Real Estate Agents Unreliable

[mwac]

I'm looking for houses online now and I've made several inquiries (requesting inspections) already through realestate.com.au on houses but I get no response.

I don't always have the time to call the agents during business hours due to work commitments, so I hoped that if I send my inquiries online, I might get a call/email back the next day.

I pretty much only have weekends during the day free and nights free. Obviously I can't contact agents at night, so I select the "Email Agent" button but no responses yet.

It seems like the real estate agents have way too many properties to manage and can't keep up

Is it best to try to contact the agents during the day?

 

[Scott No Mates]

You might be surprised, many will answer their phones if you ring out of hours.

Also, a lot of agents do not respond to their email enquiries, you write these ones off if you are looking to sell through them.

 

[mwac]

Also, a lot of agents do not respond to their email enquiries, you write these ones off if you are looking to sell through them.

I thought the agents will be with the times. Looks like I'll call when I can instead.

 

[eKwatee]

I'm looking for houses online now and I've made several inquiries (requesting inspections) already through realestate.com.au on houses but I get no response.

I don't always have the time to call the agents during business hours due to work commitments, so I hoped that if I send my inquiries online, I might get a call/email back the next day.

I pretty much only have weekends during the day free and nights free. Obviously I can't contact agents at night, so I select the "Email Agent" button but no responses yet.

It seems like the real estate agents have way too many properties to manage and can't keep up

Is it best to try to contact the agents during the day?

Do you use a hotmail address?

As most real estate agents have signatures in their emails. Hotmail will classify these as Junk or spam.

I regularly have issue with trying to respond to buyer enquiry, when they leave a hotmail address, with no phone number. As in reality I have responded to their enquiry, it's just not got through. realestate.com.au should put a note in their enquiry box, to either use a different type of email address or be sure to also leave a phone number.

 

[mwac]

Do you use a hotmail address?

As most real estate agents have signatures in their emails. Hotmail will classify these as Junk or spam.

I regularly have issue with trying to respond to buyer enquiry, when they leave a hotmail address, with no phone number. As in reality I have responded to their enquiry, it's just not got through. realestate.com.au should put a note in their enquiry box, to either use a different type of email address or be sure to also leave a phone number.

I don't use hotmail and I leave a number also to no avail

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

Respectfully the agents job is to make the vendor happy, not the purchaser. They're also out on the road quite a bit so they may not be responding to emails or online equities if they're busy.

It's a lot easier for anyone to pick up the phone than it is to reply to an email. If you want to get an agents attention (or anyone who is busy), the best way is often to give them a call during business hours.

 

[The Y-man]

I'm looking for houses online now and I've made several inquiries (requesting inspections) already through realestate.com.au on houses but I get no response.

This is a GOOD thing for you as a buyer - think of how many others are discouraged and don't bother pursuing.

The golden rule of buying property - the crappier the customer service of the agent (rude, don't return calls, etc) - the better it is for you.

The Y-man

 

[Peterw]

I am not going to offer this as an accuse for bad agency, however we do rely on others to set up the links, and I have seen where a not so experienced person has erred in the setup. Oddly enough, the emails don't bounce back so you think they were delivered. If no reply ... use the phone.

 

[neK]

This is a GOOD thing for you as a buyer - think of how many others are discouraged and don't bother pursuing.

The golden rule of buying property - the crappier the customer service of the agent (rude, don't return calls, etc) - the better it is for you.

The Y-man

Agreed. If you look around long enough you tend to recognise the agents that achieve good prices and the agents that achieve bad prices. I like to deal with the ones that achieve bad prices

(And the reason they achieve bad prices is because they are usually very passive and need to be constantly chased up - as an investor, that's bloody awesome - as a vendor, well it sucks to be them).

 

[mwac]

I've been phoning on my lunch breaks. Its crazy how many deposits are taken on newly listed properties. Dont buyers inspect before putting deposits on??

 

[baby blue eyes]

Hot market ..

 

[Perp]

I've had agents tell me outright that they "never" respond to email queries because "people who are serious about purchasing phone up". Sounds like many are still working on a 1950s mentality.

Still, as Peter T rightly points out, if the agent is that slack, it means you probably have less buying competition.

 

[wylie]

I am not going to offer this as an accuse for bad agency, however we do rely on others to set up the links, and I have seen where a not so experienced person has erred in the setup. Oddly enough, the emails don't bounce back so you think they were delivered. If no reply ... use the phone.

Wouldn't it be wise to test these things? Arrange an email to be sent to see if it gets through? I've done a LOT of looking at houses lately, with having sold recently, and one son having sold and bought, and another son having bought (settling tomorrow). I did all the looking and filtering for him. I'm also looking for a house for my hubby's sister. She has a specific "must have" and a specific "good to have" on her "wish list" and I click on everything that comes in in her specific location, filter it for her and forward it on. I cannot possibly phone every time I want to know "something" about a particular house, so I shoot off an email.

I'm totally amazed that I usually don't ever hear back. If it is a house that I'm really, really keen on, I would pick up the phone, but when I'm looking at ten different houses and just want to clarify something, I don't want to pick up the phone when a quick email will work.

Honestly, if agents don't want to be bothered with emails, they should not even have the link on the listing. And they should be ensuring the email function on the listing actually works.

 

[Jamie M]

I've had agents tell me outright that they "never" respond to email queries because "people who are serious about purchasing phone up".

Some are still quite old school.

I do agree with this to an extent though. If I was really interested in an IP - I wouldn't be waiting for a response to my email, I'd be on the phone to the agent.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Perp]

If I was really interested in an IP - I wouldn't be waiting for a response to my email, I'd be on the phone to the agent.

If I'd already decided I was very interested in that property, yes. But when I'm at the point of deciding between several candidates, isn't it even more important that the agent does everything in their power to win me over, and not put obstacles in my path?

Once I'm already very interested, their service level matters less. When I'm only potentially interested, their actions have much more significance - they can influence whether that property remains a candidate or is discarded.

 

[wylie]

If I'd already decided I was very interested in that property, yes. But when I'm at the point of deciding between several candidates, isn't it even more important that the agent does everything in their power to win me over, and not put obstacles in my path?

Once I'm already very interested, their service level matters less. When I'm only potentially interested, their actions have much more significance - they can influence whether that property remains a candidate or is discarded.

This conveys more clearly what I was trying to say. Thanks Perp.

 

[wategos]

Do you use a hotmail address?

As most real estate agents have signatures in their emails. Hotmail will classify these as Junk or spam.

I?ve been using hotmail as my primary email address for 17 years and have not found this to be true. Hotmail/Outlook is an excellent email service but it seems trendy to bag it.

 

[D.T.]

I?ve been using hotmail as my primary email address for 17 years and have not found this to be true. Hotmail/Outlook is an excellent email service but it seems trendy to bag it.

Anything that comes from those addresses is suspected to be fake or malicious, just because its free and been around so long. It has a reputation for such because it's actually been used for such, not because its trendy.

 

[wylie]

Does gmail have the same stigma?

 

[The Y-man]

One aspect I have found where agents (in Melb) almost ALWAYS use email is in sending out Section 32's.

Used to use a whole ream of paper when faxed - now much happier!!

The Y-man