My Hubby and I often go through the open houses in our area to get ideas for our renovations. No big deal, lots of people do it !
The other day one of the agents rang my husband and asked what he though of the property on the weekend. He said that we were looking on behalf of my brother (which is also true) and rude estate agent lady gave him a lecture about how the seller is sick and tire dof people going through the house with no intention of buying them selves and to pass my brothers name to the agent if he is interested. We couldn't believe how rude she was. If they didn't want people going through then they shouldn't of had an open house!!
We certainly wont be selling our renovated house through her company now!!! Silly girl!
Anyone else had similar experiences??
Rude real estate agents
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I will admit I registered here just because I sympathised with you, Bella. In my experience, real estate agents and particularly their reception staff are rude, disinterested and utterly unhelpful. Any time I enter their offices or call their front desk, I am treated as if I were the biggest interruption to their very important day. I'm surprised there hasn't been a Today Tonight story on rude real estate agencies (haha).
Are we not customers? Do we not deserve some respect or simple standards of customer service? I don't know where things went wrong. I'm guessing real estate agents often get difficult tenants, buyers and sellers to deal with. SO WHAT. Cry more. Be nicer. The sad thing is, even the top echelon of the agency management will be just as incompetent and farcical in the way they handle their establishment.
But what can one do? We still need to live somewhere, damnit.
Are we not customers? Do we not deserve some respect or simple standards of customer service? I don't know where things went wrong. I'm guessing real estate agents often get difficult tenants, buyers and sellers to deal with. SO WHAT. Cry more. Be nicer. The sad thing is, even the top echelon of the agency management will be just as incompetent and farcical in the way they handle their establishment.
But what can one do? We still need to live somewhere, damnit.
Hi all,
Unfortunately, I can add another tale of rudeness. I was visiting a display home by a major builder. I was with my family at the time, and we are of Chinese origin. When the agent saw the four of us walk into the room, he said "Oh the bus has arrived ..." which I found very rude and racist. Futhermore, he showed a complete lack of desire to help at all. Needless to say we took our business elsewhere.
I wrote an official letter of complaint to the head office, but did not even receive a response.
Let's hope to see better service across the building & renovation industry!
Cheers,
Daryl
Unfortunately, I can add another tale of rudeness. I was visiting a display home by a major builder. I was with my family at the time, and we are of Chinese origin. When the agent saw the four of us walk into the room, he said "Oh the bus has arrived ..." which I found very rude and racist. Futhermore, he showed a complete lack of desire to help at all. Needless to say we took our business elsewhere.
I wrote an official letter of complaint to the head office, but did not even receive a response.
Let's hope to see better service across the building & renovation industry!
Cheers,
Daryl
I'm really shocked to hear such behaviour. You guys should write which branch of which estate agent behaved that way. PUblic awareness of their behaviour is the least of what they deserve.
I sell Real Estate in New Zealand, I always introduce myself with a handshake (when time allows) then I launch into a blurb on the property I am having the Open Home in, I love anyone and everyone coming through as you just don't know who might know someone who would like to buy the property. Its all good advertising, then there is the opportunity to perhaps pick up a new listing from some one who comes through, it is my opportunity to present myself and hopefully impress you enough to phone me with a view to employing me.
I do hope the majority of the Real Estate sales people you come in contact with are nice, genuine and helpfull people.
A sales person is not an AGENT, the company they work for is the Agent, there are some sales people who have sat the exams and passed who are literally agents in their own right, however the majority are sales people.
I do hope the majority of the Real Estate sales people you come in contact with are nice, genuine and helpfull people.
A sales person is not an AGENT, the company they work for is the Agent, there are some sales people who have sat the exams and passed who are literally agents in their own right, however the majority are sales people.
If an agent is rude to you he is probably the same with everybody.
Contact THE LICENSEE of the agency and tell them. He/She is the person responsible for reps behaviour not necessarily the owner or manager of the agency.
Contact THE LICENSEE of the agency and tell them. He/She is the person responsible for reps behaviour not necessarily the owner or manager of the agency.
