Maybe they are not committing to you because you have not committed to them. Find an agent that fits you well, and then sign a Buyers Agency Agreement with them. It is difficult to expect an agent to 100% commit to you if the likelyhood is that on your next trip down, you are going to call someone else.
The agent that did not show you the houses you requested should have been turned into her Broker In Charge.

ncrealestateguy - we would be happy to commit to one agent, but as I said, we have not found one who even bothers to answer the questions we have.

And also, we are willing to consider several different areas, and the agents we've talked to aren't willing to operate more than 20 miles or so from their home towns.
But that is a secondary issue, none of the agents we've seen so far has shown us anything that would make us comfortable signing with them.

The realtor who didn't show us the homes we were supposed to see worked alone in her own office. I don't know if she was the broker, or ? I'm not sure who we could have reported her to, it really did not occur to us. We were too upset.

We have had the same experience with some of the realtors in Illinois. We were covering a wide area, with three agents from the same firm. One agent was horrible. She did all the same things you have commented on; she even e-mailed us a blank contract and told us to fill it in ourselves so she could present it! We called her manager and had her replaced.

Although we eventually purchased a home with the replacement agent, we had issues there as well. She was very informed about the area and showed us the properties we asked to see. However, we were lied to about the availability of the house we purchased (told we could move in July 1 when there was a lease on the property through August 1).

Our assessment is that in some states, agents are no more than glorified taxi drivers. It sounds like Arkansas is even worse than Illinois. If we ever purchase again in Illinois, we do not intend to use a buyer's agent at all. Try using a service like Redfin. You can get all the info online and even arrange viewings.

teched - I never heard of Redfin. Thank you for the thought, I will look it up.

Maybe the agents are thinking you aren't really serious buyers yet? I can see your wide search area being an issue (logistically). And maybe the fact that you haven't narrowed in on a specific area or two is making the agents think that either you're not ready to buy yet or this could be a long drawn out process. Just a thought and that doesn't mean they shouldn't be treating you better.

With the next agent you try (or if you give another agent a second chance), I would be upfront with the issues you've had with the previous agents. That way the agent gets a better idea of what you want from him/her.

"Maybe they are not committing to you because you have not committed to them. Find an agent that fits you well, and "then sign a Buyers Agency Agreement with them."

Huh???? Why would it be up to the buyer to sign a buyers agreement before they can expect better service from the realtor?

It's really simple - if the realtor expects to make a sale, they treat everyone with respect, they answer questions and they show the houses they requested. Choosing to give people inferior service just because they think it's a waste of their time is totally unacceptable. I like to reward people like that by giving the sale to someone else.

None of the questions you posed were unreasonable, nor were they that hard to answer. The fact that they cannot answer all questions proves to me they are lazy and/or not taking you seriously. I cannot believe that in this economy, you still have salespeople who refuse to give good customer service.

You could try another approach. Instead of contacting the just agent who has listed the house - contact a bunch of agents in one mass email. Make sure they can see all the other addresses you sent it to. Inform them you are planning on moving to the area very soon, you are fully capable of puchasing w/o any problems, and tell them all your requirements for the house. A lot of them will ignore you, thinking it must be spam, but others will take you seriously and contact you. That approach worked for me when I was shopping for a new car - why wouldn't it also work for a realtor?

Again, its pretty simple - if you want the sale, you make the effort - otherwise someone else gets it.

Good luck

Sarasava - I don't understand it either but I had similar experiences with real estate agents when I was buying recently. I just kept hiring and firing agents until I found one that worked for me.

I've had the same thing happen to me. It seems like the agent was trying to steer us to her listings which were totally inappropriate. It's a complete waste of time for the clients and it's a smarmy car salesman tactic that gives all real estate agents a bad name.

Just to confirm, you haven't signed with an agent, but you want them to show you homes?

I think you are putting the cart before the horse. You should find a reputable agent and let them know the terms by which you might want to work with them. eg Emailed links to houses that meet certain criteria, followup questions by emial, then an in person visit of your 5 favorites.

