No so with B. He, too, was pleasant enough at first, but seemed to need to justify his fees by exaggerating the importance of his role. In any case, I expected contracts to be sent to me in short order.
Unlike our lawyer for the sale of our place, B did not meet with clients for contract review. Rather, he would messenger me my copy, I would review it, we would discuss any questions I had by phone, and I would messenger it back to him.
Nevertheless, quite a bit of time went by with no contract in sight. When I finally called back S after a week or more to tell him that I hadn’t received the paperwork yet, he was, and I quote, “shocked.” Though B had told me that the seller’s attorney hadn’t sent him anything yet, according to S he just hadn’t bothered to send a messenger to pick the papers up from the seller’s lawyer.
Another problem was that B seemed to have some vested interest in convincing me that I could not have the speedy closing S had assured me of from day one. Since S obviously had clout with the coop board, he'd assured me from the get go that he could arrange for them to meet with me for my board approval asap after the contracts were signed.
But during every conversation I had with B — which involved numerous calls and messages to him, all in an effort to find out where my contract was — he insisted on telling me that there was no way I would close that quickly.
Although coop boards often meet only once a month or even less frequently, during which they review potential buyers' financials and schedule the requisite board interview prior to closing, this situation was different. S had been working there for years, and could get deals done in record time by surrounding himself with a competent network of lawyers and mortgage brokers who knew the process for this particular building backwards and forwards and could close a deal in weeks rather than months. And he had enough clout with the board to get a meeting set up for me to be interviewed within a week’s time or so.
Article comments
1 - Julia H, Louisville, KY
Do you give any advice to first time home buyers like my husband and I? We have a similar story, except we are being told about a bid we made on a house, and being told a line of crap. Please let me know. I'm at my wits end with this, and have no clue who to ask for advice. I found your article while searching the words "real estate lawyers." Thank you for your time, and if you can't lend any advice, thanks for at least getting the word out on slimeballs like the one you wrote about! There are LOTS!!!!
2 - Elvira Black
Hi Julia:
So sorry to hear about your trouble, but of course you're not alone. There's a site called Active Rain run by real estate professionals that you might like to check out, as they have real estate agents and other RE professionals from all over the country who participate, and most seem very committed to providing professional service. There are likely some agents from your area represented there, and you can visit their websites or e-mail them. The site is also a treasure trove of info about good and bad real estate practices, as some agents are also very dismayed at the dirty tricks some of their colleages engage in. I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the business just by perusing that site.
There are some good agents out there, but like every other profession there are always those bad apples who ruin the rep of the good ones and make clients' lives miserable in the process. The best advice I can give is to get connected with an agent who has had considerable time in the business and the rep to prove it. Many of them will work in tandem with lawyers and mortgage brokers they trust, which can make the process considerably smoother all the way around.
Best of luck--as I've learned, when you hook up with the good guys, the process can be relatively headache free! And do let me know how you make out!