By Judy Wade
Buying or selling a home can range from a stressful, hectic
experience to a situation that flows smoothly with minimal tension and
few problems. When things go very badly, consumers say it can be a
nightmare. The common thread among buyers and sellers seems to be that
the agent is the expert, with the duty to conduct things inherent in the
profession honestly, efficiently and pleasantly. All individuals
interviewed here agree that the success of any real estate transaction
depends on the agent.
"Being an absentee landlord had not been
easy, and I didn't figure that being an absentee seller would be any
walk in the park either. But when I decided to put my Van Nuys condo on
the market, I was pleasantly surprised. My REALTOR¨, someone I'd known
before I left California, sent me comps, then overnight expressed the
preliminary papers for me to sign. She ironed out logistical problems
with the security system so that the place could be shown easily, and
worked with my tenants so that they weren't bothered needlessly.
Although I ended up taking the place off the market, I will absolutely
list with this REALTOR¨ another time. She kept me informed of
everything that happened, helped me understand the current market
situation in California as it affected my property, gave me tips on how
to entice buyers in a depressed market, and in general kept in touch
without driving me nuts with phone calls and faxes. She was gracious,
helpful and at all times professional," Judy from Phoenix raves.
"In her eagerness to close a deal, our
agent told us that the house we were interested in had two other offers
pending, so we'd better offer full price, and do it now. We thought that
was strange because we knew the house had been on the market awhile. So
we checked with a friend, also a REALTOR¨. He said there were no
pending offers, and the last offer, two months before, had been well
below asking price. When we confronted our agent, she offhandedly said
she'd made a mistake. Needless to say, we changed agents
immediately," relays Tyrone and Lydia from Oakland.
"Over the past 20 years that I've worked
with my REALTOR¨, she's helped me buy and sell almost two dozen
properties that I use as rentals. She has an ability to function within
my time frame so that I never once have had to take time from my job
[non-real estate-related] or take calls at my office regarding a
transaction. I've never even filled out paperwork myself. She's always
done it for me. She also takes charge of finding the best loans. She's
very good at what she does and never makes me feel pressured. I always
know she's working on my behalf. Somehow we always end up winning, and
she never has to get pushy to do it. We work well together, because I
don't like to be a ball-buster. I prefer to negotiate so that everybody
wins and she's willing to work that way," says Sherri from
Manhattan Beach.
"We drove by a great house with a
for-sale sign on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, called the real
estate office and talked to a woman who said no one was working that
weekend, and she'd get back to us on Tuesday. We thought that was odd,
so [we] called back and got a fellow who said he'd be there in ten
minutes. He immediately picked up that we [weren't] big on dithering. We
made our decision to get the house, now let's get on with it. That's
what he did. Every step of the way he helped, putting us in touch with
financial people, a home inspection company (he even was there with a
flashlight to help us look at the attic) and an appraiser. He always
returned calls immediately, he was prompt and he took care of all the
boring paperwork. At final signing he picked us up, took us to the
escrow office and stayed with us to make things as easy as possible.
Having him shepherd us through the process kept us from having to worry
about our lack of knowledge about real estate transactions," Jeremy
and Belinda from La Jolla confide.
"We were working with an agent and had a
bid verbally accepted on a home we liked. But the listing agent was in
the same office as our agent, and between the two of them they cooked up
a price war between us and another buyer. It went on and on until things
really got ugly. Finally we said enough is enough, and the other party
got the house. We explained the situation in writing to the manager of
the real estate office, who compensated us for our aggravation with a
$1,000 check. A week later, working with another agent, we found a house
that we liked better and was a better investment, so we look at it as an
all's-well-that-ends-well situation," Justine and Jerald from
Kentfield share.
"If it hadn't been for my first real
estate agent, I'd never be in the good financial shape I'm in today. My
mother died and left me a small inheritance that I wanted to use to buy
a house. I also was about to marry a woman with a small child. My agent
was able to explain my options, pointing out things that as a single
person I would never consider, but that I'd have to take into account as
a new father. For example, I never would have checked on school
districts if my agent hadn't done it for me. Also, I knew nothing about
applying for a loan. He explained points and PMI and all the lingo about
which I didn't have a clue. That was ten years, and two houses ago. He
continues to give me good, sound information that has helped us move up
to bigger and better homes," says Michael from Orinda.
"What can you say about an agent who
helps you find someone to watch your kids while she shows you houses,
locates a kennel for your dog and cat, picks up your dry cleaning, takes
you to lunch and brings you flowers and champagne when you move in? It
was really difficult for us with a 3 and a 5-year-old to schedule time
to house hunt, and then during the hubbub of packing, our pets just went
crazy. Our agent offered her daughter as a babysitter and picked up our
pets and had them kenneled at a nearby vet's during the move. No matter
what our problem, she was there to solve it. If we'd had an earthquake,
she'd probably have been there picking up the pieces. When we're ready
to buy another house, she's the only one we'd consider using," beam
Martin and Nancy from Sacramento.
"My agent never should have taken my
listing. I admit my condo in San Diego was not exactly a hot property
with the market in such a slump, but she did absolutely nothing to help
the situation. She was not motivated at all. She had one REALTOR¨
caravan, never did an open house, never advertised. To get it in the
paper, I had to take photos of the condo, bring them to her and pay for
the ad myself. When an offer finally was presented, it was so low it was
ludicrous. It was the buyer's broker who had to explain to me that the
offer was in line with what other condos in my building had recently
sold for. My agent had never even pulled comps. She clearly just wanted
to list it and grab the commission when it sold," reports Cliff
from Olympia, Washington.
"I appreciate it when an agent admits
what she doesn't know. Recently I purchased a piece of unimproved land
that was owned by a conservator ship, which meant that there were many
legalities involved in the sale, including approval by trustees and by
the court. As soon as my agent realized the intricacies of the
transaction, she suggested I employ a real estate attorney, offering to
find one for me if I didn't know one already. The agent continued to be
helpful and attentive, freely admitting when she didn't have an answer,
then [consulting] with the attorney. The deal, although tricky, went as
smoothly as possible," relays Roger from Pacific Palisades.
Clients' perspectives of REALTORS¨ apparently are shaped in many
ways. As one buyer put it, "I have to feel that my agent
understands what I want and is looking out for my best interests. If I'm
sure of that, as a team we can get through almost anything." The
names used in this article have been changed. Judy Wade is a freelance
writer.
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