Questions Buyers Still Ask Me
I think sometimes as agents we just assume that our buyers "know the drill" when
it comes to shopping for homes and working with a realtor. But we have
to remember that new buyers are constantly entering the market and will
likely ask the same questions time and time again. Here are some of the
questions buyer still ask.
"This home is not listed with your company. Do I have to call them or the listing agent to see it?"
No!!! I can show you any home that is listed even if it is not with ReMax. The
exception to this is if the home is out of my normal market area. In
this case, I will refer you to an agent who works regularly there. I
can even contact a for sale by owner for you if you'd rather not do it
yourself, although sometimes they are willing to work with agents and
sometimes not.
"The
last agent I worked with handed me his/her cards and said to use them
when I go to open houses. Do you want to give me some of your cards?"
Well, I'd like to give you some of my cards but not for that purpose.
I'd like to give them to so that you can refer me to your friends and
family but not so that you can go to open houses without me. Let me
briefly explain a little about procuring cause. In
a nutshell, procuring cause means that an agent is responsible for
procuring the sale of a home, usually by being the first one to show it
to you and then following up and completing the chain of events that
lead to the transfer of title. This is what entitles an agent to earn a commission. That
is why an agent may ask you not to go without them to view any
properties. That being said, if you look at a home at an open house and
that particular agent never follows up with you and some months down
the road you buy that home with another agent, it is doubtful that the
first agent could be considered procuring cause simply because you
attended the open house. The follow up is an important part of
procuring cause. Procuring cause cases have many facets to them and if they go to arbitration they are settled on a case by case basis.
I think it is sufficient to say, that if you are satisfied with your
relationship with your agent, please allow them to be the first one to
show you a home and then do the necessary work to help you purchase it.
So what do you do when there is an open house you just have to see?
It's
certainly a fact that may agents work on Sundays, either at an open
house or showing homes to buyers. So here is what I tell my buyers.
Please
call me before going to an open house without me. It's very likely that
I will be able to show you the home before or after my own open house.
I do this often so don't hesitate to ask me!
If you can't go
before or after, but only during the actual open house, please call me
and I will call the agent who is holding the open house and ask if it's
o.k. for you to come without me. After 23 years as an agent, I know a
good number of agents working the open houses and I cannot remember the
last time an agent said they would not honor a client of mine. Even if
they do not know me personally, in 99.9% of the cases, the other agent
will say it's fine. By the way, if I am the agent at the open house,
and you tell me you have an agent, I will respect that and tell you
it's o.k. with me. My goal is to get the home sold for the seller.
Can you "sell me" new construction? I thought I had to use the agent at the model.
Yes!! Not only can I sell you new construction, I can offer much insight into the process
as I sold new construction for a builder for 10 years.This works the
same as an open house, so please call me and remember that new
construction agents often hold hours during the week and/or also allow
agents to show with the use of a lock box.
Remember that customs/practices can vary widely throughout the country.
Ask your agent these questions and carefully read your buyer broker
agreements, as some of these questions may be addressed there. If you
still have questions, it's a good idea to contact a real estate
attorney.
If you would like to buy or sell a home in Broadview Heights, or in
the surrounding communities, please call me at 440-263-7496, or you may
want to visit my website for more specific information on the communities I service: Brecksville, Broadview Heights, North Royalton, Independence, Seven Hills, Parma, Parma Hts., and Garfield Hts.