All Forum Posts by: Brenden Mitchum

Oh yeah @Steve B. I definitely was not planning on getting an agent for this deal. I was just saying for future deals it would be good to have one (or I may just go get my license).

But yes, I think I had a pretty good grasp on her interests from the start and they certainly did not align with mine. It was clear that she was more worried about selling the house for the maximum amount possible, regardless of how long it remained on the market. Meanwhile, the seller was clearly more worried about getting rid of it quick. I think they are not on the same page, but that isn't something I can do much about, right?

@Mike Cumbie Thank you for the input. It's good to see from a broker's point of view why she would not want me to speak with him. The deal did not end up working out so perhaps that was due to us not including the agent (or because he thinks the house is worth much more than it is). Moving forward I will be sure to better include the agent. However, I think being able to get a feel for what motivates the seller is very important and helps to formulate a deal in which both sides win. So I strongly believe there is a happy medium here.

Hi @Rose White! You're absolutely correct. I could definitely use a solid buyer's agent. 

I completely agree, @Jill F. If the seller told me he did not want to speak to me directly, I would respect this and only go through his agent. However, this is quite the opposite case. That being said, you response, like others, has made me realize that I really need to find myself a solid buyer's agent. That is now at the top of my list (right under closing this deal).

Thank you, @Mindy Jensen! It's nice to know that I am not crazy in thinking she needs to be more available to the buyer of a house she has under contract. Going forward, I will be sure that she knows that her unavailability is not acceptable (obviously through polite conversation, not being rude to her). And that if she is not able to maintain a reasonable line of contact between the seller and myself, I will continue to circumnavigate her.

@Lydia S. That is fantastic advice. I will from now on keep the agent more in the loop. And I could not agree more that whatever "agreements" we make in person should be legitimized by amending the original agreement. In fact, I have just spoken with the agent (who was not available to speak with me all morning and was only available to speak with me for 10 mins). I let her know what my new offer is based on events and conversations between the seller and I. I have pulled her back into the loop by asking her to relay this to the seller. 

@Caleb Heimsoth It does appear that the seller really needs this deal to close on time. But the reason I need stuff to happen quickly is that the property is fairly complex, lots of moving parts. So I just want to make sure everything gets done by the end of the DD period.

I do agree with you, I need an agent that will look after my best interests. Unfortunately, the one I had previously was only interested in closing the deal. She repeatedly told me that I should pay more to make the deal close. She was not concerned with the numbers me getting the best deal possible. She was clearly not experienced working with investors so I'll continue my search for one who is.

@Frank Jiang That is excellent advice! Thank you! I see now that her reasoning is probably a combination of what you have said and what @Charlie MacPherson has said. So thank you, too, Charlie. The only trouble with your advice, Frank, is that none of our communication is occurring via email so there is no way to cc the agent. I do frequently tell the seller to check with his agent and would never attempt to fool the seller into making a decision without first discussing with her. 

All this information and advice has been incredibly helpful. It has made me able to better understand the agent's point of view and allowed me to come up with a good (I hope) way to handle the situation. I will give the agent a call tomorrow morning and inform her of what is being discussed between the seller and I. Part of what we have been discussing is getting together to get some leaks in the roof fixed so that it will pass appraisal. He is going to supply the materials and I'll help him fix it. I'll inform the agent of this and do a better job from now on keeping her in the loop. However, as long as the seller wants to communicate with me I will reciprocate, but that is his call. I will tell her this but also say that with anything involving negotiation I will go through her first.

I hope this is a fair response. Please let me know if any of you disagree or have anything to add to this.

Thanks again, everyone!

@Caleb Heimsoth I do agree that I need to find a solid agent. In fact, the only reason I am doing this deal without one is that my agent would have been much too slow to make this deal happen. That being said, I disagree (respectfully) with the second part of your statement. Having a buyer's agent would not make this seller's agent any less busy or any more available; it would simply add another middleman/woman. This deal would have never happened if I had not personally gone out and made a connection and built a relationship with the seller.

@Eric Mayer That's ironic because the only reason the deal is still chugging along is because of the seller and I working together. She did push back against him accepting the initial offer so perhaps she is afraid we will work out a deal? Regardless, I am certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place here. I don't want to piss off the agent but I also do not plan on discontinuing my dialog with the seller (as long as this is not illegal).