Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are relocating to a place 2 hours away. We are in the process of buying a house (first time). We contacted the agent the mortgage company recommended and interviewed her. We haven't signed any contract.
We checked the mls feed she sent us and saved some houses. We then contacted her at the beginning of last week (Tuesday April 15) to set up showings and told her the kids would have vacation April 21-25. Since we are far away, we'll like to go there and see 5-6 houses in a day and at least 2 days (10 - 12 houses total) since photos are deceiving and we are new to the area.
She answered today that she is only available Wednesday from 10 to 2pm.
Is this normal and we are asking for too much or should we look for another agent? I know RE is picking up, but she knew more than a week before that we wanted some showings and that we were not local to the area.
Thanks!
Last edited by Petronila; 04-21-2014 at 09:28 AM..
Sometimes agents aren't available with such short notice (I don't know when you mentioned these two days) and that's very normal. Perhaps she has many appointments.
If these are the only days you can make it, I suggest that you tell her that, and maybe ask if she can refer you to anyone who will be available to show you homes on those days. I'm sure that if you ask and let her know that that's the only time you're available, she'll be happy to do that.
EDIT:
I think I misread before. I didn't get that you contacted her last week and she got back to you today. If it took her that long, it is absolutely unacceptable. Again, you can either ask for a referral, or try to find a new one on your own. If you have an agent that takes days to get back to you for an initial meeting and then replies that it doesn't fit her schedule, it's not going to get any easier for when you want to put in an offer and negotiate.
Last edited by samanthayakobchuk; 04-21-2014 at 09:45 AM..
You are NOT asking too much. How long did it take her to reply? A week?? That's ridiculous!
If it were me, I'd wonder why she can't make herself available for me. Is this an unsually busy week for her or will this be her normal SOP? I'd seriously consider getting a different realtor. She doesn't sound very considerate and it seems that she's not a good communicator.
She has been in contact with us, telling us this or that house would need a rehab loan and things like that, but she never mentioned she would only be able to show us houses for 4 hours only one day while she knew we had the week free and would like to start seeing houses. Buying your first house is not easy and doing so from from afar to a new area is even worse.
My guess is that there is something about your approach that may have convinced this Realtor that you were simply 'kicking tires' and were not really ready to buy. (Are you, for example, pre-qualified with a local bank). Also, your insistence that you want to 'look' at 10-12 houses in 2-days 'while the kids are on vacation' doesn't sound like you respect the Realtor's time as much as you want them to respect yours (It's only 2-hours away!). Further, if your kids are on vacation, it's probable that other families in the same area also have a similar vacation schedule and 'house viewing time frame.'
People sometimes forget that Realtors work on commission and must convert their own time and knowledge into commissions in order to eat. (Unlike retail sales people who get paid to staff the counter/department, whether they sell anything or not). You may not have realized it, but, this Realtor was also "interviewing you" --while you were "interviewing them." They may have simply determined that 'investing' two full days of their time in a hot market, during one week .... to educate a first-time buyers, looking at a new market, who don't really know what they are looking for or when they are going to buy ... is the best investment of two full days of their time on a 'first trip.'
Think about it this way: IF you did buy a $100K home (?) in those 2-days, the Realtor will still need to spend at least 2 more days helping you with offers, inspections, closing, title work, etc.. So, that's a 4-day investment for a "possible" $1200-$1500 commission (one-half of one-half of full (post broker) commission of 5-6%)... and that's ONLY IF you are seriously committed to buying now!
Contact another Realtor (or this one again) and tell them that you know specifically what you are looking for ... and that you plan to BUY IT as soon as you see it, in their town on (date) or (date). In fact, tell them that you plan to "BUY" this week, from them, while your kids are on vacation. -- I'll bet you get a better response! --- If you are not yet willing or able to do that, you may gain some insight into this Realtor's response.
My guess is that there is something about your approach that may have convinced this Realtor that you were simply 'kicking tires' and were not really ready to buy. Have you, for example, sold your existing house -- or are you waiting for it to sell before you can buy? Also, your insistence that you want to 'look' at 10-12 houses in 2-days 'while the kids are on vacation' doesn't sound much like you respect the Realtor's time. Further, if your kids are on vacation 2-hours away, it's likely that other families in the area might also have a similar 'house viewing time frame.'
A Realtor works on commission and must convert their own time and knowledge into money in order to eat. (Unlike retail sales people who get paid to staff the counter/department, whether they sell anything or not). While you may not have realized it, this Realtor was "interviewing you" at the same time you were "interviewing her." This Realtor simply may not be convinced that 'investing' two full days of their time in a hot market, during one week .... to educate a first-time buyers who are looking at a new market, and who don't really know what they are looking for or when they are going to buy ... is a good investment of more than 4-hours on the first trip.
Contact another Realtor (or this one again) and tell them that you know specifically what you are looking for ... and that you plan to BUY IT it their town on (date) or (date). In fact, tell them that you need to "BUY" this week, while your kids are on vacation. -- I'll bet you get a better response!
I agree with this, but I also think that the realtor should have told you earlier, when OP mentioned her availability.
Another reason the agent may have been slow to respond: the idea of driving around with two children and a parent or two for a couple of days. How old are the children? There have been other threads here about bringing children to showings so I won't restart the debate--just pointing out why she might have not been as enthusiastic as you would have expected.
I'll also add that moving two hours away is just not that far.
Another reason the agent may have been slow to respond: the idea of driving around with two children and a parent or two for a couple of days.
This is a major part of her job, right?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Adios Señorita
