Realtor is on vacation.. found a house we really like!

[Principessa1284]

What should we do?? We are first time home buyers and have been searching for quite a few months now. We hadn't found anything yet that we were interested enough in going to see, but just found two houses right across the street from each other, both of which we are VERY interested in. There are quite a few houses for sale in this particular neighborhood, as they were being used at vacation home rentals and we are told since the market has not been as profitable, many have decided to sell.

I wouldn't be so anxious but these are the ONLY two in our price range that aren't short sales and have pretty much all the qualities we are looking for. The last 1 we tried to look at was taken off the market before we could see the inside - it went SO quick! It looks like our realtor is on vacation with his family through new years. He works interdependently out of his home, so he's not part of an office that could help me until he gets back. He hasn't shown us any houses in person yet, and he didn't find this house, but he is a friend of a friend. What should I do??? Should I calm down and wait until he gets back? Do a lot of real estate transactions happen over the holidays anyways? I have no idea! Or should I call the realtors selling the houses (a different one for each house) and ask them about the houses?? I would be skeptical to do that, though, that i'd get thrown into something I don't like as those agents are working for the sellers and not for me.

I really have no clue what to do - I don't know ANYone in the real estate business down here in Florida except him. I need my DISers advice!!!

ETA: FWIW, these aren't houses he found for us - it was a fluke that we found them driving home from a friends house (not far from my old neighborhood, so I know the area already). It's not really his fault, though, because we told him we were looking in a completely different town and he's been sending us listings in that area. I do really like him, and a lady I work with just used him to buy and house and he came highly recommended. But, do I really need a realtor? Everyone I talk to is 50/50 - completely or totally against!

 

[lecach]

Call another realtor - you don't really owe anything to this one. Dont call the listing agents though - they owe allegiance to the sellers not to you.

 

[andersonsc]

I don't think there is any problem w/ calling the listing agent and asking to see the home. I have done this before and usually they will ask if I am working with someone. Just tell them your agent is out of town. One agent that was doing an open house said I could use her (I wouldn't since she was the listing agent) or she would be happy to work with any buyers agent I later signed up with.

 

[LuLuO]

Our realtor had an assistant who worked with her to help in these situations. The assistant actually helped up make an offer on our house because our realtor wasn't available.

 

[Bethenny]

Do you have a signed agreement with the realtor? I know we didn't sign anything until we were on our way to look at the first house with ours. If not, call someone else. Sorry but it's bad business for this guy to not have a back-up plan for things like this. I actually sold my house while my realtor was on vacation. She was negotiating for us while at Busch Gardens. It was a hassle, but we made it work.

ETA: you should call a different realtor all together. Not the listing agents for these houses.

 

[dfchelbay]

There has to be another agent in your agents office that is covering for your agent while out of town. Call your agent's cell phone and ask who is handling her affairs while she is on vacation. Your agent will guide you to the person that can get you a showing and handle an offer should you want to make one.

 

[marybet]

As a PP said, call the listing realtors and go look at the houses. You are under no obligation to them for just showing the house, that is their job. Tell them you realtors name, if you really like the houses then call your realtor. He can help you from that point.

If you would feel more comfortable calling your realtor first then do that. He can advise you and maybe call the listing realtors. I would not wait for him to return, if houses are moving that quickly than you don't want to wait.

 

[cbg1027]

There has to be another agent in your agents office that is covering for your agent while out of town. Call your agent's cell phone and ask who is handling her affairs while she is on vacation. Your agent will guide you to the person that can get you a showing and handle an offer should you want to make one.

This.

My mother was a top producing Realtor for 33 years. She would never leave town without first making arrangements to have another Realtor cover any situations like this.

Call your agent and explain the situation. If he doesn't have someone in town who can help you (a partner Realtor, an assistant, etc), then he is probably not a great a Realtor. Any agent worth their salt knows that Real Estate is not a regular business hours profession and things don't just stop because they go out of town.

