By Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
This month’s question gives you a chance to vent.
I was talking to a Realtor recently who said she brought a client to a home listed for sale and was appalled at the dirty and moldy the lockbox.
So, how about you? What gets your pot boiling at a Realtor?
“Oh, my! Here is my list! Realtors who market some of their other businesses with flyers or business card next to the real estate information, Realtors who don’t return faxed feedback forms about showings, Realtors who don’t return phone calls, Realtors who lack in ethics and act more like car salespeople [wheelers and dealers], Realtors who have condescending attitudes, Realtors you have to baby-sit to do their part of the transaction, Realtors who will leave a pending or sold property active for days before submitting the change to the Multiple Listing Service, unprofessional liberties taken by the ‘Good Ole Boys Club’ and ‘Good Ole Gals Club’ and chauvinism. Ahhh, I feel so much better! Thanks.”
— Sylvie McCann, Watson Realty Corp in Amelia Island
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t comment at all. However, it’s annoying when a listing agent does not get the contract to the closing agent in a timely manner. Also, communication is important. Sometimes [not often] the Realtor does not call back. We’re all trying to achieve the same goal, so let’s work together and get it done!”
- Carolyn Minor,
Countrywide Home Loans
“The worst thing that some Realtors do that really irritates us and our sellers is for an appointment to be made and then the Realtor never shows up and never calls to cancel the appointment. This makes for a very poor image of Realtor reliability.”
- Brenda and Ron Horst,
Re/Max Unlimited
“Put houses on the market and don’t use a lockbox! I fully understand if the seller requests that an agent not use a lockbox, but when it’s just simply because the listing agent hasn’t gotten around to purchasing a lockbox, then that truly irritates me.”
- Bill Thompson,
Watson Realty Corp.
“Realtors who call you for feedback the very same day that you have shown a home [usually with your buyers still in the car looking at other properties!] really, really, really, irritate me. Also, those that call you at your home for feedback of your showing at night. Most irritating are those who call on Sundays and Sunday nights. We realize how important feedback is to your sellers, but listing agents should be courteous to buyer’s agents and give them an opportunity to at least finish the day before they call you for feedback. As for the dirty lockbox, let’s talk about the dirty homes on the market before we get too carried away with the lockboxes!”
- Jan Howard,
The Howard Realty Group, Inc.
“My Dad used to say ‘Be careful who you point your finger at...you’ll have three pointing back at you.’ A saying I learned recently is ‘The traits that we find most irritating in other people, we most likely have ourselves.’ On that note, I have been guilty of all of these from time to time: unreturned phone calls for feedback, ‘no shows’ on appointments, running late for appointments and not calling the office so we can let our sellers know, no alternate phone number on the Multiple Listing Service sheet, automated voicemails to set appointment with no alternate phone number and not informing all parties in writing that you are in a multiple offer situation.”
- Judy K. Hicks,
Re/Max Coastal Real Estate
“I would have to say that the most irritating thing would have to be lack of communication when trying to show a home. Either it’s no one answering the office phone after 5:30 p.m. on a weekday or not a heartbeat on the weekends. I believe that if you want to list it you must have a way for someone to make the appointment with a couple hours notice especially if you don’t even have a Multiple Listing Service lock box and the showing agent needs a special code. Needless to say this was my most recent discouragement.”
- Todd Arnold,
Kent and Associates Realty Services
“Incomplete listing information! Our system is so easy to use - why not complete the room information [i.e. size, level, flooring type]? Wrong school information in literature and Multiple Listing Service listings! It takes about two minutes to call the school board and find out what schools a house is zoned for. Maybe when an agent gets sued because of having the wrong information filled in will they finally get it. Do your job and your customers will be happy for it!”
- Lisa Brown,
Realty Executives
“When people put things in the Multiple Listing Service a few days after they put the sign in the yard. Doesn’t sound much like ‘cooperating’ brokerage to me!!”
- Russ Goodman,
Re/Max Atlantic
“I had a listing in Avondale. The Multiple Listing Service information stated explicitly that a showing appointment was required. A Realtor called the office to make a showing appointment, but was told to wait until the appointment was confirmed. She responded that since the house was vacant, she would go ahead and just show it. Once again she was told that the home was not vacant and an appointment was needed due to very young children living in the home. This Realtor took it upon herself to show the home anyway.
