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The multiple listing service is not available world wide. It is restricted to certain geographic areas and to brokers who are members of the associaton of Realtors. Any broker licensed in Maine can list a property anywhere in Maine. Many, many agencies are not on the MLS. In addition, Maine has two different MLSs. The Washington/Hancock MLS will not appear on the MLS used by the other 14 counties. An agency without membership in the association of Realtors can buy access to the MLS, but few do.
Boomerang said above;
"In my experience over the past 1.5 years looking for property in Maine, I haven't talked to any realtor (out of 4-5) who told me I'd be under no obligation for them to provide addresses to me via email. I'm unlucky!!!! They all reacted like I was asking them to give up the map to the Holy Grail, and asked for a lot of personal information which should only be discussed if I already knew them to some extent and were asking them to be my buyer's agent."
That broker was protecting his clients. There is no point in showing an expensive property to someone not qualified to buy it. If a buyer can borrow $85,000 there is no point in showing him a $149,000 home. That goes for vacant land or a business also. It's a waste of everybody's time. Before I show anybody a property of any kind we sit down and find out what they want and what they could buy. When I was new at this I met a guy whose preferred entertainment was to go around the back roads of Maine and look at land. He never bought anything and never will.
Then there are the rainy day deer hunters. They come on a rainy day during deer season and want to go look at land. They don't want to buy. They want to find a better place to hunt!
That may well be true, fly. However, there is a tremendous cost to compile, post and update this data and maintain fast loading, popular web sites available to the public 24/7. Do you propose a pay per view type system like the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds?
I guess I do not follow you All I am talking about is when you list a home for sale whether it be in the paper or in a real-estate mag...you include the address of the home.
I was looking for property down south and it was so easy to look through adds and know right away whether or not your interested by knowing where the property is located. It's a huge inconvenience to have to jump through hoops here in Maine to find out where a listed property is. And I believe it is nothing but a tactic for agents to drum up more business.
I've seen an agent put a for sale sign at a home the was being built and already owned and not for sale.....the sign was just to drum up interest and so the agent could screen potential buyers.
Boomerang said above;
"In my experience over the past 1.5 years looking for property in Maine, I haven't talked to any realtor (out of 4-5) who told me I'd be under no obligation for them to provide addresses to me via email. I'm unlucky!!!! They all reacted like I was asking them to give up the map to the Holy Grail, and asked for a lot of personal information which should only be discussed if I already knew them to some extent and were asking them to be my buyer's agent."
That broker was protecting his clients. There is no point in showing an expensive property to someone not qualified to buy it. If a buyer can borrow $85,000 there is no point in showing him a $149,000 home. That goes for vacant land or a business also. It's a waste of everybody's time. Before I show anybody a property of any kind we sit down and find out what they want and what they could buy. When I was new at this I met a guy whose preferred entertainment was to go around the back roads of Maine and look at land. He never bought anything and never will.
A bit puzzled here...I wasn't asking for showings. I asked for listing addresses so I can drive by the properties and see if I'm interested or not, before asking for a showing. (You have to start somewhere..)
I have a pre-approval letter from a mortgage broker who has handled my finances for a number of years, and I am looking at properties which are less expensive than the maximum "allowed" by the lender, as I'm not anxious to commit financial suicide. Not in this economy especially. I'm not a "property virgin"; I know what I'm looking for, and what I can afford.
I would meet agents at open houses and upon their prodding as to whether I would like to receive email notifications of new listings, I would say "yes, I'm interested in getting new information about homes in my price range and location. Please do send".
What I object to is the aggressive sales attitude that surfaced the moment I said I was interested. From that point onward I felt I was dealing with a pushy salesperson, not a service professional. Even worse, it was done in a manner suggesting I wouldn't even know if I was being treated rudely or not. Right there at the open house with (sometimes) other people present, I would be peppered with personal questions related to where I live, how long I've lived there, who my employer is, my financial situation, etc. Somehow, I think those agents would not appreciate it if I asked similar questions of them. It's a question of propriety. At this point I would decide to pass on the emails and keep looking on my own.
Above all, they would immediately push for a buyer's contract without offering to meet again first. It was like, I'll send you an email, and when you see a house you like, I'll meet you at the house with the paperwork. Say what? Whoa, back the truck up. They want to know every personal detail about me before sending an email, but they want me to sign a buyer's agent contract for the one of the most important purchases I will make, knowing virtually nothing about them? :scratching head: What's wrong with this picture?
I did meet one gentleman agent at an open house who was polite, friendly, and professional. He offered help and information without pushing or prying. He particularly stands out because he was honest about the pros/cons of the house itself, which I had already seen for myself, but was impressed that he mentioned the cons. Right now he's my top pick, should I decide to zero in on his area.
I agree with Flycessna that it is easier to locate homes for sale in some other states. When I bought my last house in MA, the realtors were (evidently) competing for prospective buyers by smothering them in civility and helpfulness. What's that old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar?
The multiple listing service is not available world wide. It is restricted to certain geographic areas and to brokers who are members of the associaton of Realtors. Any broker licensed in Maine can list a property anywhere in Maine. Many, many agencies are not on the MLS. In addition, Maine has two different MLSs. The Washington/Hancock MLS will not appear on the MLS used by the other 14 counties. An agency without membership in the association of Realtors can buy access to the MLS, but few do.
Boomerang said above;
"In my experience over the past 1.5 years looking for property in Maine, I haven't talked to any realtor (out of 4-5) who told me I'd be under no obligation for them to provide addresses to me via email. I'm unlucky!!!! They all reacted like I was asking them to give up the map to the Holy Grail, and asked for a lot of personal information which should only be discussed if I already knew them to some extent and were asking them to be my buyer's agent."