I have never been so appalled by anything in my life and I had to write a reply. Its nice to know there are other people out there who have experienced similar problems with real estate agents for I can definitely sympathise.
I am attempting to relocate from Sydney to Melbourne for a new job I have been offered in the Inner City. While this may seem like an easy task to undertake with a normal real estate agent, who is actually there to do their job and show houses - that is not what I have found with Melbourne agents. I have to agree with some of the other messages, I was made to feel like a complete inconvenience in their otherwise incredibly busy days and in most cases, was lucky to be given 5 minutes on the phone, if we got a call back at all. They were either in meetings, on the phone, with other clients or had not turned up for work yet as some agents didn't seem to start work until after lunch. Oh for such a lifestyle!!
I thought that the major aim of being a property manager who looked after rentals was to actually rent property, not to hold on to it for as long as possible and I also thought that when someone rang and was interested in a property, that you may actually return their calls sometime before the end of the year and make the effort to perhaps show them the property. Not only did they seem to not care, they had a completely dismissive manner on the phone and some of them were downright pushy and rude. While my experience of Sydney agents has been brilliant, it has been far from that in Melbourne. While I will not give up as I do, indeed, need to find somewhere to live, I have to say why do they need to make life so hard to simply rent a property - surely some of these agents rent as well - they must know what its like - surely?????
I am attempting to relocate from Sydney to Melbourne for a new job I have been offered in the Inner City. While this may seem like an easy task to undertake with a normal real estate agent, who is actually there to do their job and show houses - that is not what I have found with Melbourne agents. I have to agree with some of the other messages, I was made to feel like a complete inconvenience in their otherwise incredibly busy days and in most cases, was lucky to be given 5 minutes on the phone, if we got a call back at all. They were either in meetings, on the phone, with other clients or had not turned up for work yet as some agents didn't seem to start work until after lunch. Oh for such a lifestyle!!
I thought that the major aim of being a property manager who looked after rentals was to actually rent property, not to hold on to it for as long as possible and I also thought that when someone rang and was interested in a property, that you may actually return their calls sometime before the end of the year and make the effort to perhaps show them the property. Not only did they seem to not care, they had a completely dismissive manner on the phone and some of them were downright pushy and rude. While my experience of Sydney agents has been brilliant, it has been far from that in Melbourne. While I will not give up as I do, indeed, need to find somewhere to live, I have to say why do they need to make life so hard to simply rent a property - surely some of these agents rent as well - they must know what its like - surely?????
I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE AND ANYONE WHO IS PLANNING ON RENTING OR BUYING ON THE GOLD COAST. DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR ANDREW REYNOLDS REALTY IN TUGUN.
I PHONED AN AFTERHOURS NUMBER ON THE HOMEPAGE AND WAS ABUSED BY THE OWNER OF THE REAL ESTATE AND TOLD THAT THIS WAS FOR SALES PURPOSES ONLY AND DON'T I EVER CALL THIS NUMBER AGAIN. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED I JUST COULD NOT BELEIVE THE RUDENESS IN WHICH I WAS SPOKEN TOO AND THE UTTER DISRESPECT.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ANDREW REYNOLDS HIMSELF WHO SPOKE TO ME IN THIS MANNER.
I PHONED AN AFTERHOURS NUMBER ON THE HOMEPAGE AND WAS ABUSED BY THE OWNER OF THE REAL ESTATE AND TOLD THAT THIS WAS FOR SALES PURPOSES ONLY AND DON'T I EVER CALL THIS NUMBER AGAIN. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED I JUST COULD NOT BELEIVE THE RUDENESS IN WHICH I WAS SPOKEN TOO AND THE UTTER DISRESPECT.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ANDREW REYNOLDS HIMSELF WHO SPOKE TO ME IN THIS MANNER.
