The listing agent’s email reponse to our scheduled inspections for Saturday morning ( our home buyers were flying in from Texas) read something along the lines of: ‘Sorry to have failed to advise you that, as the listing agent, I can accommodate inspections only between the hours of 10am and 5pm … weekdays only .” And the added comment was “Inspections must be completed by 5pm … NO exceptions. That is our policy. And your buyers do not need to come … That’s why they hired you as their agent.”
At first I was speechless …. because I was stunned.
Are there really agents out there who refuse to accommodate inspection dates around a relocation buyer’s limited availability? Especially when they themselves are listing and selling that house on behalf of a relocating seller ?
What’s most surprising is that (in this case) the listing agent was not only representing a relocating SELLER … but a MAJOR International Corporation with strong ties in Miami.
Limited-hours listing-agent, “Did you share your rigid policy with the Miami Corporation that hired you to represent them and their client, when you took that listing?”
I was tempted to tell you that our buyers hadn’t yet seen the house (your listing) … that they’d contracted to buy amd were scheduling inspections on … and wouldn’t until inspection day. The transaction transpired entirely via long distance … after your listing came on the market. They had spent three days in Miami previously, scouring neighborhoods … a week before your listing was even listed for sale, but they hadn’t seen yours. They ‘knew’ the neighborhood. We drove by your street … and oddly enough I’d even pointed out your house … before it was listed. And, much to our surprise, it came on the market just days after they left town.
Inspections would be their sole opportunity to see the house before closing … so I bit my tongue … saving the details attesting to the fact that they had not yet set foot in your listing. Seeing your reaction to that (if you even showed up for inspections!) could prove to be priceless…
In Miami, unfortunately, we do occasionally come across the occasional part-time real estate agent who has one foot in the door and a commitment level (at best) on laid back and lazy mode! What a pain! “What was that about the Appraisal and Survey yet to be scheduled, madame/monsieur listing agent? … Of course … We realize that those too will need to be scheduled during your 10am to 5pm weekday work week.”
Looking for an experienced real estate agent in Miami who specializes in relocation? Contact one who works full time. Vicki and Alexandra Restivo at EWM Realtors … 305 793-1365 restivo.v@ewm.com . We will make your next move to/ or from Miami … a really good one.
