Last Train to Clarksville

Is Your Client An “Orphan Client”?

You might be scratching your head and wondering how your client can be an orphan client?

It’s something that you see alot but you don’t associate it with orphans.  When you hear the word orphan, you think of Annie or Oliver. Remember Oliver?

There are a few different definitions to the word orphan. One I am speaking of is; someone or something that lacks support, care or supervision.

Now can you see the Orphan Client?

As a Realtor, Adviser and Agent, it really bothers

me to see clients, who are signed to a Buyers Representation Agreement, going around Clarksville and calling on other agents to help them when they are signed to the agent that is suppose to be working for THEM and being paid for their services in the end!  I really believe that some agents do not go into depth about their duties to the Client, otherwise their clients wouldn’t be calling listing agents to let them into homes but calling them. Their clients wouldn’t be going so far as searching themselves, that is part of the Realtor’s job. Then when THEY find the home they want, calling on their agent they have signed an agreement with to write the offer.  Some agents, just like in any field of work, are lazy.  Those lazy ones can give us all a bad name and make customers leery of working with us.  What is the saying? One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch?

The Orphan client feels they don’t want to bother their agent so much because their agent just showed them 25 homes in 2 days. They have a little guilt and want to just find it themselves and then call their agent with the surprise that the search is over! (Kind of like the syndrome where the parent neglects the child, so the child wants to make the parent notice them and it usually is by, “See what I did?”.) What those clients don’t realize is that, as a professional agent, it is our duty to show you whatever you want to look at. They don’t REALIZE it because they haven’t been informed of their agents duty! It is our experience that can help eliminate 25 homes in 2 days by narrowing the search field by communicating about what you want. BUT there are agents who get the signed representation agreement and then drop the ball. An example:

• This type of agent lets the client know that she won’t be able to show any homes this weekend because she will be somewhere important.  The clients are alright with it but it just so happens to be the weekend they find what they want to put an offer on! Where is their agent? She isn’t answering her phone! What should their agent have done differently? She should have asked another agent to cover any showings that her clients would need to view and give her clients that agents number, just in case!

Now there have been plenty of times when I have had “Customers” who would not sign an agreement with me because they weren’t sure what they were going to do.  They went out and would call the name that is on the sign to ask for a viewing of the home.  The agent would ask them if they already had an agent they have signed with and the answer was no, of course. Then after viewing these homes, they would call me and say they were ready for me to represent them and wanted to look at a few more homes. I guess it shows that they do have their trust in me because you know when they went to all the other homes, those agents were trying to win their business and gain their trust.

Agents shouldn’t be upset when they are called to open up their listing to show a potential buyer.  I mean that is what they are getting paid for in the end, to market the listing! Hear me out Agents! If someone wants to view your sellers home, you need to get it open if no one else can! It could be the buyer for their home! We can be upset that the agent isn’t doing their job but the customer comes first. (Now this isn’t to say that if their client wants to also view other homes to go and take them to homes that aren’t your listings, that is the duty of their agent. It was their duty to show your listing BUT they aren’t around or they weren’t called. Answer? NO COMMUNICATION!) Sometimes it is not always the agents fault. You might have clients that just want to do it their way and it will have no rhyme or reason.

Just yesterday my husband had a floor duty call from some customers who were calling about one of my listings.  He scheduled to meet with them and showed them the home. He asked them if they were working with someone and they said, “No we aren’t signing with anyone yet”.  He didn’t say anything but told them that there was another one of his listings that they might be interested in and took them to that home. On the way there he thought about how quickly the couple were in their answer, when asked if another agent was involved. They seemed a little defensive.  So he decided to give them a little bit of information about what his duties were if they were to appoint him as their Agent.  He showed the other home and on the way out told them that he represents buyers FREE of charge. That by being THEIR agent they are gaining someone with the experience, the knowledge and the keys to get into every home in the county! Their search won’t be as hard because he will email them all the homes in their criteria as soon as he gets to his office that night and it will all be homes in Real Time!  They were very excited about that and gave their information.

Later that evening he emailed all the homes and once again told them his duties as a Realtor.  That not only are they looking for the right agent to work with, he is looking for the right buyers to work with. They are basically interviewing each other and once again, his services are free!  Well, the next day they went looking on their own again and came across another home. They called the number on the sign and the listing agent asked them the question about having a Realtor they are signed with and once again it was no.  They viewed the home and the listing agent told them he could write the offer because he knows what the seller will do.  The agent had given them some examples of offers that had already come through without going into depth about it but arming them anyway. The buyers weren’t comfortable with that, so they went to our office and called my husband to come write the offer.  He did, after he went and viewed the home himself.  But by calling this agent that showed the home, to ask if he could view it before writing up the offer, the agent got very hot and said for my husband to tell his “clients” that he didn’t appreciate them calling him to come show the house and then go to another agent! Now this is VERY important. There were reasons why this couple didn’t go with him.  He gave them a chance but they chose to work with someone that had a designation with the buyer not the seller.

So, I am saying all this because this agent thought that my husband had orphaned clients.  It wasn’t the case at all. At the time, they were still customers. They didn’t become clients until they sat down to sign the Buyers Representation Agreement before writing the offer.

So, how can you keep your clients from being an orphan?

• They are “Clients” because they have signed a Buyers Representation Agreement with you, otherwise they would still be customers. So, you need to go into depth about that agreement.
• Let your clients know that they call you for everything they need.  If they don’t get you, give them another number, text number or email, or another agent that you work well with.
• Explain why they shouldn’t call other agents to show them homes.  That it always needs to be you, their agent.
• And the biggest, most important way to keep them from being orphaned is communication!  I know that communication runs both ways, so set the guidelines up front before you even start looking for homes.

If you are a customer and you are looking for an Agent who will represent you and your best interests, to advise you with clear communication and want someone in this profession that you can trust with this major purchase, please give us a call at 931.206.2156 and let us know you are calling from this blog. We have a gift that you don’t want to miss!

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As always, we welcome your comments!
Blessings~

Content © 2009 Thea Agnew ~ LastTrainToClarksville.com (Exit Realty Clarksville)

1. Debbie Beach said at December 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 am

   I just finished spending over 45 minutes on this Last Train To Clarksville and learned so much. The story of what a few can do in todays low economy was quite touching especially when I saw all those graves decorated by school children. Thank you for sharing that.

   I clicked on Stumble it and the beautiful “unusual” Churches were so interesting and got me to thinking outside the box. The photo’s of the hotel in Dubai were breath taking. The lightning that struck right next to the photographer was a once in a lifetime chance of capturing. The article on the Orphaned Client was written with such understanding,compassion and experience that I will use this realtor when I need real estate.

   I also clicked on some of the sites listed on the bottom of this site and wound up joining Digg. I finally had to get ready for work so I didn’t even finish snooping. I will deffinitely return again after work and see what else this site has to educate me on. It will be a regular visit for this “GEEK”.

   I’m serious “This Site Rocks”.

   Thank you for putting this out there for us.

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