

I think we've had this discussion numerous times on this forum ... the simple reality is that most real estate agents in the area set a low level of performance as the norm.

Most of them, in my experience, sit around waiting for "found" money ....

I've been a cash investor, ready, willing, and able to do a deal on numerous properties throughout Eastern, Northern, and Central Wyoming ... even looked at some, toured them with or without the agent, had some questions about the property .... and never had a follow-up call or response. The message was clear, these folks ... for the most part ... are not professionals in any sense of the word.

Some posters on this forum claim they've had a good experience with an agent in Wyoming. I'd advise you to read through the posts, find those people, and PM them for the names of the folks they were happy to do business with. Earniefan, if I remember right, said she'd had a good real estate agent in Wyoming. There were others, too ...

I've tried to work with over 30 realtors in this state. Even the four that I finally bought properties through don't call me for follow-up .... except for one who has a "deal" on a place for which the only information he has is the acreage and the price ... virtually no details that might be important, like water, soils, structures, house, or other valuable aspects ... and every one he's called me on needed an immediate over the phone yes or no decision. Sorry, but I'm not buying overpriced property without functional water just because he needs a commission soon so he can pay his bills. That total doesn't even include all the agencies I walked into the floor agent tossed me their multi-list or in-house listings book and invited me to search through it for the property I wanted to buy ... or was only willing to give me vague directions on how to find a place so I could check it out for myself, or vague answers to essential questions about a place. Sorry, life's too short to hand a commission over for virtually no service or expertise or knowledge ... I felt sometimes like I should have left a nickle tip on the counter for what little effort the agent was willing to spare me.

If you're coming from an area of the country where real estate agents are pro's and provide quality service to earn their commission, you are going to be mostly very disappointed with the ethics, standards, and service available here. You will have to aggressively seek to complete a deal ... and, in my experience, hold the hand of the agent at almost every step of the way to complete a deal through a closing.

[little peg]

Just maybe they do things a little different that where you are?

[ruggedindividual]

I don't know...we've worked with two really good ones here in Buffalo. Where are you looking?

[Kristynwy]

I have heard that ERA in Sheridan has some really good realtors...

So far I have had bad experiences with several realtors, but I have met people that found a couple good ones at the same time...

I had a realtor from Century 21 that helped us find this place to rent, it is run down and in awful shape, but it's a roof over our heads. But when it came time to buy and we had all sorts of questions being first time buyers she won't return my emails and so I finally gave up on her.

I had a realtor treat my husband and I like white trash in Buffalo. She worked with Forever West properties.

But I have heard what it takes is interviewing multiple realtors until you find a good one. They are out there, and when the bust happens they will be the ones still serving the community. While all the get rich quick with little effort realtors will go out of business...

Best of luck to you...

ps. as far as renting, it can be very tough... I just heard on the news the other day that Casper is now at 0% vacancy. When I first moved to Sheridan a year ago this Feb. Casper had rental availability, but in a year that has changed already.
Sadly if my husband and I can't find a place to rent we will be forced to move out of state cause we just do not have the financial resources. We love it here in Wyoming, but sometimes to put food on the table and a roof over your heads it sometimes means moving out. But a lot of people move back because they love it so much here...

[chad Straight]

I think Ive talked to you alot. They are not hard to find. Let me know if I can help Take care

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by Kristynwy

But when it came time to buy and we had all sorts of questions being first time buyers she won't return my emails and so I finally gave up on her.

I've had that happen with a number of realtors. One I recently contacted in the Cody area hasn't got back to me either . . . it's hard to understand when that happens--they're supposed to be salespersons. I've even been to a point where I've contacted people on email or voice mail and said, "I want to give you money--you don't want me to give you money???" Hell, I had to do that with a cable company once to try to get cable . . . I ended up giving money to DirecTV instead because even the "I want to give you money" comment didn't work with the cable company.

How crappy does one have to be as a salesperson that they do not respond to someone ready to buy who is saying, "Hello? I'm waving this money around for you . . . come and get it".

[Kristynwy]

Originally Posted by DessertRat

I've had that happen with a number of realtors. One I recently contacted in the Cody area hasn't got back to me either . . . it's hard to understand when that happens--they're supposed to be salespersons. I've even been to a point where I've contacted people on email or voice mail and said, "I want to give you money--you don't want me to give you money???" Hell, I had to do that with a cable company once to try to get cable . . . I ended up giving money to DirecTV instead because even the "I want to give you money" comment didn't work with the cable company.

How crappy does one have to be as a salesperson that they do not respond to someone ready to buy who is saying, "Hello? I'm waving this money around for you . . . come and get it".

I totally understand what you mean... I can't quite understand why people become salesmen and then don't want to sell anything? Makes no sense huh... LOL

I have heard there are decent people in the area too, but I have not found one yet, I have been told the check at ERA though...

[fortsite]

Realtors are, as a rule, a greedy and shifty lot, probably because their experience with people in general runs them short of the milk of human kindness. Something like many law enforcement officers, whom eventually realized that "cleaning up the town" was an ideal that did not take into account that they would have to do it over and over again...usually encountering the same lawbreakers. "Disappointing" is an understatement. Theres' just no end to case histories which, from beginning to end, are simply repeats of what went before. Real estate is like that...for every sale they make, there are numerous false starts, cancellations, empty leads and hot-headed big mouths with more brass and greed than even the realtor has. Real estate is, by nature, a rather unrewarding business, and most whom take it up won't last in the long run. And now that the real estate bubble has burst, sending the industry into its lowest downward spiral in 30 years, you will see an increasing number of realtors putting their licenses in escrow and looking for a different line of work until things improve. The lackluster of realtor enthusiasm is a reflection of the economy in general. In a capitalist society, when the profits are on a collision course with the big red line, who can blame them if they are less than encouraged, and less than interested in real estate as a living? I have also found Wyoming to be tough on realtors and investors both. So when the going gets tough, the tough get going; I've taken the initiative. I find properties on my own; research the deeds at the county seat to uncover owners, and go direct to them, then make my own negotiated deals, and pay CASH! I eliminate the realtor, AND his middle-man fees. If I use a realtor at all, it is only after I've made my deal...they can do the finishing paperwork for me at much less than their customary commissions. Hey, a slice of the loaf is still better than none. Fortsite