Once you have found a person you can work with, then you should expect them to provide specific information about individual properties. It is not reasonable to expect an agent to do market research on properties for you unless you sign on with them .

Ditto graywings. The more clearly you can define what it is you want the easier it is to work with a agent.
If you aren't seeing exactly what you've requested you need to tell them they aren't getting it and either they start listening and following your request for what you want to see or you are on to the next agent.
I found that sugar coating things with RE agents does not work. Being blunt is what works best.

Are the unanswered questions directed toward the listing agent about properties they're selling or toward a random agent that you've asked to show you some homes? If it's the LA, that's inexcusable to not know their own homes. If it's a potential BA, then a good one should know. If this is small-town Arkansas and no one goes past a 20-mile radius, they should know every house by heart. That one's a puzzle.

And the buyer's agents aren't blowing you off about showing you around (as they might if they thought you weren't serious). They're redirecting you to properties they want to sell. So I'm not sure I buy that theory.

I think they're just poor agents not listening to their (potential) customer. If I were an agent, I would treat everyone who called like my best customer until proven otherwise, answer their questions, and show them what they wanted to see on their schedule. That's the best way to hook them into a commitment--no signed contract required as they wouldn't want to leave. If I found out that they weren't serious I might cut them loose down the road, or find less costly ways to service them (making the screening process more DIY, for example). But doing that up front makes no business sense to me.

If it were me, I'd just be very up front with the next agent you talk to, explain your frustrations and set forth your expectations. I would have told these 4 at the end of the day of my disappointment that they didn't do as I requested, and tell them I was going to look elsewhere for a BA. Nothing like immediate feedback to drive the point home.

Find the listings online on your own, then contact the listing agents for each property directly. Once it is time to see the homes, set up your appts approx 1 hour apart at each property, and meet the listing agent at each home.

As far as questions... The listing agent should know all the details of that home. If they don't know an answer, they have a direct relationship with the owner and can get the answer easier than a buyers agent (which would have to go through the listing agent anyway).

Just don't gush any info about when you must move, that you LOVE the place, etc to the listing agent, keep your poker face and stay mum for the most part other than pleasant communication. You could ask them how they arrived at the asking price, if there have been other offers, get all kinds of info.

"That's not the worst, though. On our last trip, we saw a buyer's agent. We gave her the MLS numbers of three places we were very interested in seeing, she looked them up, and told us that it would be no problem for her to show us all of them in an afternoon. So she took us to another place not on our list."

I would have insisted on seeing the houses I asked to see FIRST.

I think you are wise to not sign a contract with a buyer's agent yet. Especially since the ones you have been in contact AREN'T LISTENING TO YOU in the first place! If you did sign with them, you would be stuck with them for the duration of what ever time you agreed to, and no other buyer's agent would take you knowing that any commissions would go to the agent who got you to sign first. What incentive would they have to help you? ZERO!

I second what sweet_tea said: "Find the listings online on your own, then contact the listing agents for each property directly. Once it is time to see the homes, set up your appts approx 1 hour apart at each property, and meet the listing agent at each home."

The internet is great for doing most of your own research before you buy. That is what we did. We used a lawyer for the offer and closing. It angered the listing agent enough to call our lawyer and tell him he wouldn't get any commission but that didn't bother us. We purposely used him because we didn't want to be ganged up on by both sides.

Good luck!

DO NOT SIGN A BUYERS AGENT AGREEMENT until you find someone who is competent and who respects your needs. You don't want to be committed to a looser! None of the agents I have ever worked with required this piece of paper until we had a relationship established that worked well.

Wow, lots of good input here! Thank you to everyone. Let me try and clarify a few points.

The first 3 agents were the listing agents, or agents from that office that replied to my emails , or in one case a call. I used the email link or phone number for the LA on each property, but in one case another person in their office returned the calls. I asked to speak directly with the LA, I was told they are out, and this person is covering for them.

We are looking for property with acreage. In order to be flexible, and get more options, we are looking at several communities about 20-30 miles apart, and the areas in between.

