I had a dilemma most buyers wouldn’t. I knew too many Phoenix area real estate agents. Most of the agents I knew had great websites that were ranked high on the search engines. Because of that, I assumed they were heavy hitters.
I wasn’t sure which one I should choose. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to know my personal business. It was one thing to “converse” on the Internet but another thing to actually work together. How do I choose one without it possibly getting back to one of the others?
So I found someone else
I think one of my problems was that all of these agents were men. I love working with other women. I always try to give women my business.
I read a post on a real estate social networking blog site written by an Arizona agent and I liked what she wrote. I sent her an e-mail but told her I wasn’t quite ready yet. I was kind of surprised that she didn’t keep me on some kind of e-mail list. In fact, when I was getting closer I had to do a search to find her.
And then she referred me out
I was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to work with her but I trusted her judgement that she felt more comfortable referring me to an agent that actually lives in Scottsdale and that she felt was a Scottsdale expert. And that is how I met the agent I would end up working with to find a Scottsdale condominium for sale.
I gave her our price range and amenities (amount of bedrooms, baths and the fact that we wanted to have the ability to rent it if we wanted to and it had to allow pets). I doubt my current dogs will ever see the place but when we do actually use it as snowbirds in the future I’m sure we’ll still have pets that we’ll be bringing with us.
I didn’t like her website
Her site was a cookie-cutter real estate website that looked like it was provided by her brokerage. I didn’t care as I now was relying on her automated MLS search. However, I wasn’t crazy about that search and the personal website it created.
I have MLS knowledge but this sit was not very user friendly. As far as I knew, this was just how the Phoenix MLS search was set up.
Creating lists and charts and print-outs
I was told it was difficult trying to find complexes that allowed renting since many listing agents did not put it in their listings. Searching the MLS on other sites didn’t help me about the pets issue, either. So based on what my agent sent directly from the MLS, I got to know the names of the complexes that did allow both renting and pets.
It’s really too bad that many listing agents are doing their sellers a disservice by not listing everything the property has to offer. Especially in a town like Scottsdale, where shorter term, winter rentals are popular. Listing agents all over make mistakes and omissions or just don’t do any digging to see if there would be amenities that could help sell the property more quickly and/or for more money.
Once I had a list of the complexes in my price range that allowed rentals and pets, when I was on another broker’s MLS search (which was much better than my own agent’s), I knew which complexes to look at. I kind of felt bad using another agent’s site just to search but I’m sure it’s happened to me. It depends on the 3rd party provider or the local MLS on how different sites present the multiple listing service search.
I created excel spreadsheets. I purchased a software program called Snagit that allowed for great screen and photo capture. I started printing out the listings that looked interesting with a photo of the location of the unit to the pool. I added my own notes.
I have purchased many of my own properties in the past, but this was the first time I was going to buy out-of-state and only have a short window to view the properties. I almost felt like a first-time buyer. And getting to the point of actually setting up the properties I was going to see started getting me very excited and eager to make the trip. I was like a kid in a candy store! But this was pretty expensive candy.
Judy,
I have been following your blog for some time now, I find it very interesting to get a perspective from an out of town agent. I am sorry you have had so much trouble finding a good Realtor, there are many good ones in the area, I promise.
One point I wanted to make is that the Buyers agent is to verify all facts anyway, not leave it up to the listing agent, as you probably already know.
Therefore, if you need any assistance with the transaction or need some questions answered, please feel free to contact me via my email address above, no strings attached.
My reply feature isn’t working in the WordPress admin section so let’s see if this will work.
Nice to hear from you again, I’ll be giving your blog a read. Thanks for the offer but I’ve been telling a story and I’m behind! I’ve noticed differences in the way real estate is sold in Arizona vs. Illinois. It’s very interesting.
I love my agent and I don’t expect every agent to be web savvy like I am. That was my only problem with her and I did get all of the information I needed. But I do believe that listing agents should carry the burden of getting as much correct data on the listing as possible. They are working for their sellers and if they omit something that could have sold their property then I don’t feel they’re doing their fiduciary duty to their sellers.
It happens here, too, especially with foreclosures. I have a closing tomorrow where the condo was listed as having “no garage.” But it had a very nice, heated garage. We won the bid but maybe we wouldn’t have if this was listed correctly. Yes, my buyer clients had the benefit of using me, an agent who knew that this particular condo came with a garage that was located downstairs. But what if I didn’t know that? What if I was newer? What if I had never shown this style of condo before? This information does not show on the tax records. The listing agent didn’t do his job.
I found one complex in Scottsdale where one agent listed that pets are allowed. Another agent actually stated in the remarks that pets were not allowed. She was correct – they weren’t. A few other frustrations that I will write about later would not be allowed in Illinois and I again blame the listing agents.
The listing agent has spoken with the seller and they should know as much as possible about the property they are marketing. If they don’t know an answer to an important question/feature when putting the lisitng in the MLS, they need to contact the management company or association to find out.
As far as renting being allowed, this is a sore point here, too. It is difficult to know from a listing whether rentals are allowed. Our MLS just provided a new area (not mandatory, however) to check if renting is allowed. In most cases, the buyer’s agent needs to call the listing agent to find out. There is another non-mandatory field that should give a clue about the percentage of owner occupied units. If it says 100% then you figure you cannot rent. But then I’ll see another listing in the same complex with a different figure. Since it’s not mandatory most agents leave it blank.
However, in my area it hasn’t been a big issue. I don’t get many investors looking for condos to rent out. I would think it would be much more important in areas like Arizona, Florida, Las Vegas, etc. – vacation and retirement areas. Thanks again for responding.