LOL...I love your second response.  But with those types of people, no response is probably better than any response.  You know if you respond that you don't want to refer him, he will just send another nasty email to you.

Sometimes it is better to "fire" the client before you are hired because once you are hired, while you can ask to be released from the listing contract, you really can't fire your employer nor can you quit without the client's permission.

I would dhave handled it the same way you did.  Good call not dealing with a manufactured home.  I did one in Texas.  They drove me nuts and then the thing never sold but it was in kind of a strange area.  The price of manufactured homes in Texas is significantly lower then PX last time I checked, which has been awhile.  They start at $200K in Vegas which always gives me a giggle.

Not that some of them are not nice but they don't keep value.  It's almost worse then buying a care.

I do however secretly wish that you would have told him off.  The Bite me comment was great.

I have had weirdos curse me out b/c they were to dumb to figure out IDX.  Most of them were not brave enough to respond curt but professional return email.  I think it makes them even more mad when we remain dignified.

What a charming fellow!  Yeah, the 'bite me' response works just fine with a nutcase like that but it would be far more satisfying to do it via telephone than in an email. LOL  

I like the second response, but I'd probably go with the first. Cold civility. And rather than ignoring him completely, I think I'd send him something. He contacted you after you refused to work with him the first time, so unless you firmly tell him not to darken your virtual doorstep again, he'll probably keep contacting you. Maybe you could refer him to an agent you don't like... There are a few of those around here, that I'd gladly refer nightmare clients to.

I would forward his email to someone I didn't like... No really some people can work with the pain in the you know what just fine.  Put your thinking cap on but give the agent a choice after your warning.  

Otherwise just ignore him.  Poor soul.

Jana

Jay, Do they have HomeVestors in your area? They are the company that advertises "We Buy Ugly Houses". Send him to them.

Jay - I am glad to see you let your hair down with the second response. I would probably check around with a few agents out there that you know and let them decide if they want to take hime on. Don't want to leave money on the table when you can refer him. Just send along to a few people you might know well with the understanding that it could be a bumpy ride.

Jay, you are a better man than I for your self control.

I'm not gonna get into a pissing contest with a skunk.

Nuh nuh no response would Mr. Icky have gotten from me. We choose our clients and they do not hate us.

I would say if you are not planning on referring him that you may want to look into blocking him or you might never hear the end of it. I had the misfortune of referring a seller to a friend as I had a buyer and will not work both sides.(the home expired on friday evening & my buyers wanted to view it saturday)

It turned out to be a very ugly deal and left a bad taste in both the other agent & myself as well as my buyers.

Luckily I had formed a good friendship with the agent prior to the deal & the buyers & I are old

co workers/friends/phase 10 til 2 in the morning partners

so we are good as well.

I would share the emails with any agent I would ask to refer it to and let them decide if they want it. then direct the seller to his mortgage company when no one does!

Well, here I am again in left field again all by myself.  I would have handled it differently from the start.  With the I hate Realtors comment, I probably would have chuckled and asked him why or maybe I would have asked if that applied to all Realtors or just one in particular.  Might have found out that he only hates one in particular.  Sounds like he has been in a bad situation and not ready to trust anyone yet or he might have trust issues in general.   Anyway, I would have given him an opportunity to vent.  As for the other comment about not having any other option, I would have told him...sure you do, you can try to sell it yourself, you can rent it out, or you can stay in the home but you always have options.  In general, if they aren't too verbally abusive and just make a few comments like that it may just be someone who doesn't handle first meetings/conversations very well and I'll try to help them.  I've been successful with the majority of cases I have encountered like this but it can be rough on your ego and patience.  I know someone who is very much like this who doesn't meet/greet well during first meetings and conversations and they aren't at all like that after you get to know them. There is a wall that goes up right away to "protect" them from people and trust is a major issue.

On the other hand, we aren't psychologists and we certainly don't have time to take on special cases like this.  I did have to dispose of one buyer who was totally nuts (yes, actually diagnosed - bipolar - she didn't take meds).  After a while I started to believe that she could be dangerous.  The only way that I could get rid of her was to make her so mad (risky?) that she threatened to go to the board ...I told her to go ahead, I have the stronger case.  She didn't, but you know what?  I did trace her movements after that for a while and I do know where she lives now.  Her whole family is crazy too.

Velda- I wish I had someone with your ability to analyse and break down things into the real truth. You are truly what Real Estate is about. If someone want to talk fair and balanced, just look at you. You make me proud to be a Realtor!

I wouldn't bother to respond nor would I refer him to anyone.  He is trouble.  Take the high ground, it's less crowded there.

Jay, there is a time to be silent. I would have chose Mikes "cone of silence".

