Yesterday afternoon a Curtis Park buyer's agent called me to ask for the code to show one of my listings. It was hard to hear what he was saying because there was a lot of noise in the background. I immediately jumped into my spiel about the home, pointing out some of the wonderful updates the sellers have completed. He listened and then asked: Why didn't I simply put the alarm code in the lockbox instead of making agents call me?
I explained my sellers' concerns, that it was actually their decision not to put the alarm code in the lockbox. We talked for maybe 10 minutes. He seemed disturbed for some reason that the code wasn't in the lockbox. He said that agents will set off the alarm at least once a week.
"Well, no, it hasn't happened yet," I said, adding that this home has been on the market for a few months.
Then I asked when he wanted to show the home because I would need to call the caretaker to let him know the time, just in case the caretaker was there for some reason. Here's how that conversation went:
Buyer's agent: "Um, I want to show it right now. I mean, I am at the home."
Duh. The light bulb went off in my head.
Me: "So . . . that noise in the background, would that happen to BE THE ALARM, by any chance?"
"Buyer's agent: "Uh, yeah, it went off when I opened the door."
And here he spent 10 minutes talking to me and arguing with me about why the code wasn't in the lockbox! I don't know why agents don't read the confidential agent remarks in MLS, but it's obvious that some don't.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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