Maybe it would be worthwhile starting a discussion on experiences people have had selling their house WITHOUT an agent. We are currently going through the process of selling our own house without using an agent, for many reasons including the cost involved. I would be interested in hearing from anyone that has gone through this process and what tips they have! For Sale By Owner seems to be a growing trend in Australia (actually 30% of properties in the US are sold this way), so perhaps agents in the future will have to treat you with more respect otherwise they will go out of business.
i have to agree with the idea of selling your own property, i have not done it yet but i will definately try it next time. I just recently sold a property through an agent, it cost me approx $10,000. How much happier would i be to have that money in my pocket rather than a real estate agent. I was speaking to my solicitor one night and she mentioned selling property myself, the process is not as difficult as what i thought, as long long as i follow my solicitors advice. I guess one of people's biggest fears is dealing with other people, the whole negotiating process, another thing is being emotionally involved with a property especially if it was your first or have fond memories of that house, if a potential buyer starts to criticise certain things we as human beings may get upset and in turn blow a sale, the advertising side i wouldn't think would be that difficult either, we can all take photos, running an ad in the paper is fairly basic. So my conclusion is, that if you have the time to do all these things why not sell it yourself and give these agents to think about, they will have to then be more competitive for our business.
SORRY I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU - I think it is totally rude of you to go through someones private home if you have no intention of buying it.
Good on the real estate agent for putting you in your place.
How arrogant you are to think it is your right to go through someones home for "ideas" just because it is an open house. THE OPEN HOUSE MEANS IT"S OPEN FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS!!Not nosey people!!
When I sell my home I never have an "open house" - Sadly this is because nosey neighbours such as yourself feel it is their opportunity to look through your house.
Good on the real estate agent for putting you in your place.
How arrogant you are to think it is your right to go through someones home for "ideas" just because it is an open house. THE OPEN HOUSE MEANS IT"S OPEN FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS!!Not nosey people!!
When I sell my home I never have an "open house" - Sadly this is because nosey neighbours such as yourself feel it is their opportunity to look through your house.
A GOOD REAL ESTATE AGENTS KNOWS THAT WORD OF MOUTH AND REFERRALS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE LONG TERM BUSINESS.
YOU DO THIS THROUGH HONESTY & MANNERS. I SELL REA ESTATE AND I APPLYTHIS PRINCIPAL.
IF THEY LOVE THE PROPERTY THEY WILL BUY IT. IF THEY LIKE THE PROPERTY AND LIKE YOU YOU THEY WILL BUY. IF THEY JUST LIKE THE PROPERTY AND DON'T LIKE YOU THEY WILL NOT BUY. IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE PROPERTY AND LIKE YOU THEY MAY WANT TO LOOK AT OTHER PROPERTIES IN THE FUTURE.
WHEN YOUR IN THE PEOPLE INDUSTRY YOU MUST ME A PEOPLE PERSON.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THEY SELL ALOT OF PROPERTY.
ASLAM SARGEANT
YOU DO THIS THROUGH HONESTY & MANNERS. I SELL REA ESTATE AND I APPLYTHIS PRINCIPAL.
IF THEY LOVE THE PROPERTY THEY WILL BUY IT. IF THEY LIKE THE PROPERTY AND LIKE YOU YOU THEY WILL BUY. IF THEY JUST LIKE THE PROPERTY AND DON'T LIKE YOU THEY WILL NOT BUY. IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE PROPERTY AND LIKE YOU THEY MAY WANT TO LOOK AT OTHER PROPERTIES IN THE FUTURE.
WHEN YOUR IN THE PEOPLE INDUSTRY YOU MUST ME A PEOPLE PERSON.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THEY SELL ALOT OF PROPERTY.
ASLAM SARGEANT
I find they bend over backwards for me…
Shame I’m not in the market to buy, I like to look at a potential property, just in case I think it’s is worth the pain of getting it and doing it up to sell.
Nothing has struck me yet.
But I live in an area where I’m pretty well known. But I still haven’t heard of many rude Estate Agents.
I’d say their probably not in business anymore!
Shame I’m not in the market to buy, I like to look at a potential property, just in case I think it’s is worth the pain of getting it and doing it up to sell.
Nothing has struck me yet.
But I live in an area where I’m pretty well known. But I still haven’t heard of many rude Estate Agents.
I’d say their probably not in business anymore!
Hi there!
