Selling agent vs listing agent

[Katy Fry]

Hi,

I'm finding that using a selling agent instead of going right to the listing agent is causing me to loose offers to others who get there first.  It appears that me asking my agent to find out info from the listing agent and then getting back to me is just too time consuming.   Is anyone else encountering this situation and should I just drop the selling agent and go straight to the listing agent on any properties I find?  

I'd appreciate comments or suggestions.   I've lost three properties in the last two weeks and I think this is a factor.   I'm just starting out and this is discouraging.   Thank you

[Peter MacKercher]

@Katy Fry There's potentially a lot going on here. I'll venture a few suggestions/questions.

• What is the average duration between you/your agent finding a listing, asking your agent to get info and it getting back to you?
• Are you even getting to the contract stage? If you are:
• Are you and your agent writing offers/requesting info within the same day of you becoming aware of the listing?
• What terms are you putting in your contracts?
• Are your offers getting rejected by the seller with their signature so you know it has passed under their eyes?

For my clients I try to get info back to them (handing off MLS info in this case) as soon as I'm in front of a computer. As for contacting the listing agent/writing contracts, my timeline is usually having it sent within a couple hours of my client requesting I send it.

The other thing is that your experiences will always depend on the actions of the listing agent as well. They might just already be under contract and your timing is slightly off. That will happen even when all the wheels are greased. 

If it's consistently happening and you're writing contracts review your terms and consider using a different contract. If it's happening when you're just requesting information, and your turnaround for these requests are veering towards days instead of hours, consider getting a new agent. Abandoning agents all together will put you at a disadvantage during the negotiation stages, so I'd suggest not taking those duties on since you're just starting out.