And yes, you need a Realtor. They know the market, they know what sells and what needs to be done to make things sell. They can guide on what a reasonable offer to a specific house is, and they have access to tons of information that the general public doesn't. And as the buyer, why would you NOT use a Realtor? Typically, the seller pays their commission, not you!

 

[*JoGo*]

How do you know he is on vacation? Did you call him and got an answering machine, did he tell you, did the friend you know him through tell you?

If you haven't tried calling all numbers he gave you, I would do that first even if you heard from someone else or even he himself that he would be on vacation.

If you can't reach him, I would find a different realtor. Not the listing agent. Maybe another friend can recommend someone.

I wouldn't wait for him to return and hope they are still available. Sometimes these things just happen and this is a risk he takes by working independently with no back-ups in place. I also wouldn't feel bad since he did not show these (or any) houses to you.

 

[Kae]

You do know unless you have hired a Buyers agent all Realtors represent.
the Home owner. If the listing agent on one of the house has a good rep call them

Kae

 

[Principessa1284]

Oh gosh, this process is just so overwhelming! The more research I do, the more my head hurts. But, people do it everyday, so it must work out at some point. In any case, yes - I think I will give him a call on his cell tomorrow and see. He works independently in his home office under the umbrella of a real estate agency on the other side of town. We really haven't had the opportunity to REALLY look until now, so we haven't talked with him in a couple weeks. DH and my work schedules weren't lining up, then we were on a cruise, etc.. then we had some free time this weekend.

I know he's on vacation because I emailed him Friday, and he usually responds to an email within hours whether it's a Saturday evening or Tuesday morning. I thought it strange that he hadn't replied yet so today I asked around at work, and my friend that knows him said that she's pretty sure he's on vacation through the holidays. His wife also works for our company, so I glanced at her schedule and sure enough, it shows vacation days. We are in Orlando - perhaps it's a staycation? I hadn't wanted to bother him while he's on family time, but I'm sure he'd rather not miss out on a potential sale. I'll have my husband call him tomorrow afternoon since I work all day.

Thanks for the responses so far - definitely keep the advice coming!!!

 

[canopynut66]

What should we do?? We are first time home buyers and have been searching for quite a few months now. We hadn't found anything yet that we were interested enough in going to see, but just found two houses right across the street from each other, both of which we are VERY interested in. There are quite a few houses for sale in this particular neighborhood, as they were being used at vacation home rentals and we are told since the market has not been as profitable, many have decided to sell.

I wouldn't be so anxious but these are the ONLY two in our price range that aren't short sales and have pretty much all the qualities we are looking for. The last 1 we tried to look at was taken off the market before we could see the inside - it went SO quick! It looks like our realtor is on vacation with his family through new years. He works interdependently out of his home, so he's not part of an office that could help me until he gets back. He hasn't shown us any houses in person yet, and he didn't find this house, but he is a friend of a friend. What should I do??? Should I calm down and wait until he gets back? Do a lot of real estate transactions happen over the holidays anyways? I have no idea! Or should I call the realtors selling the houses (a different one for each house) and ask them about the houses?? I would be skeptical to do that, though, that i'd get thrown into something I don't like as those agents are working for the sellers and not for me.

I really have no clue what to do - I don't know ANYone in the real estate business down here in Florida except him. I need my DISers advice!!!

ETA: FWIW, these aren't houses he found for us - it was a fluke that we found them driving home from a friends house (not far from my old neighborhood, so I know the area already). It's not really his fault, though, because we told him we were looking in a completely different town and he's been sending us listings in that area. I do really like him, and a lady I work with just used him to buy and house and he came highly recommended. But, do I really need a realtor? Everyone I talk to is 50/50 - completely or totally against!

You must have the realtors card /name and or company he works thru and if so call that office explain he was working with you and that office (company) will get someone to help you if this cannot wait. Then they will split the commisson. In this day and age it best to have someone that knows what laws are and the way finance is as they can help with that. My daughter has been in real estate for year and it is a lot of hours for little pay in this slow economy.