Sorry for you experience with rude agents-this is not typical. As you know every profession has it's share of undertrained people, not just the real estate industry. In general working with the public is both personally and financially rewarding, Times are tough in the industry right now and both the customer and the agent need to practice patience. Good luck in the future with your investments and your customer service skills.
Lynn
http://www.realtorwebagent.com
Sorry for you experience with rude agents-this is not typical. As you know every profession has it's share of undertrained people, not just the real estate industry. In general working with the public is both personally and financially rewarding, Times are tough in the industry right now and both the customer and the agent need to practice patience. Good luck in the future with your investments and your customer service skills.
Lynn
http://www.realtorwebagent.com
.
Sounds interesting...
Quote from Media Report (7/12/06):
"Real estate sharks will have their fins clipped by a new web-site that allows homeowners to start a bidding war for the rights to sell their property.
www.sellmycastle.com.au encourages real estate agents to compete for home sales. The site allows sellers to describe their properties, let agents bid for the rights to sell and compare their offers.
It is free for homeowners. More than 700 sellers and agents had registered with the site since it launched last month. Sellers can see exactly what an agent is offering and compare these with other agents."
Quote from Media Report (7/12/06):
"Real estate sharks will have their fins clipped by a new web-site that allows homeowners to start a bidding war for the rights to sell their property.
www.sellmycastle.com.au encourages real estate agents to compete for home sales. The site allows sellers to describe their properties, let agents bid for the rights to sell and compare their offers.
It is free for homeowners. More than 700 sellers and agents had registered with the site since it launched last month. Sellers can see exactly what an agent is offering and compare these with other agents."
I'm coming from a buyer's perspective in Sydney.
We're in the process at the moment of looking at buying a bigger/better house, in the south west suburbs of Sydney.
I must say, compared to 7 years ago when we bought our existing place, the agents today are far more friendly, and willing to work for you.
I have had almost every call returned, agents ringing me as soon as a house that fits our needs is on the market, and they have willingly dropped everything to show us a property a 2md or 3rd time at short notice.
Not one of them has asked if we are certain that we have the money required (although it would be a waste of our time if we didn't).
They have also paid close attention to our needs & wants, and structured their list of potential properties to suit us.
7 years ago, we were dragged through so many houses that clearly did not meet our needs, and even told by 1 agent that "we have to buy this house as it is the best one for us" when it clearly scored extremely low in our list of criteria!
I think there has been a real change in R/E salespeople's attitude & nature in recent years. Perhaps the growth of the internet & information has helped weed out the slime?
I know I check each property now on Google Earth to see where it is, and this has ruled out numerous ones that back onto reserves & laneways that I don't like - saving both us & the agent critical time.
My other thoughts are that there is a real lack of buyers out there at the moment, so they realise they need to work harder, as there simply aren't all that many buyers out there to replace lost ones, like there was in the boom times.
I could give you a list of 12 different agents, ranging from large chains to small independants that we have dealt with in the last 5 weeks, and honestly tell you that each salesperson (around 20 all up) has been fantastic to deal with, and really made the whole process a pleasant ordeal.
Now I just hope our 2nd offer gets accepted, so we can get off the merry-go-round!
In saying the above though, I have never sold a propety, and we are considering keeping the current one as an investment, so may not have to. If we do decide to sell, it will be a test of the agents to see how they relate to us from a seller's perspective.
We're in the process at the moment of looking at buying a bigger/better house, in the south west suburbs of Sydney.
I must say, compared to 7 years ago when we bought our existing place, the agents today are far more friendly, and willing to work for you.
I have had almost every call returned, agents ringing me as soon as a house that fits our needs is on the market, and they have willingly dropped everything to show us a property a 2md or 3rd time at short notice.
Not one of them has asked if we are certain that we have the money required (although it would be a waste of our time if we didn't).
They have also paid close attention to our needs & wants, and structured their list of potential properties to suit us.
7 years ago, we were dragged through so many houses that clearly did not meet our needs, and even told by 1 agent that "we have to buy this house as it is the best one for us" when it clearly scored extremely low in our list of criteria!