The "Cone" is sometimes the best choice when there is so much to say there is no quitting place. Some people are just "off". No explaining it, just "off".

I missed this one!  I have to agree with Velda.  In my former life I was trained, and subsequently trained others, to take a bad situation like this (probably due to a past experience) turn it around and make it into the most positive experience the customer ever had.  Doing it with a little humor, a lot of attention to detail.  I probably still would have done the referral to another Agent since you don't handle mfd. homes, but I would have told the gentleman that I would check in with the other Agent periodically and now he has the benefit of two Realtors for the price of one!  Now he has a better sense that you're looking out for his best interests and hopefully improves his opinion of our profession, you get a referral, and he gets home sold.  Winners all around.

I am in the process of inflicting the "cone of silence" on a sweet little old lady that has had her singlewide on the market for a year. Sweet, nice, demanding, little time-sucker that she is. The 3% of hell that I would eventually receive is just not worth it.

Don't do nuthin' that ever had wheels on it ...anymore.

Anna, I want to met your uncle. I sang with a group that did harmony when I was young. I still pick and sing but hardly consider it a treat to the listener if there are not into country. In my early days I was a Kingston trio fan and emulated their sound. Kind of dated today. Still great music! I love four part harmony! I'll give you a cal cause I want to meet your uncle.

Hi Gary,

You really should, he is a hoot. Has been very active in Barbershop for at least 20 years, then began with this group thing because everyone kept dying! You lose one of a quartet and it shows, the group is at least 20 or 30 guys. So if one drops off the list the rest can still go to practice...which I think is Floridian speak for beer drinking old Germans!

I'll send you his contact info directly - but I did tell you that he was in Ohio for a few weeks. He doesn't compute up there, too busy with his old Ohian beer drinking German relatives!

Loved your comments above

Wow...  It would have been hard for me not to respond with some vitriol to that guy.  

I think I would have just not responded to him and marked his email address as spam or junk mail so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.  

I think I understand people with trust issues because I've known so many - several in my family :)  .  Once they trust you they are yours forever though.  Make sure they don't have other issues that will make your live a living h3LL.  Mind you, trust issues aren't the same as a control freak.  Big difference but I consider them to be first cousins.

I agree with Velda and Cathy, maybe he had a bad experience with an agent, or maybe that's his way of speaking to people, or maybe he has a bad temper.  Some older folks are like that.  Even though some people are not ashamed of their bad temper, be the better person. " A man of discernment is cool of spirit.”   Being slow about bad tempers also means being slow about taking offense.  Refer him to another agent but caution him about this person.  If it works out you get a referral fee.

Welcome to RElib Bill.

LOL, I will never forget when I wrote a contract on a 2004 manufactured home. 2200 SF as gorgeous as they get. The price tag was 1.4 M. On 5 acres on the river. AND enough comps for an appraisal . . .

Rock On, candice.

Wow!  A manufactured home on 5 acres for 1.4 mil?  You know what you could get here for that?  Well nothing listed on the MLS right now.  There was only 1 property over a million and it has been put on Hold. BUT, if it were still on the market, you'd get over 4600 sqft custom built home on a little over 60 acres PLUS a party house with garage, a 4125 SF horse barn with 4 stalls, the barn includes an office/apartment, tack and feed room, another 5600 sf shop/barn, not too far out in the country but out of city limits. All for only 1.395 mil.

I'll handle this one.....

"Are we in the market or not?

I'd be tempted to go over there and see if looks like something that could be on Blue Collar TV's "Redneck House of the Week". Then tell him that would be a great way for home to market the home and sell it FSBO! LOL

Hi Jay, Have you directly asked them what "they want?"  

People say and want different things.  I deal with people who "hate realtors" every day.  But in reality, if they "want" to sell, then they better find a Realtor they can deal with.

Jay, cool picture! ... if this continues, I might even dig out a picture of me infront of our 18-wheeler!

ooooh, likey new picture... Jay looks like Bruce Willis !!!!

ps

I have jeep too !!! favorite vehicle !!

Oh Hi Michaela, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dig out picture of you and your 18 wheeler !!!

HA!  My mentor said watch out for the 3 "T's"... if it has a tounge, a tag or tires stay away from it.  I do.

IMO the best thing to do would to be just ignore the guy.  Let he who hates agents do all the foot work to find someone to sell his castle.  Don't give him any ammo for future use against you.

My GOOD friend's wife also "hates REALTORS."  And now they want me to list their home in a couple of months and a deeply discounted rate on MY side.  I'm still deciding if I want to take on the listing or not.  Probably not.  Not worth it to me.  Sigh...