We attended what was advertised as an open house for a $1.8 Million Dollar property scheduled from…read more11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. As serious cash buyers who have been actively searching for the past 15 months for acreage in this specific area (with the intention of adding an ADU), we do not attend open houses casually. Our time is valuable, and we plan accordingly. We hired a sitter, adjusted our work schedule, and drove out to the property, arriving within the advertised open house window. There were no open house signs posted, no cars present, and no indication an open house was happening. I waited for a while in the driveway of the property and eventually called the listing agent, Jan Fiore, while parked outside the residence to inquire. Her response was, "Oh yeah, we left early." There was no apology. There was no acknowledgment that buyers might be inconvenienced. There was no offer to return, or schedule another showing later that day..
Leaving an advertised open house early without notice, particularly for a property at this exorbitant price point, is unprofessional and highly disrespectful to both buyers and the seller. Buyers rely on the published timeframe. If the open house is 11-2, it should be 11-2, not 11 to 1:40, Not even 11-1:59. But 11-2 as stated. Twenty minutes early may not seem significant to an agent, but to buyers (part of an investor team) who arranged childcare on a personal note, and drove out intentionally during the stated window, it matters.
As a seller, I would be beyond livid to learn that overqualified buyers were effectively turned away because the agent chose to leave before the posted end time.
Our original intention, had we liked the property, was to have the listing agent also write our offer. Which would have been double commission for Jan, little did she know. As we are cash buyers and were prepared to move quickly if it was a fit. However, even if our team had loved the house, we would not move forward on principle alone after this experience and we will not be requesting a private showing nor viewing at any additional properties where she is the listing agent.
Professionalism, reliability, and respect for buyers' time are fundamental in real estate, especially at the $1.8M level. Unfortunately, this experience reflected none of those standards. And little does she know, we have two properties we are listing this month for sale on the MLS and she would have been offered those listings if our investment team was to have opened escrow on the Descanso property.
