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This is a business deal. You have made your final offer. Whether the seller accepts it or not is their decision. But so far, I wouldn't be getting a warm and fuzzy from you as the buyer....I would probably just decline.
So, is it about business or emotions??
Having been a buyer and a seller on multiple occasions I could care less about the warm fuzzies as long as the price is right.
That being said, we have had to deal with difficult sellers and honest communication from our agent was crucial in determining whether or not to proceed. In 95% of circumstances it may be unprofessional to forward the e-mail but in some cases it is warranted. I would like to know if the personalities of the other agent and sellers are going to get in the way of business. In this case, OP already had a pretty good idea after his personal tour.
So, is it about business or emotions??
Having been a buyer and a seller on multiple occasions I could care less about the warm fuzzies as long as the price is right.
By warm and fuzzy, I was referring to how difficult a buyer is and how much more trouble they are going to put you through and how many more hoops they are expecting you to jump through to do you the honor of buying your house.
Try to avoid letting any personal attacks or emotions cloud your judgment. In other words, forget about the arrogance comment. If you would consider increasing your price, request that the seller make a counter offer. It is not advisable to negotiate against yourself (which is what you would be doing if you simply increase your offer). If this is your final offer, communicate that fact and let the chips fall where they may.
As far as the buyer's agent forwarding the email, that is precisely what an agent should do. If the agent then wants to provide their advice / spin on what it means, that should also be welcomed by the buyer. I can't fathom any justification for hiding the email. An agents job is not to make decisions for their principals.
By warm and fuzzy, I was referring to how difficult a buyer is and how much more trouble they are going to put you through and how many more hoops they are expecting you to jump through to do you the honor of buying your house.
Gotcha!!
Of course we have always been very reasonable, as buyers and sellers.
Thanks for all of your posts. I think the last several posts have really sumarized things well.
The biggest hurdle I see in here is the seller's reluctance to sell (it's being foreclosed otherwise they'd live there forever) and the listing agent throwing fuel into the fire by referencing me exploiting the situation or my arrogance in the deal. I think the honest answer is the sellers really don't want to sell but are being forced to so they are pushing back hard against the offers.
Ah well, I appreciate all your responses and have tried to be generous with the reputation to most everyone who posted. Thanks again.
I too question the OP's agent's personal agenda for forwarding the email, instead of acting as a buffer.
Not to single you out, because several agents said the same thing. But wow! This is exactly why I prefer to handle all the negotiations myself. Who asked you to be a buffer?!
Your client needs all the information in order to make the best decision for him, not just the information that you think he should have. If some of that information is that the seller was put off by the showing, then that's the information he needs. If some of the information is that the seller's agent is unprofessional, then the buyer needs to know that too. If you think he won't interpret it correctly, well who is being arrogant now? Your buyer may very well be a lot smarter than you and better able to read between the lines than you are.
Even if the seller's broker said "please don't tell your buyer this, but..." you still have an obligation, in my opinion, to forward it to the buyer. In that case, the appropriate response would be "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I am obligated to tell my client everything I know about this transaction." And then you should relay that conversation to your buyer.
I will have to remember this next time I'm shopping for agents... make sure up front they understand who works for whom, and who needs to be the recipient of all the information (and who needs not to be a gatekeeper!).
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[quote=tamitrail;5222937]Actually, I think it's poor judgment and highly unprofessional to make comments about someone's spelling and punctuation. Perhaps this person knows English as a second language. This does not mean the person is uneducated. We all make mistakes in writing.)
I'm not a real estate agent, but I would take notice and make judgment if I received a "business" letter or an e-mail from my agent, or any other "professional", which was written in such a careless manner.
There is a difference between providing all the information needed to make a decision and forwarding an email. An ENORMOUS difference.
The buyer's agent could have told the buyer the information provided within the email, minus the emotional spin put on it (since it is the job of real estate agents, AND attorneys, come to that, to be objective third parties precisely so that business doesn't get mixed up with emotion any more than it absolutely has to, so that reasonable decisions can be made). I do think that the listing agent should not have put that arrogant part in, no matter how arrogant the buyer might be, for just that reason, but even if he did, the buyer's agent should have stepped up to the plate and not thrown gasoline on the fire by forwarding it as written, but conveyed the information that was readily gleaned from it instead.
I noted something earlier - the OP says that HE provided the seller with his justifications for his price. My question is, was this through his agent or did he take it upon himself to directly contact the seller and do so, bypassing both agents? If so, it's possible that he so offended the seller that they may not be willing to take ANY offer from him - and that may be where the perception of arrogance truly comes from. (Another reason that agents are supposed to convey information and not emotions from one party to another when at all possible.) While, technically, buyer and seller can, of course, speak to each other, it's not the wisest thing to do and when it occurs, I've seen it go bad many more times than I've seen it not. As for "justification", I was thinking of comps that would have been provided by the buyer's agent to the buyer when determining the offer or counter.
I think both agents dropped the ball and acted unprofessionally here.
Actually, I think it's poor judgment and highly unprofessional to make comments about someone's spelling and punctuation. Perhaps this person knows English as a second language. This does not mean the person is uneducated. We all make mistakes in writing.)
I'm not a real estate agent, but I would take notice and make judgment if I received a "business" letter or an e-mail from my agent, or any other "professional", which was written in such a careless manner.
That's your choice, but it doesn't make it right to do. It may not have been written carelessly at all.
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