“During the showing the homeowner arrived with her two small children and a trunk full of groceries. First she was frightened, not knowing who was in her home unannounced.
“Then she was appalled. The home was not in any condition to be shown. Needless to say, there was no offer from these prospective buyers. The moral of the story is: you may want to follow instructions.”
- Kathrin Lancelle,
Keller Williams Realty
“What irritates me the most is Realtors who come into my model and only want directions to the spec home that are available. They do not want to take the time to allow me to explain my product, my builder and my community. No one knows more about the builder and the community than I. They need to let the site agent give a brief presentation before rushing to the spec homes.”
- Bob Hawley,
Sid Higginbotham Builders
“Realtors who put the lock boxes in trees with wasp nests - [just happened to me] or on water spigots five inches off the ground while it is pouring down rain [just happened].”
- Karen Swinson,
Re/max on Park Ave
“On the rental management side, everyone with the exception of one agent [agency] reports monthly rent, which can be used across the board to compute price per square foot when comparing similar properties. His recordings of annual rents have to be eliminated to obtain a accurate rental comparative market analysis.”
- Wayne M. Jones,
Watson Realty Corp.
“They leave out important information on the Multiple Listing Service listing as to measurements of the rooms and whether the rooms are on the first or second floor. This could eliminate much wasted time on our parts. We would not show homes that are not suitable to our clients and we would not have to make phone calls to listing agents about details of their listings. Also, when I show a home that is dirty, I have to wonder if their listing agent has not prepped them on how to show a home. Another thing is the agent who is too lazy to even leave a brochure or information sheet on their listing. These lazy agents don’t deserve the confidence of their sellers, much less a commission for selling the home.”
- Joan Orensky,
Prudential Network Realty
“Unfortunately we have Realtors among us that do not bother to set an appointment when showing vacant homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service. For numerous reasons, the appointments should be set because the listing agent needs to know about showings to be able to obtain feedback for the sellers, or the alarm may be active and without an appointment showing agent has no way of deactivating. The owner may have work scheduled or be going over to the home themselves during that same time period. I realize it is sometimes easier to just show the home without an appointment, especially when you know it is vacant, but let’s be professional and do the right thing so as to keep our image high among the consuming public.”
- Dan Daniel,
Prudential Network Realty, Mandarin
“Laziness! It is lazy if a seasoned agent cannot fill out an offer/contract correctly. The spelling of the name of the firm as well as the agent are on the listing sheet you pulled from Multiple Listing Service. Do you think they could use it as a reference? And a good one is showing a listing as active when in fact it has been under contract for two weeks. If you are going to continue to market, then please disclose. Oh, yeah, and regarding the lockbox, how about getting the right key in there? Nothing is more embarrassing then trying to open a house with the wrong key put in place by the listing agent.”
- Jason Hoffman,
Coldwell Banker Palazzo Realty, Inc.
“Rather than focusing on things that Realtors do or don’t do that irritate us, why don’t we focus on the good things Realtors do? I would rather focus on raising the bar higher and try to live up to the attributes that our association is proud of, and not focus on the negative. I would rather find out what the issues are and try and remedy them, rather than critique them. I would rather take a new Realtor under my wing and show them the ropes, rather than let them hang themselves with it. Since your paper is read by others in our industry, we need to remind the buyers, sellers and builders why Realtors add value to a transaction, and not focus on a ‘few bad apples.’”
- Phyllis Staines,
Re/Max Coastal Real Estate
“On our Multiple Listing Service information sheets there is a section for additional comments. This is information for the agents. We should include any special ‘disclosures’ - i.e., easements that would affect a sale, property that has been ‘changed’ by the state taking a part of the property or rentals that would continue after the sale is closed. We all try to do a good job, we just need all the information in writing, so we can be the professionals that we are trained to be.”
