One day while in a meeting I had a call from an out of state agent who wanted to know if I would be interested in a referral. Her clients needed to move to Baltimore by May and had a "bad" experience with another agent. She quizzed me on my internet savvy and I suggested she email me the clients' info so we could decide how best to proceed. I also suggested she "Google" me, but I am not sure she understood what that meant.
It was a couple of days before the potential buyer contacted me, and it turned out they were to be renters, not buyers. The wife called and told me what she wanted, a 3-4 bedroom house on a quiet street, 20-minute commute from BWI airport, and up to $2,000/month for a 6 month lease. Their present home was not sold yet but the husband is already working here and they want to all be together with their two small boys. Oh, and the husband wanted a garage. The wife made it clear that she was not happy with a previous agent because that agent did not return calls, plus other complaints. You may wonder – why was I working with a potential buyer renter at this moment? Because another agent asked for my help.
So let's give this couple a name - "Jack and Jill." Jill said that Jack had Monday and Tuesday to find a place. I set Jill up with my automated email search through my website with the Homes Prospector under Search All Listings. I emailed her the instructions and spent time on phone helping her set this search up. She was really pleased (the other agent did not have this service) she now knew someone was helping her find a home.
Late on Sunday night I received an email from Jill, "Sorry it's taken me a couple days to get back to you…. Jack's best days are now Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are the places we are interested in...." along with a list of 14 MLS numbers in three different counties. "Give 'Jack' a call and let him know what works for you." Remember this is 10:21 on Sunday night.
OK, so now I knew that I had my Monday free which was good since I had a wonderfully busy day. Late that night I make contact with Jack and Jill, she tells me that he is available all day Tuesday anytime. Great! I have someone flexible to work with, or so I thought. I suggested we get together around 11 am that would give me time to call these 14 listings and set up showings. I was able to make seven showings, the CSS person was wonderful, all the properties were vacant and on Sentri lockboxes – a big help.
I called Jack and offered to pick him up at his hotel at 11:30. Nope, he'd rather meet me at the property. OK, so there I was in my car and the GPS would not take the first address. So I entered the nearest intersection and found out that I was 20 minutes away. Yep, I was going to be late. I called Jack to tell him I was running a few minutes late, and he was NOT pleased. " I am going to have lunch and you are just wasting my day."
Whoa....
This was not the way to start a relationship. I was doing him and the other agent a favor (yes, she had already asked for the commission on this rental agreement).
What does one do in this situation? I promised to find them a house, had seven appointments set up, was already on the highway…hmmm. I apologized for being late, did not remind him that wife said he was available all day, and joked that maybe he got another "bad" agent. No humor, just anger. And that's when I made the decision. I suggested if he were that unhappy with me that I just turn around now.
He hung up, and I did just that - I turned around and went home. I did call him back to apologize again for being late, confirm that I would not be meeting him, and to let him know I would not accept him hanging up on me. A fifteen minute leeway was not out of the question when we going to see 7 properties.
I did the right thing. I asked myself WIN – What's Important Now? And my answer was that turning around and coming home felt right. I called "Jill" (no answer) and called and emailed the agent wishing them luck in finding a home in Baltimore.
A deep breath...NEXT!
Did you know that turning around is also an option for you?
Labels: buyers, Turn Around, WIN