We are open to all styles of homes, and even open to looking at fix ups if they are priced appropriately, because we really want to move. Some of the homes we wanted to see were on the market for 180+ days, so they aren't selling that fast.

We have not signed with any buyers agent since none of these realtors made a good impression after our first contact.

We have a short list of things we are looking for i.e. acres, space, quiet, and things we don't want - i.e. noisy businesses next door, cemeteries, flood areas, or fix-ups priced as "fixed up".

I don't *think* we have sugar-coated anything for the realtors we have seen. To me, our requirements are pretty straightforward. But we will try hammering it home with the next one we contact. I am also going to look into the redfin idea. Thanks again for all your input.

"it's a real nice place"...

CLASSIC!

Of course they're lazy. Have you considered going to Trulia and looking up the addresses of each property yourself? Then you can approach each owner yourself using a lawyer to write up your contract and request a discount since they will not owe a buyers agent commission? Your lawyer should be able to explain the process to you. My boss used to do this all the time, and he owned a lot of property.

Whatever you do, don't sign up with a buyers agent who is not paying attention to your needs. In this market, they should be fighting for your business, not ignoring your questions.

It would be interesting if you went directly to the owners and asked your questions, letting them know the agents did not get the answers for you. I wonder what they would think of the agents they had signed up with? After all, they will only owe these people thousands if their places ever sell.

Dragontree, I was wondering that myself--what in the world would these sellers think if they ever knew the bad service the agents were giving potential buyers?! I just think many of them are lazy and they work hard at getting the listings but then hope the houses sell themselves! Here is a person foaming at the mouth to buy a house and they're ignoring her, taking her to inappropriate places...

Sarasava, I was going through the same exact thing! And like you, this never happened to me before. I moved a few times in the last ten years to other states, same criteria as you--wanted acreage, didn't care if it was a fix-up as long as the price reflected that, and would look in many areas. Let me preface this by saying I told the agents I was a serious buyer. I told them I was a cash buyer, ie., I was not getting a mortgage. My house was under contract. I couldn't get agents to call me back. When they did call me back, I couldn't get any information from them about the properties I found online. When I asked one of them about a sand pit I saw on the aerial map, I never heard from her again. One of them knew less about real estate than I do! I told the agents that I wanted to work with ONE agent if she was interested in taking me all around. And I told them that when I came up there, I HAD to make a deal on a house before I went back home. And I still got bad service! I finally found someone through a recommendation. I didn't sign any kind of agreement with her and I'd be surprised if she asked me to because we have enough of a relationship now that she knows I will stick with her. In fact, even if I found a for-sale-by-owner, I'd give her some money. I don't know what you can do if you don't know anyone who can recommend someone. I'm moving to my old home state so I was able to get a recommendation from a friend. What we've all been going through is what gives agents a bad name. It's actually the reason why I sell my houses by-owner.

Now in defense of agents, I see a lot of nuts on House Hunters who make these poor agents take them to fifty places and then still don't buy anything. It's a tough job and I feel for the good ones but there are way too many bad ones out there.

I in no way advised her to sign a BAA with the agents she has met. Sign one after you find a good agent. Why don't you call the Broker In Charge of a local office and ask for the best agent in the office? The BIC knows who is average and who is great.
Dragontree... my sellers are advised that if anyone knocks on their door or calls them, that they are to let the inquirerers know that they are being represented by an agent and to give them my business card.
Dragontree, what business are you in?

It's funny- I was let go by a realtor when I was house shopping long distance. I was searching for a dog friendly home- meaning an extra large lot. The guy kept refusing to show me homes because they were in "too nice a neighborhood"- I guess he thought I wanted a hovel.

I then very nicely asked him if I might be allowed to choose which homes to look at, and that's when he wrote me and said (and I quote) "Please be advised that I will not be able to assist you in finding a home. I am, however, happy to recommend a few other agents that will be able to serve your needs."
We bought our perfectly nice home in cash a month later and I sent him a condolences card.
Idiot.

