Quote:
Originally Posted by Texlexic
Sorry if this has been beaten to death elsewhere; I need to vent badly!
So I'm selling the house my ex (not married) and I shared, living here by myself. I have an agent listing the house, etc., on the market about 3 months now. My agent texted me at work today, another agent wanted to make an appointment to show it between 5:30 - 6:30 today. Okay fine, I rearrange my after work schedule so I won't get home until after that.
Got home at 6:30, started unwinding, and the agent and his clients show up. I pulled him aside and asked when the appointment was for, he looks at his form and says "5:30 to 6:30", I ask him what time is it now? He says 6:30 like it's what he meant in the first place. I let him know that isn't what it means when I have to rearrange my schedule, he starts yammering about traffic and stuff. Now he knows I'm angry, but I let them in and explained a few nuances. When he left, he pretty much just threw his card at me.
I feel bad now, and know I need to be flexible, but this isn't the first one to completely miss their "window". I value the opinions expressed around here, so let me have it straight - am I completely wrong to expect "professionals" to be able to keep an appointment at the right time? My agent is always prompt.
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Just a couple points:
1. Was the guy late for his appointment? Yes. Was it the
really end of the world? No. Stuff happens, especially if that "buyer" wants to look at several properties in one day. It's a bit different if your (listing) agent makes an appointment with you. There should be little to no variables in that scenario. However, a buyer's agent is frequently carting their clients around all day from property to property. They usually will try and nail down a showing window, but even that can be a challenge with variables that are out of their control. Will their clients take 10 minutes or an hour to go thru each of the 5 properties they are viewing that day? Will an owner of one of those properties corner them and talk their ear off about how great the home is for 20 minutes? Hard to predict. It can be a challenge to say the least. Just be happy you are getting a showing. My advise would be to simply live your life like normal, and when someone
does show up to view the house, just take a walk/drive/etc.
No need to "rearrange your schedule".
2. If your property has been on the market for 3 months and hasn't sold, it is either overpriced or grossly under-marketed. The former is true 99% of the time. Sorry, that is the reality. If your current agent doesn't have the balls (or ovaries) to tell you, or if they promised it would sell for at least $X amount, you should probably be shopping for a new one.
3. If you want to prevent agents (and their prosective buyers) from just "showing up" you can opt to not have it on lockbox, and shown by appointment only. That way you will know that strangers aren't traipsing thru your home without your knowledge/consent. However, just keep in mind that it can/will have an impact on showings.
Also, in most cases, the reason for those "short notice" appointments is due to the agent's
client's schedule. The bottom line is that if you are genuinely interested in selling your house, you should be as accommodating as possible, and not get bent out of shape by every little "inconvenience". Otherwise, the entire process is going to drive you mad, regardless of how "professional" the parties involved are.
Good luck with the sale.
