Is Our Realtor The Right Choice?

[Mike Lattier]

We are in the market for a vacation rental in Western NC.  Got a very good recommendation for a realtor there.  Started working with him last fall.  After some initial activity and one round of viewings, we've not heard anything from him at all in well over 2 months.  I get his automated emails showing new listings every day and review those every day.  Not alot of properties have been hitting the market during that time.  However, we've gotten zero communication from our realtor during that entire time.

I am wondering whether our purchase size is too small for him (maybe he's only interested in dealing with high 6 figure and 7 figure properties.  Anyway, I'm looking for some guidance as to whether this is normal behavior or should I look for another realtor that is going to do a little bit more work.

[Cassi Justiz]

This isn't the best answer, but I can tell you that at least 50% of the people that I talk to and set up on searches never end up actually doing anything. 

Chances are, he has a decent client base and is working with quite a few people at the same time. Should he be calling you and giving you regular updates? Yes. But most of the time that's not going to happen.  Communication goes two directions. I set most of my buyers up on super specific searches and hand pick the properties that go out to them. So if I send properties daily and someone hasn't given me any feedback in a few months, I assume they are not seriously considering it anymore. 

I would reach back out to him. Let him know that you are interested in purchasing ASAP (or whatever your timeline is) and set up some communication expectations. If you ask for a weekly call or email and don't get that, then start looking for a new agent. You can also ask if there is anything he can help do to get you a property in your price point. If not many properties are going on the market, then he may need to do something more creative to help you find that property.