I think there has been a real change in R/E salespeople's attitude & nature in recent years. Perhaps the growth of the internet & information has helped weed out the slime?
I know I check each property now on Google Earth to see where it is, and this has ruled out numerous ones that back onto reserves & laneways that I don't like - saving both us & the agent critical time.
My other thoughts are that there is a real lack of buyers out there at the moment, so they realise they need to work harder, as there simply aren't all that many buyers out there to replace lost ones, like there was in the boom times.
I could give you a list of 12 different agents, ranging from large chains to small independants that we have dealt with in the last 5 weeks, and honestly tell you that each salesperson (around 20 all up) has been fantastic to deal with, and really made the whole process a pleasant ordeal.
Now I just hope our 2nd offer gets accepted, so we can get off the merry-go-round!
In saying the above though, I have never sold a propety, and we are considering keeping the current one as an investment, so may not have to. If we do decide to sell, it will be a test of the agents to see how they relate to us from a seller's perspective.
To add to the debate...
Yes, if I owned a house and a similar one came up for sale in my area and had an open house - I would probably go. I would want to know how my property compared, and see based on a comparison what my house was worth. Is it sticky beaking? Yep... but really, don't agents request that the owners aren't present at the open house, so what would it bother the owners anyway? What would you have to hide? That's what cupboards and sheds are for. If you don't want people looking through, don't have one. Schedule specific times with interested parties instead.
Would I have an open house - maybe. Would I care who came through? Nope! It's all about exposure... if Joe Blow down the road decides he wants to have a sticky - good on him. If he liked the area and liked my house who knows... he might move! I think that buying a house is very emotion driven - if you fall in love with a place it's amazing how quickly you can come to a decision.
Now for a real estate story... As a renter, we HATE real estate agents. Our previous agents rented us the house on a 6 month lease (we wanted a min 12 months) and ASSURED us the owners would renew the lease - they just didn't want bad tenants and it was their first rental property etc etc. 5 months later via registered mail is our 60 days notice to be out of the house. Oh yeah, and a For Sale sign will be put up in the front yard, and you can't refuse potential buyers from coming through the house. All this while I'm 7-8 months pregnant. So I had to pack up the whole house (7-8 months pregnant) and shift. Not only should they not have insisted that we would have a renewed lease (we would have waited for another property if we'd known it would only be 6 months total), I thought it was disgustingly rude that the agents brought people through the house we were paying rent for (WE weren't selling) when we were going to be moving out in a weeks time (this was one week before we moved out), and the day before our move day, the agent rang up and "asked" (he didn't ask, he more stated) that he would be bringing people through the house the next day - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SHIFTING! Apparently it was the only time the lady and her daughters were available to see the house... So I had to move all the stuff out of the passages and rooms so that they could have access to all the rooms - and when they came through they didn't even look interested in the house. It only had 2 bedrooms, and the lady had 2 older teenage daughters (I'm sure they's love sharing). I was sooooo peaved at that. Oh, and the fact that the agent, after 1) renting it to us, 2) telling us we were excellent tenants etc and 3) having the For Sale listing of the property, didn't even TRY (after we said we needed a new place to rent) to find us anything.
It just so happened that one of hubby's workmates had a place she was renting, and we moved straight in there (dates worked out great!). We pay $20/week less than what we would had she put the house through an agency (their charge) and we have the place as long as we like.
Win-win for us. No more agents... (oh and the agents we bought our land through were less than eager... we did all the running after them!)
Ray.
Yes, if I owned a house and a similar one came up for sale in my area and had an open house - I would probably go. I would want to know how my property compared, and see based on a comparison what my house was worth. Is it sticky beaking? Yep... but really, don't agents request that the owners aren't present at the open house, so what would it bother the owners anyway? What would you have to hide? That's what cupboards and sheds are for. If you don't want people looking through, don't have one. Schedule specific times with interested parties instead.
Would I have an open house - maybe. Would I care who came through? Nope! It's all about exposure... if Joe Blow down the road decides he wants to have a sticky - good on him. If he liked the area and liked my house who knows... he might move! I think that buying a house is very emotion driven - if you fall in love with a place it's amazing how quickly you can come to a decision.