 

[Bethenny]

I know he's on vacation because I emailed him Friday, and he usually responds to an email within hours whether it's a Saturday evening or Tuesday morning. I thought it strange that he hadn't replied yet so today I asked around at work, and my friend that knows him said that she's pretty sure he's on vacation through the holidays. His wife also works for our company, so I glanced at her schedule and sure enough, it shows vacation days. We are in Orlando - perhaps it's a staycation? I hadn't wanted to bother him while he's on family time, but I'm sure he'd rather not miss out on a potential sale. I'll have my husband call him tomorrow afternoon since I work all day.

Thanks for the responses so far - definitely keep the advice coming!!!

I find this unacceptable. If he's not available to return your calls he should have given you the name of someone to call. (You shouldn't have to dig around for it.) Again I ask, did you sign a buyer's agent agreement with him? If not, find a different realtor; you are under no obligation to this guy.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

First of all: Yes, you need a realtor to represent you in the purchase of your home, especially if you are first-time buyers.

As others have said, leave your agent a message and ask him how to proceed with the homes you have found. If he does not call back or does not have a back-up plan, it's fine for you to call the listing agent just to see the houses. Just explain that you do have an agent who is out of town and that you want to see the homes on your own. Don't let them talk you into representing you.

If you love one of the houses and want to make an offer, find an agent who can help you. You can either call the office where your current agent is affiliated, or get a recommendation for a new one. It's not fair for you to miss an opportunity because your agent is on vacation. If he didn't make provisions for a back-up person, then you have every right to find one on your own. Good luck!

 

[cornflake]

Call the listing agent and arrange to see the house and get the sheets. Yes, they work for the seller, that doesn't mean they can't show the house, they'd be likely to show the house to you and your realtor if he was there and arranged a showing. No big.

They'll ask if you're working with someone, as above, say yes, he's on vacation but you're home and wanted to see if the place was someplace you were interested in.

First, decide that - THEN decide whether you need to find yourselves a realtor. You might hate the interior, or there might be a thing you don't realize that rules the places out.

 

[mrodgers]

And as the buyer, why would you NOT use a Realtor? Typically, the seller pays their commission, not you!

House for sale could go for $100,000, but because of the Realtor's commission, it is for sale for $120,000. The buyer does pay the commission in the end....

 

[cornflake]

House for sale could go for $100,000, but because of the Realtor's commission, it is for sale for $120,000. The buyer does pay the commission in the end....

Not everyone does that, and that's far more than a commission bump.

Regardless, the house is already listed, so the seller is already paying commission in this case.

 

[Uptown Girl]

If the realtor is tied to an office, there has to be a broker in that office. Call the broker and find out what arrangements the realtor made to show houses while he is on vacation. It doesn't really matter if he offices from home, call that main office across town and ask them.

 

[tlbwriter]

Call the listing agent and arrange to see the house and get the sheets. Yes, they work for the seller, that doesn't mean they can't show the house, they'd be likely to show the house to you and your realtor if he was there and arranged a showing. No big.

They'll ask if you're working with someone, as above, say yes, he's on vacation but you're home and wanted to see if the place was someplace you were interested in.

First, decide that - THEN decide whether you need to find yourselves a realtor. You might hate the interior, or there might be a thing you don't realize that rules the places out.

I think this is the best advice.

 

[Principessa1284]

Thank you - I appreciate all the insight! And no, we have not signed anything with anyone yet. (Well, besides the bank). I had my husband call his cell today while I was at work. He apologized because he had been sick all weekend and didn't check his work email. He IS on vacation, but he's staying in town while his kids are out of school. When I spoke with him this evening, he had already emailed the realtors selling those houses, and he asked what times would be good for us. Hopefully we will be seeing the houses Wednesday or Thursday!