Does Your Realtor Return E-mails And Calls In A Timely Manner?

Recently I have noticed more and more that potential clients are telling me that the previous Realtor they had never returned calls or e-mails. And when they did; it was days later...not hours. I am sorry but that is UNACCEPTABLE. If you have a home on the market to sell and your Realtor is not returning your calls or e-mails in a timely manner; what are they doing when another Realtor calls or e-mails them with a question or to present an offer? Are they treating them the same way?

I recently had the opportunity to make a presentation for an expired listing. The gentleman was a very methodical person who spent a great deal of time and detail evaluating everything before making a descision. When the time came for him to interview Realtors; he sent out an e-mail to all the Realtors that had contacted him about listing his home for sale. In the body of the e-mail he asked that we each call him so that he could interview each of us over the phone. From there he would invite a select few to have a face to face interview with him.

Well, i responded within an hour of receiving his e-mail. Made it to the face to face interview and received the lsiting. When I asked him what made him choose me over my competitors he told me it was my responsiveness to his e-mail and follow up with him afterwards. in all, he was initally contacted by seven different Realtors. Out of those seven only two responded back to his e-mail request within 24 hours. His theory was if they did not respond to him in a timely manner to market his home; what were they going to do when other Realtors called or e-mailed them with questions or an offer on his home.

It is a tough economic time for everyone right now. Some Realtors have gotten out of the business and others have resorted to taking on part time jobs to supplement their income until things get better. But, we are being entrusted with the largest purchase or transaction a person is going to make in their lifetime. Do we not owe it to them to respond to them or anyone inquiring about the property in a timely manner?

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com