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Me and my wife have been looking for a home to buy for months now and we have been through at least two dozen realtors.
Consumers end up with the agents they deserve and vice-versa.
Unless your search is state-wide, I cannot imagine how it is that you or anyone could go through 24 agents in a matter of months. How is it that you have contacted so many agents? It is hard to imagine that you have not stumbled across at least one good agent in all of this.
Are you pre-approved, including income verification, for a mortgage?
Is it possible that you are focusing on foreclosed homes? What is your price range? Which county are you considering? Is it possible that what you can afford and/or are willing to pay is not consistent with the kind of property you want?
There are thousands of agents in NJ and most of them would jump through rings of fire for a qualified and motivated buyer who is realistic about what their money will buy. Those who list foreclosed homes often do not want to work directly with buyers and maybe that is the problem.
There is more to this story. So please give us more information.
rteitner: If I may... to find a good agent, first ask for referrals... from friends, relatives, co-workers, even from here... Then set up an app't to meet the agent in their office the first time. Tell them you will bring your pre-approval for financing letter with you. If you do not have a pre-approva, tell them you would like some referrals for financing and are ready to get your pre-approval.
At your app't, you are interviewing them and they are interviewing you. Think of those questions that are important to. Do a needs assessment, bedrooms?, bathrooms?, sf?, needs versus wants?, garage? Any large furniture that must be accomodated? and bring it with you.
Now, if the agent doesn't answer your questions well or you don't "click" pack up and take your stuff and move on to the next one. If they do work out, begin your relationship. But like all good relationships, leave the baggage of your old failed relationships in the past..... (can't blame the second wife for the sins of the first, right?)
Good Luck with your search...
shelly
Good advice but you need relatives and friends that have bought a home recently and know someome. They haven't, so this avenue is out. Have asked at least once online already somewhere else back when we had our first problem. The result was typical.
Then again, maybe its our fault after all we do go in knowing how much we want to spend. Most realtors want us to max out our finances beyond what can afford, 80 to 100k higher. Simply because their only main concern is how big a commission can we get out of him. Instead of them being concerned with what can you afford. Yes a few we dumped were making comments about us looking higher so they could get a bigger commission.
Its no wonder so many are losing their homes now. Seems to me, too many realtors are pushing people into homes they can't afford just so they can get a bigger commission.
Then again, maybe its our fault after all we do go in knowing how much we want to spend. Most realtors want us to max out our finances beyond what can afford, 80 to 100k higher. Simply because their only main concern is how big a commission can we get out of him. Instead of them being concerned with what can you afford. Yes a few we dumped were making comments about us looking higher so they could get a bigger commission.
Its no wonder so many are losing their homes now. Seems to me, too many realtors are pushing people into homes they can't afford just so they can get a bigger commission.
This suggests that you might be looking for more home than you are comfortable paying for, at this time. That you cannot find a suitable home for what you want to pay or how you want to finance, may be the true source of your frustration.
I can buy running into a few agents who do not want to show you property. That you ran into 24 of them, in a matter of months, suggests something else is going on here. Is it possible that you are rationalizing and looking for an opportunity to buy without benefit of agency, so that you can pocket the commission?
Are you sure, absolutely positive, that they were suggesting that you look higher for the commission, and not because what you're looking for only exists for a higher price? Could they have been trying to show you the reality of the situation?
Since real estate is primarily driven by referrals and repeat business, it doesn't serve a real estate agent, long run, to put a client into a home they can't afford. Are there bad or short-sighted agents out there, just as there are short-sighted buyers out there? Absolutely - real estate agents are humans, too.
But when you say that you've had over 24 bad agents in a few months' time, and no good ones, that really should make you wonder why and look a bit closer to home for the problem. As asked above, do you have a pre-approval letter BEFORE going to look at homes? Are you working with one agent, or just calling the listing agents (whose fiduciary duty is, by law, to their client, the seller, not you, by the way - you need a buyer's agent to represent your interests)? Are you absolutely sure that you're being clear about what you want, not only to the agent, but to yourself? (You'd be amazed how many buyers start out saying, "I absolutely want this, I absolutely do NOT want that" and end up buying the latter, not because I pushed it on them, but because they found it and decided it was what they wanted after all.) How are you contributing to the situation, if you can't find one single agent who understands what you are looking for?
If you don't know anyone who's bought or sold a home recently, trying going to Active Rain and looking at the blogs of the agents in your area. You may find one there that strikes a chord with you - it's certainly a more accurate read on the agents than picking them out of the phone book or off a sign.
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
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Like others, I try to leave the home EXACTLY as I found it. If the lights were on, they would stay on. If a door was unlocked, it would stay that way although I'd leave a note saying I found this door unlocked.
If you have an expectation about having lights turned off, leave a note for all the agents that you would like them off when we leave. I'm sure you'll find out that we aren't lazy in this respect.
This suggests that you might be looking for more home than you are comfortable paying for, at this time. That you cannot find a suitable home for what you want to pay or how you want to finance, may be the true source of your frustration.
I can buy running into a few agents who do not want to show you property. That you ran into 24 of them, in a matter of months, suggests something else is going on here. Is it possible that you are rationalizing and looking for an opportunity to buy without benefit of agency, so that you can pocket the commission?
Why not target homes for sale by owner, then?
That would be wrong because we are actually limiting the price to what we can afford and are already pre-qualified and are using VA benefits. We did our homework and already know what we can comfortably afford. If it was a matter aiming to high we would be upset we coudn't afford better, we would aim lower and not blame the realtor.
Like I mentioned earlier on, plenty of nice homes have came and gone within our price range. The problem is we can't get realtors to go out and show homes. Realtors are typically showing one per week, they are either trying to pass off the worst ones no one wants or trying to stear us to homes way out of our comfort zone.
Decent ones within our comfort zone we have been unable to see smply because we can't get realtors to do their job and actually show homes. If they took us to a few decent ones in an area, we'd likely find something fast. We can't buy if we are never shown anything worth buying in our range.
That would be wrong because we are actually limiting the price to what we can afford and are already pre-qualified and are using VA benefits. We did our homework and already know what we can comfortably afford. If it was a matter aiming to high we would be upset we coudn't afford better, we would aim lower and not blame the realtor.
Like I mentioned earlier on, plenty of nice homes have came and gone within our price range. The problem is we can't get realtors to go out and show homes. Realtors are typically showing one per week, they are either trying to pass off the worst ones no one wants or trying to stear us to homes way out of our comfort zone.
Decent ones within our comfort zone we have been unable to see smply because we can't get realtors to do their job and actually show homes. If they took us to a few decent ones in an area, we'd likely find something fast. We can't buy if we are never shown anything worth buying in our range.
Instead of NJ come on down to SC. I'll take care of you. We have cheap taxes
I figured it out, realtors are playing a shell game. First they show you a bad home hoping you won't like it. Then when you don't they show you much higher ones. This game is preventing me from seeing the homes I want to see.
I figured it out, realtors are playing a shell game. First they show you a bad home hoping you won't like it. Then when you don't they show you much higher ones. This game is preventing me from seeing the homes I want to see.
There is no game, these agents have better things to do. Why will they not show you the exact home you tell them you want to see ?
Makes no sense to me.
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