Are real estate agents not looking for clients? (Wichita: houses, neighborhood) - Kansas (KS) - City-Data Forum

Jchapin4 · 10-21-2012, 04:43 PM

My wife and I have lived in Wichita now for 2 years. We are looking to put our home on the market in the next 2-3 months. In the meantime, we've been going to open houses every Sunday hoping to not only check out the homes, but the real estate agents as well. We've done the online calculators to see our budget and are looking in the 225k to 350k range.

It seems like every home we look at, the realtor does not really care if we are there or not. We are young. Probably some of the youngest in this price range. I am 29 and my wife is 26. We have very little debt and already live in a beautiful home, but would like to move into larger in a more upscale neighborhood. We have probably been to between 10 and 15 open houses, and only 1 realtor has given us the slightest amount of attention.

I guess my question is, Is this what we should be expecting? I really don't want to work with someone that was willing to write my wife and I off as wasting their time because we are younger than other buyers. Does anyone have any advice on how to find a realtor that will not snub us and automatically assume that we cannot afford a home in this price range?

skibarbie · 10-30-2012, 08:10 PM

Do you not want to use your the same agent that sold you the house you are in now?
If not, get a rec from a tennis buddy, fishing buddy or co-worker etc..I just know that there are plenty of hungry agents out there that would love to have your business no matter your age or what you feel like spending...

dilzyn1 · 10-31-2012, 08:13 AM

That is sad that they treated you that way. If you were in Houston,. I would be happy to represent you.

AnywhereElse · 10-31-2012, 10:09 AM

I would ask this is the Real Estate area of the forum, it is down below the State and Country area. I think you could get some hints on what to be doing and looking for there. We have found in the past that realtors don't really push during an open house and actually think it is supposed to be a more casual way to look without feeling under pressure to choose. In several areas of the country we encountered realtors that didn't seem to care if bought or not and worse yet is one that decides which house you must buy and won't let it go!

Sco · 10-31-2012, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jchapin4

My wife and I have lived in Wichita now for 2 years. We are looking to put our home on the market in the next 2-3 months. In the meantime, we've been going to open houses every Sunday hoping to not only check out the homes, but the real estate agents as well. We've done the online calculators to see our budget and are looking in the 225k to 350k range.

It seems like every home we look at, the realtor does not really care if we are there or not. We are young. Probably some of the youngest in this price range. I am 29 and my wife is 26. We have very little debt and already live in a beautiful home, but would like to move into larger in a more upscale neighborhood. We have probably been to between 10 and 15 open houses, and only 1 realtor has given us the slightest amount of attention.

I guess my question is, Is this what we should be expecting? I really don't want to work with someone that was willing to write my wife and I off as wasting their time because we are younger than other buyers. Does anyone have any advice on how to find a realtor that will not snub us and automatically assume that we cannot afford a home in this price range?

Are you going to open houses alone without a buyer's agent? If yes, the realtors doing the open houses don't consider you a serious buyer, just a looky loo. It is rare and a very bad idea for an agent to attempt to represent both the buyer and seller in a transaction. Go back to the open house with your own agent and you will be treated differently.

BTW, it seems like you have a huge chip on your shoulder about the age thing. Trust me, no realtor cares about your age one bit. That is just you projecting your own insecurity onto someone else.

TedH71 · 03-02-2013, 09:07 PM

I agree on the age thing. They don't care. What you need to do is get an agent (I can recommend one) and get pre-approved by a bank for two reasons: it'll show house sellers that you're serious and also it'll tell them the amount that you're qualified to borrow up to so you won't waste everyone's time. Now I'll send you an email with the name of the agent. Good luck. We had to take several months before our house sold. Mainly because the house was considered overpriced for the area. We decided that we needed to sell our house real fast and not wait due to our kids needing their own space so we dropped the price and it sold.