Talk of The Villages Florida

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-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   Not So Open Houses (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/not-so-open-houses-52126/)

rockyisle 04-22-2012 04:20 PM

Not So Open Houses
 
We took friends who are here to check out TV on a Open House Tour today. We started with a pre-owned courtyard villa in Amelia. We arrived 15 minutes before the end of the open house to NO AGENT. We then moved on to the advertised open houses of new homes in Sanibel. We stopped at 3 new homes for the 1-3pm showings. NO AGENT. Are you kidding me? So I called the Sales office and asked what was up? They had no idea, but the agents were no shows at 4 homes.
We finally found a home for them to look at in Winifred, but that point, they were bored with all the driving and the hassle.
Nice going TV Sales Agents. Why bother advertising homes when there is no one there to show them? I can understand if they have been sold, but these were the models.
The wheels came off the bus today in the sales department.

ssmith 04-22-2012 04:52 PM

us too
 
We had that happen to us while we were there with a new home in Sanibel only to find out that they did not open it because it had sold.

Golfer in Sanibel 04-22-2012 04:56 PM

:doh:

JohnN 04-22-2012 04:57 PM

sounds like a bad hair kind of day.. and frustating...

fortunately, The Villages is better than the sales process, don't give up

rockyisle 04-22-2012 05:08 PM

I can understand one of them being sold, but 4 out of the 5 houses had no sales agent.
Honestly, I could care less, personally, but our friends were only here for a two day whirlwind. I didn't leave a positive impression on them.. We were stunned.. dumbfounded.
We told them that this alone is a good reason to use an MLS agent for any purchase of a pre-owned home in the future...

asianthree 04-22-2012 05:12 PM

We found even if they were sold (big letters in the window) the house was still being shown. Hope their manager gets the message that no one was there.

eweissenbach 04-22-2012 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockyisle (Post 482938)
I can understand one of them being sold, but 4 out of the 5 houses had no sales agent.
Honestly, I could care less, personally, but our friends were only here for a two day whirlwind. I didn't leave a positive impression on them.. We were stunned.. dumbfounded.
We told them that this alone is a good reason to use an MLS agent for any purchase of a pre-owned home in the future...

Has happened to us several times as well. It is really irritating, especially when they don't even post a sign that says it is cancelled.

We went to one open house of an MLS listing by realtor Paul Carraway. He was there and had the house open, even though he had gotten a contract on it that morning. He said feel free to look around but it sold this morning: Since it was advertised I went ahead and opened it. Now THAT is a class act IMHO. If I wasn't already working with an MLS agent, I would have immediately retained Paul.

Bill-n-Brillo 04-22-2012 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eweissenbach (Post 482945)
.......We went to one open house of an MLS listing by realtor Paul Carraway. He was there and had the house open, even though he had gotten a contract on it that morning. He said feel free to look around but it sold this morning: Since it was advertised I went ahead and opened it. Now THAT is a class act IMHO. If I wasn't already working with an MLS agent, I would have immediately retained Paul.

He's a smart salesperson too, Ed. Holding the open house anyway......good way for him to make additional contacts with potential buyers for other properties.

Bill :)

graciegirl 04-22-2012 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockyisle (Post 482904)
We took friends who are here to check out TV on a Open House Tour today. We started with a pre-owned courtyard villa in Amelia. We arrived 15 minutes before the end of the open house to NO AGENT. We then moved on to the advertised open houses of new homes in Sanibel. We stopped at 3 new homes for the 1-3pm showings. NO AGENT. Are you kidding me? So I called the Sales office and asked what was up? They had no idea, but the agents were no shows at 4 homes.
We finally found a home for them to look at in Winifred, but that point, they were bored with all the driving and the hassle.
Nice going TV Sales Agents. Why bother advertising homes when there is no one there to show them? I can understand if they have been sold, but these were the models.
The wheels came off the bus today in the sales department.

In the new homes,if there were a couple of guys or gals standing in the kitchen talking to each other....dressed casually...they could have been the agents. Don't expect to get a "pitch" from them, at least I have toured a lot of new homes here over the past four years and NO one tried to sell me one. They will answer questions but not tour the house with you. I can't believe there was no one official there. But I have been wrong before.

eweissenbach 04-22-2012 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 482981)
In the new homes,if there were a couple of guys or gals standing in the kitchen talking to each other....dressed casually...they could have been the agents. Don't expect to get a "pitch" from them, at least I have toured a lot of new homes here over the past four years and NO one tried to sell me one. They will answer questions but not tour the house with you. I can't believe there was no one official there. But I have been wrong before.

What I was saying, and I beleive the OP was saying, is that the homes were not open. Doors locked, no one there, and no sign saying the open house was cancelled. Very infuriating when you drive around several miles and see nothing.

graciegirl 04-22-2012 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eweissenbach (Post 482985)
What I was saying, and I beleive the OP was saying, is that the homes were not open. Doors locked, no one there, and no sign saying the open house was cancelled. Very infuriating when you drive around several miles and see nothing.

OH sorry. That has happened to me. They don't show a spec home that they have received an offer on. They will always show a furnished model, because it CAN'T be sold. Unfortunately/fortunately...the houses that are built to sell, sell quickly and unexpectedly. THIS is the beginning of the big selling season. We bought at this time, both times.

All I have to say is that it works for them. I have never run into that many in ONE day of cancelled homes that were advertised. I bet you did feel frustrated. Sorry. I didn't read carefully.

alemorkam 04-22-2012 09:13 PM

their are many MLS agents who would help then with resales. Check out HomeHeader.png for resales in the villages. I have my friends use that.

wendyquat 04-22-2012 09:29 PM

Boy howdy, the market must really be picking up! Every real estate agent knows that you don't necessarily have an "open house" to sell that particular home but to get prospects (buyers) to sell ANY home to!

However, I've heard that TVs agents are not commissioned and, if so, guess they just wanted the day off today never thinking they'd be "found out"! The cats out of the bag now!

Sorry your friends had to experience this "bad business" tactic!

gerryann 04-22-2012 10:31 PM

Gracie, I see where you said this is the start of the big selling season. I thought that the busiest selling time would have been Jan, Feb, March, and would be slowing down about now?

Barefoot 04-22-2012 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerryann (Post 483061)
I thought that the busiest selling time would have been Jan, Feb, March, and would be slowing down about now?

Yes, "snowbird season" is the busiest time of the year! The Villages Agent who sold our last house for us in 2010 told us to get our house on the market in December, in preparation for the snowbird explosion. We sold our house in January.

Attendance at open houses is already declining (according to an agent who has a house on our street for sale).


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