The chief complaint I hear from homebuyers and home sellers who were dissatisfied with their previous Realtor, is that the agent failed to properly communicate throughout the real estate transaction.
Case in point from a conversation I had with a women calling on a listing:
Caller: “I would like additional information on property X in Highlands Ranch”
Me: “Great, this home is a….” (Information rattled off until I mention the half bath on the main floor.)
Caller: “Stop, I need a full bath on the main floor so this clearly is not going to work.”
Me: “Shall I pull up the Denver MLS listings that might be a better fit?”
Caller: “No, I don’t like you guys.” (i.e. Realtors)
Me: (Refraining from busting out laughing) “Oh, I’m sorry as it sounds like you have had some negative experiences with agents – Do you mind if I ask you why you don’t like Realtors?”
Caller: “You guys don’t know how to communicate.” Click.
This women was straight-up and I appreciated her honesty. So, how does one communicate with a Realtor?
In the event your agent doesn’t address your preferred methods of communication right out of the gate – don’t be shy about letting her know your expectations. Do you like to correspond via text, e-mail, phone, face to face, through Facebook or all of the above?
Next, how soon do you expect a response from your real estate agent – two minutes, two hours, two days?
Finally, how much information do you want? If you are listing your home – do you want to know of all available feedback, tracking’s from Truilia, Zillow, MLS …or is this information overload? If you are buying a home do you want scads of potential home matches or do you want the crème of the crop listings that are truly the best fit (and therefore cutting down numerous listings?) Some folks are not only comfortable and rightly expect copious amounts of information while other folks simply feel overwhelmed.
What should not be open for communication?
If you are a buyer ready to submit an offer – your Realtor should get this in as soon as humanly possible. The same goes for home sellers- when an offer on your property comes in, your agent should get it to you ASAP.
Clearly defined communication preferences as well as the amount of information expected from your Realtor can make all the difference in completing a smooth real estate transaction.
Michelle A. Potter
