Real Estate Agent Questions

[Nick Noon]

Hey BP,

I am new to buying property and I wanted to get your insight on real estate agents.  This has been my experience so far:

I have been working with my mortgage lender for over a year now and she does a lot of work with a certain real estate agent (who will remain nameless) and she was really persistent that I use her as my real estate agent.  I told her I was going to use my father's fiance as my real estate agent because she was going to give me back her fee as a house warming present...really nice.  My mortgage lender then asked me if I could have my dad's fiance refer me to her real estate agent so that she could still get the referral fee and give it to me...again being very persistent. I said I would think about it

My father's fiance lives about an hour away and after further discussions she decided that she couldn't be a full service real estate agent in the area I was looking because it would be hard for her to travel back and forth and she didn't want me to miss out on a deal.  So we decided to go with the referral idea.  

However, when I went to call my mortgage lenders real estate friend, she was on vacation, which everyone is entitled to-no big deal.  I left a message with a person who was handling her accounts while she was away and she said she would have her call me when she was back.  Well I never got a call after she returned, I had to call her again to talk to her.  During our first conversation, I explained to her what I was looking for....an investment property, most likely a multi family and between $100,000 and $200,000.  She said not much was out there but she would keep an eye out.  I also told her I was going to have my father's fiance refer me to her (as the mortgage lender had requested)...she sounded quite deflated about that.  I could hear her thoughts..."a cheap house...AND you want me to give some of my fee away?"

I saw a property on the MLS and one site said it was for sale and another said it was pending. I called her to find out what the status on the house was. She said she would call the listing agent and get back to me. I hear nothing for about 4 hours, so i decided to call her on my way home from work. She answers and I ask her if she found out and she said, "oh, yea....the deal is solid". Thanks for the call back?

I recently saw a property that I was interested in that went on sale yesterday and i knew it would go quick so I called her and left a message on her cell phone and called her office but she was not there.  The property has already gone under contract and she is yet to call me back.  Over 24 hours later.

Is this normal?  I would think this person would want to get me a property.  It's not like I chose her...it was insisted upon that I use her.  I have not signed anything with her and she is yet to show me a property.  Should I seek a different real estate agent?  I am nervous that the close ties between my mortgage lender and the real estate agent will have an effect on the harmony in me getting a loan with them.

Any advice?