Unbelievable!

I can hardly believe the incompetency of this agent, so I have to pen the story for the ultimate benefit of all here, as well as venting my disbelief!

During my travels, most REA's I come across are genuinely helpful, competent and efficient. Naturally, as with all industries, there are also the "bad apples" who pop up from time to time, with some displaying various degrees of incompetency or rudeness.

However, most REA's I've met have been able to operate a tape measure. In fact, everyone over the age of 5 that I know pretty much can master the technique
It's a pretty standard request, if a floorplan isn't available for a particular property, to ask for measurements of a room or two (especially living spaces). 99% of REA's are only too happy to get the measurements via the owner or themselves. No problems.

But, not this particular agent. In fact, if you're thinking of selling in the Frenchs Forest area in the near future, and are scouting around for REA's to sell your most precious asset, please don't bother with this fellow (happy to PM details to anyone interested!) He may well be paid tens of thousands of dollars by his vendors to secure a sale, but he can't be bothered measuring a room to bring out a potential buyer!!

When I requested that he measure ONE room for me (as this client needs a particular size for his layout) his response was "I do not use tape measures. I don't know how!". He then told me that the best way for me to see whether or not the size was right was to come out and see for myself
When I further enquired as to whether or not there was a tape measure available in the office that perhaps someone else could operate the answer was negative. "We don't have one- you'll just have to come out with your own!" Amazing, really. I wonder if the vendor is aware to the extent (or lack thereof in this particular case) that this particular REA is willing to go to for an ultimate sale. Abysmal.......

 

I'd speak to his manager. Some people need to be put in their place. What's happened to service these days?

 

To treat you in that manner, this RE agent must have plenty of buyers available .

Would also speak to the Mgr of his office and let him/her know of this fellows dealings.

 

Do you think that he didn't want to measure the room? or do you think that saying silly things like "We don't have one" was just a ploy to force you to come out and see the property in person.

A bit like the "let's not put the number or street on the ad" so that you have to call up if your interested and get put under the hard sell or shown other properties you didn't ask about.

 

I agree with Leandro, this is simply arrogance on behalf of the REA because they figure that if they get you (or anyone) on site it will work to their benefit. Assuming you didn't mention that you were a buyer's agent, or perhaps even if you did, the REA would benefit by either:

a) being able to talk you into buying (or getting your client to buy) by putting you on-the-spot,

b) telling the vendor they had another "serious" buyer make a visit, ... and then if b) doesn't work,

c) to condition the vendor to drop the price (while they still get 98% of their fee), and

d) then, while they've got you, being able to show you other properties on their list that don't fit the criteria.

This may sound cynical but there are a number of REAs who seem to think they are much better salesmen than they really are, if they can get you face to face and apply their "charm".

Like Leandro I am annoyed by REAs who don't identify the property address, particularly when you are researching over the internet. They assume that you're local and will just pop around to see them, so they can convince you that the poorly advertised property is actually what you were looking for, you just didn't know it! Quite hard when you are 1000+km away and trying to create a shortlist.

Dave

 

That's not cynical Dave. A lot of them do the 3 day fast track sales skills course or whatever it is, then think your mind is theirs to control.

We actively avoided the guy (Agent A) who had our last place as sole agency and approached via another REA we trust (Agent B - they came to some arrangement) to make sure we didn't get bothered by the b.s. from Agent A we had previous misfortune dealing with.

At the onsite inspection Agent A wheeled out his one-liners looking for the 'yes' response and talked up various aspects of the property and the area with some close-to-litigious claims. We simply said we'd discuss all detail later direct with Agent B back at Agent B's office, to avoid getting into an argument about why you shouldn't have to lie to people to sell them something.

We eventually told Agent B the place was too much work and not for us (after making a low ball offer, admittedly) - he was very cool about it - despite having gone thru a bit of grief to get us in to have a look.

In the end Agent A still got our contact details from the low-ball contract and phone-spammed me for a month (while we had decided not to purchase, apparently there were no other lookers). Eventually giving up on me he rang my wife direct and tried the same spiel on her. We had to be quite rude to stop the phone calls coming.

Luckily we had a change of heart and bought the same property a few months later solely through Agent B, (at around the low-ball price btw ) after Agent A's sole agency had expired.

About a year later, a young couple who bought the vacant land next door called in and said they bought thru Agent A. They had asked him if our property (or something similar, with a house on it) was available, and he supposedly claimed 'oh no they were all snapped up in a heartbeat'. Apparently a heartbeat that lasted over many months of no activity, which caused him to constantly ring and harrass people like us !

Some agents will basically say anything to encourage that feeling of urgency and potential loss ... this guy is definitely one of those that thinks he's better than he really is.

My moment of enjoyment was when I had the bobcat pile up all the extra rubbish in the yard for a bonfire. Agent A saw his original For Sale sign (the photo type on a couple of star pickets) in the pile of rubbish. Not realising I was watching from the house, he parked his 5-series leased BMW on the roadside and climbed the dog wire fence in his patent leather shoes, to retrieve the decrepid bent sign for recyclying, managing to get it all in the boot of the Beamer. It was kind of like watching Christopher Skase eating from a garbage bin, and made the whole process worthwhile