RANT: Returning Phone Calls in a Timely Manner

Returning phone calls is essential to good business. I am representing some friends of mine in the sale of their condo. This is my first listing as a licensed real estate broker, which is very exciting in itself. But that’s a story for later.

Anyway, we have received a number of reasonable offers, and sent a few counter offers off yesterday. The offer that we really want to make work, and the one with the most excited selling buyers, has proven difficult.

I received the fax on Sunday and called the buyer’s agent to let them know that I received it. I talk to my clients, and had a few things to ask the buyer’s agent, so left her a second message asking her to call on Sunday night. Since I had not heard back on Monday morning, I called her again and told her I needed to talk to her about a few things before meeting with my clients to sign a counter offer. I called her again on Monday at noon just before going to meet with my clients, and still nothing.

So Monday afternoon we filled out and signed the counter offer and sent it back. I called her to let her know thatthe fax would be in her office. So here it is, almost 48 hours since I received the initial offer, and I still have not heard from this agent. If one of the other buyers signs their counter offer, her lack of phone etiquette will have lost her clients a condo that they supposedly are completely in love with. We would not even have sent out any other counter offers if I could have chatted with her and firmed up the deal.

If I were working with an agent who lost a deal for me due to her own lack of phone skills I would be irate, and she would no longer be my agent. I can’t imagine that her clients have any idea what’s going on, and that really frustrates me. It’s hard enough to buy a place in California right now without an incompetent real estate agent.

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