Both of my colleagues and I were out showing property this weekend. We usually touch base on Sunday evening to see how things went, to share experiences and make suggestions on other properties the buyers we went out with might be interested in.
This evening I was talking with my colleague, Kathy Rieser, and asked her how her day went. Her response? "Well, I hope your day was better than mine. I had the worst experience." Now, we've all had experiences of being stood up (with no call), owners answering the door saying that 'Sorry, it's just not convenient to show the house today' (when we've confirmed an appointment), walking in on a sleeping (or otherwise inconvenienced) resident, or spending the better part of the day getting a client pulled out of a ditch or snow drift. But Kathy's experience today takes the cake.
A couple from Virginia had contacted Kathy in February, looking for an inexpensive Catskills getaway a few hours from NYC. Kathy had emailed them back various options and didn't hear anything back until last week, when they said they'd be in the area and wanted to look at some houses.
What fit their budget was mostly in Smallwood, so Kathy set up a variety of showings in that area. It was clear, after seeing a few of the houses, that it probably wasn't quite what they were looking for. The buyers were in their own car, following Kathy. She was leading the way to another house, and after one turn noticed that the buyers weren't behind her. She doubled back to try to find them, thinking they were lost. She saw the agent who had just shown them a house, who said she thought she saw them over on another street. Kathy rushed over there, saw them coming down the street, stopped and blinked her lights, thinking they had gotten lost. Looking straight ahead, they sped by her, not meeting her gaze and disappeared. Kathy called their cell phones. They didn't answer. And they never called Kathy.
Maybe the houses weren't what they had in mind, which happens. A simple "Thanks, Kathy, for taking the time to show these to us. But there really isn't a fit" would suffice. But gunning the car, ditching your agent and not answering your cell phone? That's the absolute height of rudeness.
They did her a favor. If they stuck around, they would have cost her more wasted time, plus they would have probably been a nightmare if things ever got to the negotiation stage or closing stage. Better to have 1 or 2 good clients than 10 bad ones.
Posted by: JB | June 29, 2009 at 08:33 AM
My father was in the civil service most of his life, though he used to have a sideline repair t.v. sets, which he gave up. Several times, when I was a kid, I overheard him describing why he stopped fixing t.v. sets. It was always something to the effect that "you never want to deal directly with the public."
Posted by: Bix | June 29, 2009 at 01:22 PM
I agree with JB...they would have been a nightmare to deal with so lucky it happened now vs later when she would have invested valuable time....it was still absolutely rude behavior! Unfortunately, there are still people out there who don't respect the time of others.
Posted by: Tech Girl | June 30, 2009 at 05:46 PM
An interesting article in The New York Times today which supports B's (and others) argument that a cute house can be had in the Catskills with some effort (and elbow grease) for under $155,000!
This one in Sparrowbush (Orange County - NYS Route 97 - about 10 minutes north of Port Jervis)fetched only $95,000.
Check out the slideshow and compare to other make-overs far above that price.
Buyer beware - you CAN get bargains with some effort. This winter there will be many more!
.Crosby.
At:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/01/dining/20090702-catskills-slideshow_index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/garden/02catskills.html
[Pull Quote]
"They had looked at about 30 houses during a four-month hunt for a country home last summer, and finally closed on the two-bedroom, one-bath home for $95,000 last September. Along with the house, a 700-square-foot 1920s cottage, the property in Sparrow Bush, a village in Orange County, N.Y., includes eight and a half wooded acres and a detached garage/barn 800 feet from the house."
Posted by: .crosby. | July 02, 2009 at 09:04 AM
They did a really great job with the renovation - I would pay $150,000 for it!
Posted by: J | July 02, 2009 at 12:02 PM