Help! Real Estate Agents not Responsive! - Issaquah / Sammamish (Seattle: for sale, apartments)

[TonyG5003]

First... let me clearly say I'm NOT looking for direct referrals - though I invite a direct message or two. I'm looking for a bit of advice for how rental properties are handled in Seattle.

I am looking in the Eastside areas - primarily Issaquah and Sammamish - for a rental home asking $1700 - $3000 per month. As many know, a large portion of these homes are with one particular property management firm. But, I'm not entirely comfortable going directly to that firm, as I'd like at least SOME guidance from someone on my side - so to speak.

Therefore, I've sent out a few inquiries to the agents who represent those rentals directly, but it's been 3 days now and I have not received a single reply. The clock is ticking - I'm arriving on Tuesday! Call me silly, but I would think the listing agent would rather lease it directly rather than working with a second agent. These are all MLS listings.

My email is direct - I'm simply asking for their suggestions in how to "efficiently" go about looking at these homes. There's 8 to 12 which I'm seriously interested in viewing, and some are not with that one firm. I make quick decisions - and I'm not looking to be literally ferried around from one house to the next - both of which I've actually stated in my email.

Any serious suggestions, or thoughts as to why I'm not getting any replies?

[Vinylly]

Seems to my your giving them three days is rather short. Give them more time before complaining.

[Hemlock140]

Most of the realtors that handle rentals also do sales, and they make a lot more selling so you are not as likely to get their interest. Also, most rentals in this areas are not handled by realtors, they are mostly private parties, though a few are handled by non-realtor property managers. There are many websites that consolidate apartments for rent, but homes are a lot harder to find online. Issaquah and Sammamish do not have a lot of rental houses, often the owner will plop a sign in the front and it's rented within a few days, so no advertising is needed. Your best chance is to come up and drive around. Recently, I saw a sign for an older house on acreage (212th & SE 8th) for $1,800, I bet it got rented right away. (Haven't been by again since). Try Realtor.com, also Craigslist, but be careful of people renting vacant homes they don't own. Identity theft and fraud are about our only
real crime problems here.

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by Vinylly

Seems to my your giving them three days is rather short. Give them more time before complaining.

I'm not complaining - I'm inquiring as to why there are no replies... which is not normal. Obviously, the rental market works a bit differently there, even though these are all MLS listings - hence my question.

I've only sent initial email inquiries, just to get in contact. Most agents normally get in contact with initial inquires within hours - some even minutes.... not days (and days), regardless of the nature of the inquiry. And we all know, there are not new clients around every corner these days.

I think I just found a weakness in the Seattle market - agents who do not respond to rental property inquires - even in the spirit of simply being helpful and directing someone as to what they need to do. (I'm going to be an agent in the area.)

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by bisjoe

Try Realtor.com, also Craigslist, but be careful of people renting vacant homes they don't own. Identity theft and fraud are about our only real crime problems here.

Thank you... your post was helpful. Yep... I'm avoiding Craigslist for several reasons, (including the reasons you point out) mainly because I wish to deal with licensed agents and "healthy" property owners. The last thing we need is to rent, only to find out the owner is teetering on foreclosure. (Happened to more than one neighbor of mine.)

[Ira500]

Like you said, most agents around here don't act as listing agents for rentals, and most agents representing "the other side" don't represent renters, for specifically the reason bisjoe stated. On a 400,000 home, a buyers agent will make at least 6000 dollars, but if he or she is representing a renter for the same home renting for 1800, he or she will make around 450 dollars.
Still, it's short sighted. What if these renters decide they want to buy in a year? Wouldn't the kind, helpful agent who got them into their rental be the first agent they call?
So I can't really answer your question as to why you got no email responses. Either the agents are lazy, or incompetent, or thought that you were asking too many questions?

[texastrigirl]

I was DM'd by someone from CD years ago who was moving to the area. I referred her to my real estate agent and he helpfully drove her around for a few days looking at rentals in this area. They were unable to find anything. Throughout the process, he also encouraged her to look at Craigslist as he felt a lot of folks in this area rent their properties that way. Ultimately they did rent from someone who had posted on CL and the realtor was not compensated at all. He was "fine" with that as 1) he understands that contacts can turn into clients and 2) they will potentially refer him as well and 3) he is a great guy who wants to be helpful. That being said, I think he was less busy a few years ago than he is now. I agree with the assertion that rental properties go fast in Issaquah/Sammamish. I know of several folks who had a heck of a time getting in something that worked for their family.

I do know of a lease in the Rock Meadow area. It's a very nice area and I will assume expensive but the sign has been there a few weeks.

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Still, it's short sighted. What if these renters decide they want to buy in a year? Wouldn't the kind, helpful agent who got them into their rental be the first agent they call?
So I can't really answer your question as to why you got no email responses. Either the agents are lazy, or incompetent, or thought that you were asking too many questions?

Thanks... yep, I agree - it is shortsighted. I'm completely realistic, as I don't expect a "busy" agent to drop what they are doing to service my rental needs. But a simple email to point someone in the right direction doesn't take any time at all.

What IS a bit shocking, is in two cases, it the agent's own rental listing - NOT a property management listing, nor is the home for sale! If I were the homeowner, I'd be thoroughly annoyed.

Oh well...

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

He was "fine" with that as 1) he understands that contacts can turn into clients and 2) they will potentially refer him as well and 3) he is a great guy who wants to be helpful. That being said, I think he was less busy a few years ago than he is now.

LOL... I wonder why he's busy now? Could it be because he invested in those contacts before - even the ones that seemed counterproductive and cost him his time?

Now that I'm on "The Other Side" I think I'm beginning to understand why so many customers or potential customers of my previous online biz (sold recently) were SO pleased that we replied to their emails so quickly. Some were shocked to even get a reply in the same day - much less within the quarter hour. And we handled 50-200 emails a day with only 3 people in the cust. serv. dept., while performing other tasks.

[happyhunting]

I know how you feel. We came into town for a week, couldn't get ANY agents to just return a phone call for any of THEIR OWN listed rentals. AFTER we got back to our hometown defeated, we finally had one respond, and went with her. She's also been slow to respond through the whole process. Even on the day we were moving in and needed the key. I couldn't figure it out, as I was an agent in my hometown, and I respond to people like my life depends on it. The problem is that when it comes to home sales, both buyers and sellers get represented. But on the rental end, agents just represent rental listings. There is no renters agent for the leasee, specifically watching out for their needs. There isn't any money in it. Renters are on their own, unfortunately.