DEAR REAL ESTATE BOYS, I have heeded your advice and listed my home with a local Realtor and three weeks later I have questions but I can’t seem to get my Realtor to answer my concerns.  I’m hoping you Boys will/can help me. 

I called a local brokerage and explained that I was thinking of selling my home.  I was transferred to this young man who introduced himself as Marty and we set up a time for us to meet so he could see the home and I could get an idea of value.  The young man seemed very professional and seemed to know the real estate market. 

When I listed my house I requested that he was the person others would call to set up appointments.  It has been three weeks now that the home has been for sale.  In that time period I’ve had no showings and no calls from my Realtor.  I assume it is priced correctly, the home looks nice when I drive by it.  

In your columns you Boys have said real estate sales are very good right now.  I have called my Realtor and tried leaving messages but his office phone says “Sorry, this message center is full” and I do not know how to text on my home phone.  Help!

– Ms. McFly

MS. MCFLY, You have just listed your home with a young and restless techno savvy Realtor from “Back to the Future.”   Lloyd and I have run across this before and it seems to be a growing problem with Baby Boomer Realtors verses Gen X’er Realtors.  Keep reading for what we Boomers, well, Lloyd and Larry, see as a solution.  Lloyd, take it from here please.

Let’s break your question into a few questions and work on things in order. 

If you have not heard from your Realtor in three weeks by all means call his brokerage and ask to speak to the person in charge.  You need to explain to whomever answers that you have made repeated calls to Marty, your Realtor, and have not received a call back.  That’s just plain rude not getting back to you.  I also would suggest that you either cancel your listing with that brokerage or request another agent who knows how to communicate with people.  Please explain to the broker/manager that his message center is full and that you are not textually active.  If the broker/manager does not comply with your requests demand that the listing is cancelled now. 

Next, Larry take over and talk about the market.  Ms. McFly, the market is very good presently.  If you feel that your home is priced competitively, then your home should have been shown many times and even have had an offer.  Marty is either not returning his texts requests or ignoring them.  Same solution, call the broker/manager. 

This past weekend Lloyd and I were showing property to a Gen Xer couple.  They were very nice and tech savvy.  They wanted to see a house that had just been listed the day before and to make an appointment we had to text the agent for a time to show the home.  Neither Lloyd nor I are textually active but the young clients were and suggested they text the agent for a time to see the house.  We did right then and there.  At 9 a.m. on Saturday we texted and requested a noon appointment.  At 5 p.m. our clients got a text back that noon was okay.  I called his office that morning, not trusting the text, and left a message on his office phone and then his cell.  No return calls as of Monday late in the day.  The sellers are getting short changed here not the buyer. 

I see myself driving down Main Street Turlock and all of a sudden the scenery changes.  I park and find a news stand, pick up a paper and notice the date is July 4, 2038.  I am really confused.  I find my way around and realize that my closest friend Doc lives nearby and walk to his house.  Knock, knock, knock and Doc answers the door.  “Marty?” he says in surprise.  Doc invites me in and asks me what I’m doing?  After some talking, Doc realizes I am from the past and he’s the future and tells me not to say another world... I think you get the story line here readers. 

Here’s the ending to the movie above, all the techno stuff in the world is great.  Some of us are up on all the gadgets, have all the apps and programs that tell us when and how to do our job.  We still need to work with the other half of the world people.  There is still a population on earth that doesn’t text, who don’t have a phone that takes pictures or tell you where you are going and when to turn.  Heck, my wife doesn’t even have a cell phone.  If you techno savvy Realtors want to list and sell then list your properties in both worlds, yours and then mine, make it so that I can make an appointment to see your new listing via my cell phone.  If you are going to have just a text message or cell number then text back quickly or call back quickly, don’t take most of the day(s) to return the message.  Lastly, learn how to communicate with your voice not the computer or iPhone. 

While I’m on this rant...when in a public bathroom please don’t take a call when you are standing next to me at the sink washing your hands.  It’s not good to strike up a conversation with a stranger in a bathroom.  While in a restaurant with your sweetie, put your phones away, look at your date sitting across from you and talk to each other; learn about the other person.  In the end, person-to-person communication makes the deal go all that much more smoothly.



ABOUT THE AUTHORS

— A little about us, Lloyd is a retired farmer of 27 years and a realtor for about 10 years.  Lloyd is an active member of the Central Valley Association of Realtors and sits on the CVAR Board of Directors.  Lloyd is a longtime member of CVAR’s Master Club for his sales production.   

Larry has been involved in Turlock real estate for 30 years and has been a broker for almost 27 years.  He is also active in CVAR activities and is a past president of CVAR.  If you have questions please call Lloyd at 531-4853 or Larry at 484-4216.  E-mail questions for future columns to: lrblackman@earthlink.net or lndrumbeck@aol.com.