I received a call from a buyer a couple of days ago. They expressed that they were on their way to see a property I had listed. They were under the impression that they had scheduled a viewing for the following morning and were half way through their 12 hour drive to see it! Well you can imagine my surprise when I had nothing recorded for a showing that day, for me or any other agents. I quickly logged on to Zillow to see if I had missed a contact, because for your information, Zillow does NOT contact us when someone makes an inquiry through their platform. Still nothing, no messages, no nothing. I quickly arranged an agent to meet them and they subsequently made an offer that was accepted on the property. But the moral of the story is, don't book through Zillow. If these folks hadn't reached out to me personally they would have been standing at the door with no agent and the property would have already been under contract when they arrived 12 hours later. Don't trust your future to an impersonal appointment app on a worldwide site. Contact a Realtor that is local, a Realtor that understands the market and can tell you the ins and outs of that specific property. You deserve more than to be a number that pops up as a lead on someone's email. This is especially important right now in this strong seller's market. It is so easy to be lost in the shuffle as a buyer if you are working with someone that is in it to win it for you! Don't miss out on your dream property by relying on delayed and horribly inaccurate information from online lead pipelines like Zillow. They are a great source for blanket information but do not expect them to be up to date or working for you and your best interest. Call a Realtor. It is our job to be your eyes and ears and we will work for you.
- Leza Vargas