- Kathy White,
Re/Max Professional Group
“Handle calls on their cell phones at inappropriate times! I could give dozens of examples including answering the phone in the middle of a seminar or sales meeting and then continuing to carry on a conversation as if no one else can hear when, in fact, the entire room has to listen to the conversation while trying to hear the speaker. I have heard Realtors take feedback calls in the middle of a closing, talk non-stop during the entire meal in a restaurant at a table full of people, and put one client on hold to take another call, even when they know the second call could easily be returned later. It’s all very rude and sends a message to the person or people present that they are not important. Rather than using technology to help us run our business more effectively and efficiently while giving us more freedom, I feel we are allowing it to enslave us. And there is no better example of that than the cell phone!”
- Liz Papenbrock,
Re/Max Real Estate Specialists
“My No. 1 gripe is not putting lockboxes on doors, preferably front doors. Spigots are ridiculous places to put them; they’re low and, if you’re wearing a skirt, it can be embarrassing to twist yourself into position to extract and replace the key! If the door handle doesn’t work, put a hasp on a signpost and sink it in the ground near the front door. First impressions are so important and when the first one is ‘Let’s find the lockbox,’ that sort of takes the prospect’s attention away from the house! Other gripes are that in this day of sophisticated systems, not using lockboxes is an antiquated attitude. I cannot understand why any seller would not agree to a lockbox.”
- Clare Berry,
Berry & Co. Real Estate
“Realtors who answer their cell phones with a simple ‘Hello’. Then, I have to ask if it’s ‘so-and-so’. I suggest they give at least a first name by saying, ‘Hello, this is Paul’.”
- Paul Gruenther,
Watson Realty Corp.,
Jacksonville Beach
“Lack of information or, even worse, misinformation in the Multiple Listing Service data. Realtors do not understand the definition of market value and pressure an appraiser to make a contract value using sales that could cause the appraiser to be disciplined or lose their license. Thank you for asking this question.”
-Pamela Crowley,
appraiser
“Making a property available to show should be the most important thing we do. Some agents in the Multiple Listing Service are making it almost impossible to show a house even with an appointment because they don’t have an extra key or a lockbox.”
- Diane Ward,
Century 21 A1A Realty
“Not sending comment sheets to listing offices.”
- Brittany Michaels,
Realty Executives of Amelia Island
“I have been setting appointments to show properties and called on a contingent property. The office said that they’d call me back and after about an hour of waiting, I called them since I hadn’t heard from them. When I asked about the property, they said it was scheduled to close in a few days. My response to them was ‘Why don’t you change the listing to a ‘pending’ status?’ She said it wasn’t ‘her’ listing and I thanked her and hung up. It pointed out to me that it is very important to have an office administrator or listing agent keep abreast of the listings and their status. It would make all of our lives easier.”
- Joyce Haley,
Watson Realty, St. Augustine
“My biggest pet peeve is a Realtor who does not know how to pronounce his profession! How many Realtors do you know that say Realator or Reality? It totally amazes me that people do this! I always want to remind the Realtors and the public that the correct and only pronunciation is Realtor not Realitor! Please, please help me spread the word!”
- Debby Duenow,
Watson Realty Corp.
“Realtors sell homes. Their role is to help people sell homes or buy homes depending on who they’re representing in the transaction. When it comes to financing, I would prefer that the Realtors rely on the loan officer to interact with a buyer and allow them to discuss loan products, terms or rates. I understand that a Realtor may have worked long and hard with a client and feels their job is all-inclusive, including financing, but hopefully the Realtor will have a relationship with a knowledgeable, dependable lender and can step back and allow that lender to work with the client. Realtors who call lenders and want to ‘shop’ the lenders aren’t necessarily doing their client the best service, especially with all the products available today. Also, if Realtors have to resort to ‘shopping’ lenders, they’ve not yet developed a relationship with a loan officer they can count on which can be of great benefit to a Realtor’s business.”
- Brad King,
Branch Banking and Trust Co.
“Failure to return phone calls.”
- Hugh B. O’Malley,
Watson Realty Corp.
“Showing appointments. When scheduling showings, I call the proper company to schedule the appointment, get confirmation, then when I show up at the house, the owner has no idea I was coming. This happens quite frequently. It is very embarrassing and frustrating. How much effort does it take to make a phone call! Thanks, I’m sure this one will make it. I know I’m not the only one it happens to.”
- Nanette Williams,
Buyer’s Broker Realty