I do know what some of you are going thru. When we tried to sell mountain property in CA we went thru 3 companies. Finally with the third and best, sold in 2 weeks with a 45 day escrow to someone who had been looking in the area for a year, but had been told by two previous companies and their agents it was not what she wanted. It was exactly what she was looking for. You cannot believe what those agents told her (single working gal with excellent credit and good down payment)--but a woman!!!!
when they refused to show her my property and others in the area. After we sold, I did let their brokers know what kind of idiots they had hired. That company in turned sold 5 other pieces of property for others who went thru the same thing, with other companies, within a years time.

odd that anyone would run into so many irrational/crazy/incompetent Realtors, all in a row;

maybe there's another side to this story.

Over the years, I've learned that if someone wants me to "show houses" right now this minute without giving me a solid basis upon which to act (are you working with a Realtor? How are you going to pay for this house? etc), especially if the person gets offended & irate & starts bad-mouthing me, that person likely has no intention of paying me one dime for my service.

about those lame reasons or excuses that a Realtor offers to escape buyers with whom s/he has no future-
giving the real reason ("it sounds like you want someone to provide you with free information & advice & so you can go directly to a seller or a discount real estate company") would likely offend the "buyer" & get me entangled in a bunch of complaints & take up a lot of time, & I still wouldn't get a dime in my pocket.

One of the agents in my office now tells buyers who hedge or dodge the "Are you working with someone?" question that he'll show them all the houses they want & he doesn't expect them to sign a buyer's rep with him for any other homes, but that the way he does business is to have buyers sign the buyer rep *for the houses he shows them*.

It separates the wheat from the chaff.

(I've thought about putting a sign on my car
"I'll show you all the houses you want to look at for $100 an hour", but I figured somebody would get offended & complain.)

Reading some of the responses, I see a lack of knowledge regarding the role of a Buyers Agent.
Would you call an attorney to show you homes and ask him/her to represent the seller? Of course not, but without a buyers agent, that's possible, depending on your state laws.
If you call a real estate office to see their listings, most likely the agent will work for the seller (subagency), not represent either buyer or seller (transaction broker/facilitator) and will not be able to do what's best for you, the buyer.
Buyer agency agreements don't have to be written for weeks or months, they can be from 9 to 5 on that given day, with extensions if so desired. Do your homework about agency in the state you are buying before contacting an agent.

@ncrealestateguy - I was in the rehab business for almost 20 years. The gentleman I worked for bought and sold many houses each year in three states. He rarely used a realtor to buy a house. Sometimes he SOLD inventory through a realtor, on a strict - 90 day "sell it or I move on" basis.

So far as I know, there is no requirement that says anyone is forced to use a realtor to buy or sell a home unless they have signed up with one. But that is what lawyers are there to explain, right?

This got me upset enough to actually respond. I have had very similiar experiences. Last year I made several trips to Chicago looking to buy a new home prior to a transfer. I called seven realtors in my first two week-long trips. Either they did not want to go to an area, they were too busy to call back, or they told me they had nothing in my price range - even though the internet was FULL of property I could afford. The two realtors who showed me anything seemed to think I was either A) Not serious, or B)Expected too much for my money

In fact, I heard several comments like "There is not much in your price range"

Newsflash! Buyers use the web too. I knew very well what I could, and could not expect. I don't need a realtor trying to give me a "reality check", when they are really trying to get me to settle for overpriced, dirty, out of date homes. Yes, I wanted to get the process over with too, but not at the expense of getting a good property.

After getting nowhere on the first trips, I did sign an agreement with a buyer's agent on my third trip out. My understanding was that he was then obliged to look after MY best interests. It was a huge mistake. As soon as I was signed he began showing me only what HE felt we should be looking at.

At one point, when I insisted that he show me the homes I wanted to see he told me, "Look, I don't have time to chauffeur you around to places you won't buy. You need to let me do my job."

I let his broker know I was unhappy, and she urged me to consider that the agent knew more about local neighborhoods than I did. That kept me on the hook through another pointless trip. During that time he routinely showed me places that were $20,000+ above my budget, claiming the sellers would be happy to negotiate.