Now for a real estate story... As a renter, we HATE real estate agents. Our previous agents rented us the house on a 6 month lease (we wanted a min 12 months) and ASSURED us the owners would renew the lease - they just didn't want bad tenants and it was their first rental property etc etc. 5 months later via registered mail is our 60 days notice to be out of the house. Oh yeah, and a For Sale sign will be put up in the front yard, and you can't refuse potential buyers from coming through the house. All this while I'm 7-8 months pregnant. So I had to pack up the whole house (7-8 months pregnant) and shift. Not only should they not have insisted that we would have a renewed lease (we would have waited for another property if we'd known it would only be 6 months total), I thought it was disgustingly rude that the agents brought people through the house we were paying rent for (WE weren't selling) when we were going to be moving out in a weeks time (this was one week before we moved out), and the day before our move day, the agent rang up and "asked" (he didn't ask, he more stated) that he would be bringing people through the house the next day - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SHIFTING! Apparently it was the only time the lady and her daughters were available to see the house... So I had to move all the stuff out of the passages and rooms so that they could have access to all the rooms - and when they came through they didn't even look interested in the house. It only had 2 bedrooms, and the lady had 2 older teenage daughters (I'm sure they's love sharing). I was sooooo peaved at that. Oh, and the fact that the agent, after 1) renting it to us, 2) telling us we were excellent tenants etc and 3) having the For Sale listing of the property, didn't even TRY (after we said we needed a new place to rent) to find us anything.
It just so happened that one of hubby's workmates had a place she was renting, and we moved straight in there (dates worked out great!). We pay $20/week less than what we would had she put the house through an agency (their charge) and we have the place as long as we like.
Win-win for us. No more agents... (oh and the agents we bought our land through were less than eager... we did all the running after them!)
Ray.
Hi,
I am new to this forum and boy am I having an interesting time reading the topics here.
I too have had bad real estate experiences. I was ripped $10,000 eight years ago by an agent. After my contract falling through on settlement day the agent got a windfall, the deposit the purchasers put on my property. The purchasers lost their deposit due to failing to comply with the contract on settlement day. The agent gets the deposit (which covers his commission) due to the fact that the 22A (Authority To Act) defines that the property is deemed "SOLD" upon the agent securing a suitable buyer and the contract becomes "unconditional".
SOMETHING TO BE VERY WARY OF INDEED! MAKE SURE YOU READ AND DEFINE EACH POINT IN THE 22A FORM (Authority to Act).
What made it worse was the fact that the Licensee of the Agency turned up with a bottle of champagne and asked me to list the house with him again (SO HE COULD GET ANOTHER $10,000 IN COMMISSION)
GUESS WHAT I TOLD HIM?
There are many a story I could supply.
Now I have started my own real estate website designed for "PRIVATE SELLERS". If anyone wants to sell their house privately email me at admin@bankonproperty.com.au
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE
Mandy[url][/url]
I am new to this forum and boy am I having an interesting time reading the topics here.
I too have had bad real estate experiences. I was ripped $10,000 eight years ago by an agent. After my contract falling through on settlement day the agent got a windfall, the deposit the purchasers put on my property. The purchasers lost their deposit due to failing to comply with the contract on settlement day. The agent gets the deposit (which covers his commission) due to the fact that the 22A (Authority To Act) defines that the property is deemed "SOLD" upon the agent securing a suitable buyer and the contract becomes "unconditional".
SOMETHING TO BE VERY WARY OF INDEED! MAKE SURE YOU READ AND DEFINE EACH POINT IN THE 22A FORM (Authority to Act).
What made it worse was the fact that the Licensee of the Agency turned up with a bottle of champagne and asked me to list the house with him again (SO HE COULD GET ANOTHER $10,000 IN COMMISSION)
GUESS WHAT I TOLD HIM?
There are many a story I could supply.
Now I have started my own real estate website designed for "PRIVATE SELLERS". If anyone wants to sell their house privately email me at admin@bankonproperty.com.au
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE
Mandy[url][/url]
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