Bad Actor

By Jim Palmer Jr.

I recently received a nasty voice message from a buyer who had called to see one of my listings. I was out of town and in my absence an assistant was diligently attempting to field calls and handle business. The message spewed by this impatient person was laced with profanity and insults. They were angry because they had been unable to get an immediate response. Their rude demand repulsed any desire to extend assistance. I have to admit that I would never spend a second with someone so abusive, so it puzzled me when they still demanded my services. The vile message clearly revealed a lack of decency, but also a lack of knowledge of how real estate sales work. I realize this person is the exception in terms of being a bad actor, but their meanness caused me to think about how the public can be so  demanding at times.

It was plain to see that this person did not understand that they could have called any other broker, from any other company to view this property, especially since I as the listing broker was simply not able to accommodate their demand for an instant showing. That is the genius of the Multiple Listing Service. Any member/broker can show the property and represent a buyer when that cooperation has been offered.

Searching for real estate is NOT like walking into a retail store where sales people cater to every demand. There are some brokers who offer Buyers Agency exclusively and who may act in every way like an eager retail clerk, but in real estate sales the reality is much different than that. The stakes are much higher and the process much more complicated. Instead of sacrificing home and family for the whim of buyers who are often fickle and unfaithful, professional buyer brokers are more cautious and offer much more value than just serving as an on-demand-door-opener.    

Listing brokers play a much different role than a buyer’s broker. Their contractual loyalty is to the seller, not the myriad of indecisive buyers who clamor for a look. Because of that loyalty to seller they often show property to buyers, and while they may at times agree to enter into a dual agency role, they likely would do that only after careful consideration. That inherent conflict of interest in a real estate transaction might prompt a savvy buyer to be more careful and perhaps more courteous than the buyer in the example above!