That broker was protecting his clients. There is no point in showing an expensive property to someone not qualified to buy it. If a buyer can borrow $85,000 there is no point in showing him a $149,000 home. That goes for vacant land or a business also. It's a waste of everybody's time. Before I show anybody a property of any kind we sit down and find out what they want and what they could buy. When I was new at this I met a guy whose preferred entertainment was to go around the back roads of Maine and look at land. He never bought anything and never will.
Then there are the rainy day deer hunters. They come on a rainy day during deer season and want to go look at land. They don't want to buy. They want to find a better place to hunt!
NLM, what I was implying is that the MLS is now posted on the Internet, which is available everywhere. I have several people set up on searches that get e mails from me and the MLS that include addresses. Some I represent and most I don't. Those folks have indicated that they are interested in a particular area, price range and style and I always ask permission before sending. I also have an unsubscribe message in all of these, when I get one back, I stop, no questions asked.
I guess I do not follow you All I am talking about is when you list a home for sale whether it be in the paper or in a real-estate mag...you include the address of the home.
I was looking for property down south and it was so easy to look through adds and know right away whether or not your interested by knowing where the property is located. It's a huge inconvenience to have to jump through hoops here in Maine to find out where a listed property is. And I believe it is nothing but a tactic for agents to drum up more business.
I've seen an agent put a for sale sign at a home the was being built and already owned and not for sale.....the sign was just to drum up interest and so the agent could screen potential buyers.
Again, it's above my head, and I'm not sure exactly why things are that way. Perhaps there needs to be a relationship established between the customer and the agency. I know that if you are on our company's website and you are a (free) registered user, you will get the address of the property, with absolutely no obligation. You will also get daily e mails of new listings, price changes, status changes and open houses. We send hundreds of thousands of e mails per month, at no charge.
A bit puzzled here...I wasn't asking for showings. I asked for listing addresses so I can drive by the properties and see if I'm interested or not, before asking for a showing. (You have to start somewhere..)
I have a pre-approval letter from a mortgage broker who has handled my finances for a number of years, and I am looking at properties which are less expensive than the maximum "allowed" by the lender, as I'm not anxious to commit financial suicide. Not in this economy especially. I'm not a "property virgin"; I know what I'm looking for, and what I can afford.
I would meet agents at open houses and upon their prodding as to whether I would like to receive email notifications of new listings, I would say "yes, I'm interested in getting new information about homes in my price range and location. Please do send".
What I object to is the aggressive sales attitude that surfaced the moment I said I was interested. From that point onward I felt I was dealing with a pushy salesperson, not a service professional. Even worse, it was done in a manner suggesting I wouldn't even know if I was being treated rudely or not. Right there at the open house with (sometimes) other people present, I would be peppered with personal questions related to where I live, how long I've lived there, who my employer is, my financial situation, etc. Somehow, I think those agents would not appreciate it if I asked similar questions of them. It's a question of propriety. At this point I would decide to pass on the emails and keep looking on my own.
Above all, they would immediately push for a buyer's contract without offering to meet again first. It was like, I'll send you an email, and when you see a house you like, I'll meet you at the house with the paperwork. Say what? Whoa, back the truck up. They want to know every personal detail about me before sending an email, but they want me to sign a buyer's agent contract for the one of the most important purchases I will make, knowing virtually nothing about them? :scratching head: What's wrong with this picture?
I did meet one gentleman agent at an open house who was polite, friendly, and professional. He offered help and information without pushing or prying. He particularly stands out because he was honest about the pros/cons of the house itself, which I had already seen for myself, but was impressed that he mentioned the cons. Right now he's my top pick, should I decide to zero in on his area.
I agree with Flycessna that it is easier to locate homes for sale in some other states. When I bought my last house in MA, the realtors were (evidently) competing for prospective buyers by smothering them in civility and helpfulness. What's that old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar?
OK. Whine off, coffee on
You're not whining, you're perfectly within your rights. In an ideal situation, you would come into the office, sit down and interview the agent, his/her company and get a feel for whether or not you're comfortable and then offer to work once together before signing an Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement. The agent also is interviewing you to see what your priorties are and how realistic your wants and needs are. There are some people who I prefer not to work with, either because they are looking at property that I'm not comfortable with, in the wrong geographic area or they are unreasonable people, and we have the right to choose who we work with. I have worked with buyers who bought a home they saw the first day and I have worked with buyers who took nearly a year, as long as there is a means to an end, I will continue to spend my and my company's resources on them.
Agents in Maine are competing for buyers, trust me!
...
I did meet one gentleman agent at an open house who was polite, friendly, and professional. He offered help and information without pushing or prying. He particularly stands out because he was honest about the pros/cons of the house itself, which I had already seen for myself, but was impressed that he mentioned the cons. Right now he's my top pick, should I decide to zero in on his area.
I can see from my own experiences with realtors, why this one guy would have stood out so much from the herd of his fellow realtors.
Most of us have seen very similar tactics.
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They all reacted like I was asking them to give up the map to the Holy Grail, and asked for a lot of personal information which should only be discussed if I already knew them to some extent and were asking them to be my buyer's agent."
All I am talking about is when you list a home for sale whether it be in the paper or in a real-estate mag...you include the address of the home. 
)
They want to know every personal detail about me before sending an email, but they want me to sign a buyer's agent contract for the one of the most important purchases I will make, knowing virtually nothing about them? :scratching head: What's wrong with this picture?
