Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Making excuses does not win any brownie points with me!

One of the hardest parts of being a good Realtor is having to accept the disappointments of failed closings when it is no fault of your own. We try to do a good job with our buyers and sellers and really hope that the consumer will refer us again because we served them well. When the lenders don't do their job, or the attorneys don't do their job, or the builders don't do their job, unfortunately we take the heat.
Recently, we sold a home subject to the buyer obtaining a loan. The application was made in a timely manner, the bank actually sent a loan approval letter in a reasonable length of time. The buyers and the sellers were informed that everything looked good and the closing was on schedule. The appraisal and inspections were positive so we felt all the hurdles were over. Now, 50 days into the application process and 5 days after the scheduled closing date, we find that the package has not even been sent to the underwriters. For those of you who may not be familiar with this process, that is highly unusual. It seems the original loan officer left the bank and another was assigned. She did not do her job and made up excuses like she never had all the income information she needed from the borrower. She had received that information weeks earlier (how did we have loan approval without that?) and obviously had some other problem that she did not want to share with us.
An apology that was heartfelt and an explanation would have played so much better. We all make mistakes and most people are forgiving if it is handled correctly. Not to be too long and drawn out but really happy people do not make excuses. They accept responsibility when they are wrong and apologize. I feel so sorry for the buyer, the seller, and the Realtor involved. I can only hope that the closing eventually takes place even if it is a month later than scheduled!

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