On Behalf Of Your Clients…
I am a big fan of www.dictionary.com, even going so far as to have signed up to get their “Word of the Day” text messages. So after being out on a recent weekend with some new clients, I decided I had to look up the terms “agent” and “broker”, yes, as in real estate. Just to confirm that I had it right…that an agent is “a person or business authorized to act on another’s behalf” and a broker is “a licensed real estate professional who typically represents the seller of a property…” So why do so many agents and brokers make it near impossible to get in to see the properties they have listed for their clients?
I sat down on Friday to talk with my clients, who are relocating from out of state, to look at some properties online so that I could set up showings for Saturday. We came up with about 20 listings and I told them, “We’ll be lucky if we get 5 to 7 appointments confirmed and get in to see those properties”. Apparently I was overly optimistic with that number. Now I’m not saying that a property needs to be available to be shown at the drop of a hat. And the showing instructions for every one are going to be different depending on what town they are in or which direction from Boston. Some real estate agents and brokers require accompanied showings; some have lockboxes, on some you need to call the listing office or the agent directly. And that’s totally cool, I get that. I consider it a good challenge to set up showings…mapping them out to minimize travel time, trying to arrive within our allotted timeframe and make the most of the day.
So I set up my route and set about making phone calls, and leaving messages. And then I waited. And waited. And as we got closer to the time my clients and I were supposed to meet on Saturday morning, I only had 3 confirmed appointments and had been playing phone tag with one other agent. And that was as good as it got. I did have calls back telling me 2 things couldn’t be shown. And I didn’t get calls back from any other agent or office until several hours after the time I wanted to try to get into the properties, some called me back two days later and some agents…not at all. So my clients and I did some drive bys, which gave them the chance to see neighborhoods, towns, nearby amenities. And at the end of the day they felt the time was well spent, that they had a better idea of their options, so I’m happy it worked out as well as it did.
I do have to wonder though, about the owners, landlords and sellers of the subject properties. Are they aware that their agent or broker, the one that is supposed to be working in their best interest, is not even returning phone calls to set up showings to potential buyers or renters? I would say…um, no. And again, an agent doesn’t need to be available to show a property 24/7, but please…at least make other arrangements. Use a lockbox instead of requiring that showings must be accompanied, use the buddy system and have someone cover for you. Do your own clients the favor of providing the service you promise them they will get when you take their listing. Special thanks go out to Rachel Maillet at Century 21. For returning my phone call promptly, playing serious phone tag with me til we had a chance to talk, providing detailed information about the property and for asking really good questions to see if it might be the right fit for my client…for acting on her client’s behalf.
Beth is a practicing Realtor and Interactive Marketing Manager at Barrett & Company Real Estate in Concord, Massachusetts. She spends her days coaching home buyers and sellers through the intricacies of buying and selling property and training her fellow agents on the importance of and benefits to an online presence, most recently on Google+! Read more of her work on the Barrett Massachusetts real estate blog.
