Cocky real estate agent

[grip]

Just called up an agent to ask about a property which has been on the market for many months in West Auckland. Just sold.
Asked him why it took so long, and the response was you'd have to talk to my assistants, I don't have a lot to do with people face-to-face these days.

Remind me not to use "star agents" when I sell up in future.

[Glizzle]

Wait wait wait.... so you rang up a salesmen and then went on to ask why it took so long to sell something?
Unless your his boss his response was polite i would of assumed.

[grip]

Wait wait wait.... so you rang up a salesmen and then went on to ask why it took so long to sell something?
Unless your his boss his response was polite i would of assumed.

Nah it was just to find out whether it's still on the market or how much it sold for.
He said it just sold so I casually asked for how much and any reason why it was on the market for so long (I don't know which town you're in but 7 months is kinda long in the current Auckland market).

[Maccachic]

Wait wait wait.... so you rang up a salesmen and then went on to ask why it took so long to sell something?
Unless your his boss his response was polite i would of assumed.

However if Grip was trying to find an agent to sell his similar property his answer would have shot himself in the foot. How hard would it have been to say 'owners where holding out for a premium, building reports not great etc etc".

[Glizzle]

How hard would it have been to say 'owners where holding out for a premium, building reports not great etc etc".

Doesn't matter how hard, the agent is allowed to address it how he wants.
Why should the agent be obliged to hand out any info to someone he doesn't know on a house that is already sold?

[Maccachic]

Yes he is but would make one wonder how well he treats potential buyers etc. You never know who is on the end of a phone.

[Leftette]

I once phoned an agent in Orewa about a place that came on the market and the price seemed relatively low. I asked "why is price low" (always a leading question and one a buyer should never ask but I was genuinely interested in whether it was a leaker, as I suspected so) and he was pretty rude about that. And that was a foot-shooting incident because I tend to avoid all property that he is subsequently involved with. Jumped up git.

[speights boy]

Agent treated grip as an unimportant customer, not someone who is their sole focus these days ....a client.
Rule 1: Sign a sole agency listing.
Rule 2: Nothing is more important than rule 1.

Customers (buyers) are a dime a dozen; and the way their industry works everything is very much a short term thought process.

Most of their energy is gaining those listings....the houses are selling themselves....everyone knows that, and that it will always be so.

[Leftette]

Gotta give them a wee break. The market was crap for years (a few years back) and agents were leaving the industry in droves. They're only making hay whilst the sun shines. They just don't have to be such dicks about it.

[grip]

Doesn't matter how hard, the agent is allowed to address it how he wants.
Why should the agent be obliged to hand out any info to someone he doesn't know on a house that is already sold?

The agent is not obliged to tell me anything. But agents should keep in mind buyers will also be sellers one day.
Especially buyers who also happen to be investors owning multiple properties...

He could've said he doesn't know fullstop.
BUT his reason for not knowing is because he doesn't have a lot to do with clients/buyers these days. That implies he just fronts up to win a listing then pass everything on to some "assistant".

I suppose as Leftette says after all these dry years they can afford to be cocky now with buyers queuing up.

[Glizzle]

Did you talk to his assistants?

[absoluteproperty]

The agent is not obliged to tell me anything. But agents should keep in mind buyers will also be sellers one day.
Especially buyers who also happen to be investors owning multiple properties...

He could've said he doesn't know full-stop.
BUT his reason for not knowing is because he doesn't have a lot to do with clients/buyers these days. That implies he just fronts up to win a listing then pass everything on to some "assistant".

I suppose as Leftette says after all these dry years they can afford to be cocky now with buyers queuing up.

I try to deal with agents who I knew were around back when the sun was not shining but still did their best to keep hay being made. If you have your finger on the industry for long enough and attend a few places you quickly learn who the tossers are in the sales side of the market, and I avoid them.

It would not hurt to insist on not dealing with that particular agent if you are interested in a property s/he is selling, and insisting that you deal with another agent, specifying why and suggesting you would like at least most of the commission to go with the agent you are dealing with. Though the contract is between the buyer and seller so you do have little control over where the commission goes.. the point would get across quickly.

A good strategy might be that rather than calling his assistant, call his boss and let him know that his agent is discouraging future business with his temperament towards potential clients he perceives as below his quality.