"I am a consumer, service me now." This is the message I heard in a recent company meeting. A website visitor wanted to work with a real estate agent. He emailed a few of the real estate agents on the company home page with this statement at the end of his message:

"I will work with the first real estate agent who responds to this email."

This struck a chord with me. Why this plea to respond? Real estate professionals have a myriad of instant communication tools: email, cell phone, text messaging, PDAs and Blackberrys, instant messaging and social networking.

The idealist in me thinks the consumer would have to write,

"I am looking for a serious real estate agent who has x years behind their belt, knows x information about the area, is local and closes x amount of transactions. If you do not meet these qualifications, please do not respond to my email."

The ability to assist a new client from a real estate agent's end should be easy. Proper systems like email auto-responders, with a prompt return phone call or email that day, need to be a priority for a real estate professional. 

This web visitor isn't alone when it comes to a plea for response. Even in this downturn, there are real estate professionals who leave business on the table for their competitors. They might not have responded first or even third to an email or phone call, they might not have ever gotten the message to begin with because it went into a spam folder, they might have left only one return message for the prospect, never heard back and then moved on.

Meanwhile, the consumer was serious, was waiting and turned to the first responder. I can empathize. While quality is important to me and expertise is invaluable, so is my time. I have been trained that time is a commodity since I was a young kid and ran errands with my mom. Flying around grocery stores, rushing home to get groceries put away and dinner cooked--my mom was busy.

Modern conveniences don't make life any less busy; they just tend to speed up the train. As a consumer, a mother of three and a career woman, I don't like to be kept waiting. It might take me awhile to research what I am looking for, but when I find it, I want it now.

I will choose to work with the professional who can provide great service, knowledge and expertise, and be hyper-responsive when I call or email. 

The stragglers won't even have a chance to win my business. I am a consumer, service me now.

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to read:

• Is a real estate agent just a gatekeeper of information?
• How to achieve the goal of homeownership
• How to find first-time home buyer programs

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Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

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