Some were willing to negotiate, but only where the property was already priced well over what comparables had sold for.

I wasted a month waiting for the agreement to end. In the meantime, I lost a buyer for my home because I had nowhere to move. In the end I bought one of the homes I had originally wanted to see. The next realtor I saw took me out the same day I called her. She got the commission, and I went back to other realtors office and told his broker again how disappointed I was he had not shown me the place when I had asked. She shrugged.

I guess when it comes to real estate, some people think everything is the buyer's fault.

ncrealestateguy wrote - "my sellers are advised that if anyone knocks on their door or calls them, that they are to let the inquirerers know that they are being represented by an agent and to give them my business card. "

Just to understand your point of view, you are expecting to collect both the listing commission and the buyers agent commission, even though you never personally had contact with these buyers prior to them visiting the house/owner?

I assume then, you intend to enter dual- agency agreements with both parties? Meaning that neither side will really have an agent obligated to protect solely their interests?

I don't doubt your skills, or your integrity, but doesn't that place you in a difficult, and ultimately perilous position viz-a-vis a seller or buyer who later feels you were not committed to his or her best interests?

marianfrom1, we had almost the same experience in Chicago. Hubby and I almost walked on the deal we just closed on. In fact, we could have left at the closing table since one item in the contract was never fulfilled (the LA was supposed to take pictures and document the condition of the home at the appraisal so we could execute the return of the security deposit to the renters, but she "forgot"). We will NEVER buy with a BA in Illinois again. Hopefully, we will never buy in Illinois at all again. Our experiences in Virginia have been so much different. In fact, we kept talking to our agent in VA so much, she deserves part of the commission on our house in IL.

Jtorel wrote:

"ncrealestateguy wrote - "my sellers are advised that if anyone knocks on their door or calls them, that they are to let the inquirerers know that they are being represented by an agent and to give them my business card. "
Just to understand your point of view, you are expecting to collect both the listing commission and the buyers agent commission, even though you never personally had contact with these buyers prior to them visiting the house/owner?

I assume then, you intend to enter dual- agency agreements with both parties? Meaning that neither side will really have an agent obligated to protect solely their interests?

I don't doubt your skills, or your integrity, but doesn't that place you in a difficult, and ultimately perilous position viz-a-vis a seller or buyer who later feels you were not committed to his or her best interests?"
Jtorel,
The buyers are at the home because of my marketing of the property, so, yes, I would feel comfortable collecting both sides of the commission. However, after my first two dual agent deals that I completed years ago, I realized that it makes a lot of sellers (especially) and buyers uncomfortable for the reasons you state. So, now I allow my clients the choice if they want exclusive representation or not. If they do, then I refer all buyer leads on my properties out to a friend of mine who is not even in my office. He does the same for me. Win/win for all. Your question is very legit, and hence, why I offer this option.

As far as ragtop's comments go:
Where did I ever say to sign a BAA with an agent that you do not feel comfortable with? I have never said so. And how on Earth have you summized that I steer buyers to my listings? Have you been speaking with my past clients? Why would I want to waste my time showing homes that do not fit the buyer's criteria. Time is my number one expense.
The first thing a good agent learns to do in this business is to weed out the time wasters. You have no idea how many flakes are out there that will waste your time if you let them. It took me over 3 years to truly understand this. We get paid after a deal closes, not when someone piles into my car. Yes, I might make a wrong call every now and then, and miss a deal, but I save thousands of dollars and, more importantly, I save my precious time for those folks who are ready, able and willing buyers. If you can not commit to me 100%, how do you expect me to commit to you the same?
All buyers would do themselves a service if they either got a referral from a friend, or called up the BIC and asked him/her to recommend an agent that fits thier needs. Don't come on here complaining because you settled for something less. And don't come rolling into town, which you have had planned for months, call me up, and expect I drop everything on my schedule just to show you a few homes, especially if you do not even know if you are moving to this area. Looking at homes is not going to determine if you eventually move to a particular area.
And it is not wise to call the listing agent in order for you to work with. They represent the seller's best interests, not yours. They are fiduciarally responsible to selling thier client's home, not to look out for your best interests. (I realize that some people are savvy enough that this is not a big deal for them, but for 95% of buyers, it not a good situation to be in)
BTW Ragtop, I got two calls this week out of the blue from potential buyers that were referred to me by past clients. One of these past clients that referred me was a seller whom I failed to sell thier home! I believe this should be enough to put me back into your first classification of agents.

