Real Estate

I was recently involved in a transaction with a very ‘seasoned’ agent who was representing a client in the sale of a home.

The first warning sign for me was the agent’s email address. The email address read as if this person was the only real agent and all other agents were fake. That should have given me a clue that this agent would be hard to work with.

As I was dealing with him, he sent me a copy of his equally arrogant license plate to his fancy car, a vehicle that seemed to embody his inflated sense of self-worth, and kept droning on about his expensive home nestled in an upscale neighborhood. He prattled on about all the real estate ventures he was engaged in with a myriad of investors, each deal seemingly grander than the last, and boasted incessantly about the many rental properties he owned, painting a picture of success that was almost dizzying. Yet, despite the grandiose tales he spun, all to find out later was a sham, a glittering facade designed to impress his clients and intimidate agents on the other side of the deal, leaving me to wonder how much of what he claimed was genuine and how much was merely an elaborate ruse crafted to elevate his status.

In the precontract period, he engaged in endless debates while consistently belittling my client’s abilities and qualifications to purchase his home, despite my provision of all the necessary documents. Nothing appeared to meet his standards.

Once we finally entered into contract, he resisted the idea of conducting inspections, frequently engaging in phone debates and belittling any requests for clarification regarding the poorly completed seller’s disclosure. He refused to acknowledge the findings outlined in the inspection report while disparaging licensed home inspectors, pool inspectors, and HVAC inspectors. He portrayed his house as a pristine work of art and fervently persuaded his client to accept only top dollar.

Once confronted with the inspection findings and the repair requests, he declined to engage in communication or negotiate on any items in the repair list, asserting he would only negotiate one hour before the option period’s conclusion.

I escalated his conduct to his supervisor, who took no action; however, I received an email from the arrogant agent stating that my clients would now have lost all the money they invested in the house because I had overstepped by reporting his behavior to his supervisor.

With all the stress, the stonewalling, the refusal to negotiate, the poorly filled-out seller’s disclosure, and the myriad findings from the home, pool, plumbing and HVAC inspections, my clients decided to withdraw during the option period.

Yes, they spent around $2000 during the option period, but it is believed that proceeding with the sale would have been more challenging for them.

Now it has been 3 months since, and my clients have just moved into their new beautiful home. The house with the difficult selling agent is still on the market now for over 150 days.