How to get agents and brokers to respond to email or voicemail?

[Alex Tobias]

I mean specifically in trying to get commercial selling agents to respond to my initial email (saying I'm interested in a property) or voicemail or message I leave with a secretary. I'm basically interested in buying their property but they don't call back. Any tricks to get their attention? Or maybe these properties are reserved for certain buyers even if they are on the market. 

[Max Gradowitz]

They probably receive calls/emails like yours all day and don't have time to return those calls/emails.  If I list my own residential fixer upper, I get TONS of emails from people "interested" in it, so many sometimes that I can never respond to all of them.  If any of those emails have an attached offer, then I'm responding asap.  The reason?  No, I'm not trying to be mean.  It's because time is money in the real estate business!  I can't talk to 50 people on the phone every day so they can ask me silly questions about the property, only to never end up making an offer anyway.  I only have a little bit of extra time each day because of my job, so I'd rather spend a long time on the phone with a person that sends me an offer and proof of funds, because I know they are serious.  It's just the reality of the business.

How you get them to respond is you have your agent send an offer with your prequalification letter and proof of funds.  Also, have your agent ask any questions about the property, not you personally.  They will be much more likely to respond to an agent that has a prequalified buyer.