There are tire kickers in every industry. It's part of doing business. So is spending money and time on marketing. Sometimes you get burned, and sometimes you find a loyal customer in those tire kickers. If your attitude is that "you are wasting your time" with buyers who don't buy from you, you might be missing out on business

One of the agents we used was very competent and helpful, but as a single professional, there were aspects of our home search she did not understand (like NEEDING a master bathroom). She knows we closed on a house last month in another area, and she called to congratulate us. We will definitely keep her in mind for the not so distant future empty nester house.

Apology not needed, but accepted. Yes, it is easy to get snippy across the internet. I will make an effort to not come across as so.
I also hate the bad Realtors and love the good ones.
I probably take the sides of the agent more often than not because for the most part, people do not understand, or do not take the time to think how we get paid. I get paid when I can locate a willing, able and ready buyer and seller, and sucessfully guide them through numerous hoops all the way to close. So, yes, there are times when I will pass on working with people that I deem are not reasonable in their expectations, or someone who admits that they are coming in town for the first time to check out the area, to determine if the area fits their requirements. For these people, I advise them to get into a car and drive around for two or three days at the different areas of Charlotte. I do give them a preferred route to help them out, and some info on the differences of the areas. I do not like taking these people out looking at homes, because they are not even close to being at that step yet. When they are, I will spend as much time with them as they need. I also usually require my buyers to get pre qualified before we go out. Especially now, in this climate. You would not believe how many people just refuse to do this simple step. That tells me quite a bit. If agents do not separate the ready, able and willing buyers from the time wasters, they will not last two years in this business. This is one of the main reasons why the failure rate is 80 some percent in this feild. And do not hate us because we make so much money. The fact is, the average agent makes only about $30,000. If an agent makes one or two sales a month, they are doing well.
Anyhow, I have done forgot what the subject was of this thread...

Reading some of the responses, I see a lack of knowledge regarding the role of a Buyers Agent.
Would you call an attorney to show you homes and ask him/her to represent the seller? Of course not, but without a buyers agent, that's possible, depending on your state laws.
If you call a real estate office to see their listings, most likely the agent will work for the seller (subagency), not represent either buyer or seller (transaction broker/facilitator) and will not be able to do what's best for you, the buyer.
Buyer agency agreements don't have to be written for weeks or months, they can be from 9 to 5 on that given day, with extensions if so desired. Do your homework about agency in the state you are buying before contacting an agent.

Many of us do understand the role of a buyers agent, but choose not use one.
In my state I am aware of the meaning of dual agency, also when done, a signed agreement is made by all parties.
Not everyone likes dual agency, or just calling the LA to see a house, then don't do it, but don't try the scare tactic to thwart it when others like it.

"Many of us do understand the role of a buyers agent, but choose not use one.
In my state I am aware of the meaning of dual agency, also when done, a signed agreement is made by all parties.
Not everyone likes dual agency, or just calling the LA to see a house, then don't do it, but don't try the scare tactic to thwart it when others like it."

This was not adressed to buyers who know their state agency laws, but to the ones moving from one state to another. i.e., in my state dual agency is illegal and an out of state buyer might not know that.
Education about state agency laws is not something bad, if you know them and feel comfortable not using an agent to buy or sell, go for it.

teched, thank you for your comment. Reading a lot of the comments on this board you start to think that everything you do as a buyer is wrong, and that you are the only person who ever has these problems.

My husband kept noticing how everyone was looking out for the sellers and the tenants, but no one had our interests in mind except us. Ultimately, the buyer's agent is paid by the seller, and the BA doesn't get paid w/o a sale.