Kristi,

By now some time has gone by since you posted this question. I sincerely hope you followed up with one of the invitations from agents in your local area to work with you as your buyers agent. That is certainly the easiest way to find out the questions you mentioned like HOA fees and what they cover.

If you have not decided to work with a buyers agent, then start including your PHONE NUMBER and the best time to call with your questions.

If you send anonymous emails with no phone number, expect to find yourself down VERY LOW on a busy listing agents to-do list. Many "not-so-serious" buyers like to hide behind the anonymity of an email address to avoid actually having a conversation with a serious full-time agent. You will have no trouble dragging information out of a Realtor if you call and say you are seriously interested in the property, that you would like to come into the office for a consultation and would like to find out more information on one of the agent's listings.

Best of luck!
Barry Dunn
Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Fort Lauderdale, FL

First, I apologize for your frustration. There are many agents that are highly qualified and quick to respond. Of course, as in all walks of life and in all industries, there are the exceptions. In this market where we are finally seeing more and more buyers come out, chances are the agent that you are trying to reach is out working diligently with buyers that might be in town at the moment and, although not his or her intention, they are slower than usual to respond. Also, not all agents have immediate access to their internet connection. Although THE BRANHAM TEAM uses LEADROUTER, meaning all inquiries literally go directly to my cell phone within 60 seconds, not all agents and offices are equipped with this feature. Also, maybe the agent doesn't know the answer to your questions. This does NOT justify, however, the nonresponse. I encourage you to continue your search to purchase Florida real estate. It's a great time to buy, if you are a first time buyer you can take advantage of the $8000 tax credit, and it is a great investment. Also, once you connect with a great agent in the area where you plan to move or invest in, stick with them. They will work hard for you and ensure that the buying experience will be a good one. Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Good Morning ~ There are good and bad in all industries. Sorry you are having troubles. Find yourself an experienced buyers agent and they will take good care of you through the entire complicated purchase process.

Panama City Beach in Northwest Florida is an excellent purchase choice and a very popular vacation and second home destination. We offer beautiful white sand beaches directly on the Gulf of Mexico. With our new international airport scheduled to open in 2010, travel to the area will become direct and affordable, opening us up to the world!

We are currently experiencing a very strong buyers market due to 3 years of price correction with many short sale and foreclosure opportunities to choose from. Your money goes a long way towards wealth building investments. Today’s market, combined with the tremendous benefits of the new airport, brings predictions of good value and profitable appreciation on purchases made now.

Click on the referenced link below to view the best short sale/foreclosure condo units currently available. Search all properties for sale in PCB and surrounding areas here: http://www.florida32413.com

Let me help you do the research to find and negotiate your bargain!

Kirsten McAndrew, Realtor
Keller Williams Success Realty
Panama City Beach, Florida 32413
(850)819-3806
kmcandrew@kw.com

Hi Kristi,
Sorry you are having a difficult time. If you want to contact us I will be happy to get you the information you need in a timely manner or I will refer you to some who will if your needs are outside of the area we work in.

Kind regards, Mike Foate

MIKE'S CELL: 850-596-4236
VIVIAN'S CELL: 850-814-2372
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike and Vivian Foate-REALTORS®
Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty, Inc.
7923 Panama City Beach Parkway
Panama City Beach, FL 32413

Kiva.org - Loans That Change Lives! Make a loan and change a life!
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Kristi - I work the Bay County real estate market and would be more than happy to answer any of your questions on any listing. Any good REALTOR can get you answers to any question on any listing - they don't have be the listing agent.....because of the way our MLS and our Board of REALTORs are set up we cooperate with each other. If you are looking in my area here is my contact information and my website....
Kimberly Brandon, CRS, GRI
REALTOR
Smart Moves Real Estate
850-819-0995
smartmovesre@gmail.com http://www.SmartMovesRealEstateFL.com

Kristi--this is not the best forum for getting quick answers with specifics--for one thing, many agents are out of the office away from their computers when they are working. If I am showing property, I am not looking at a computer screen. The answer could be that she is not set up in Trulia to receive your questions. These questions and answers go all over the place, but not necessarily to the agent who has the listing. A very small percentage of the time of our work is spent in programs such as realtor.com or trulia.com--we are on the phone, driving to our listings, or setting up appointments to show homes to a buyer. If you see a property here on trulia and you want quick responses, I recommend that you pick up the phone and call them or email them directly--we welcome your phone calls--if we are meeting with a client, we will call you back very quickly. If you call me, and I don't respond relatively quickly, (but give me a chance--I may be very busy), you would be right to move on to another agent! My business is predicated upon a prompt answer to all inquiries, but I am frequently not in the office--I am in my car going from one home to another, so the computer is not always the most efficient.

I am sorry that you feel like agents are not responsive, because I have not found that to be the case when I deal with other agents! Most are very prompt and helpful. After all, if we are not responsive, we don't make a sale, and if we don't make a sale, we don't have food on the table or a roof over our head!! We make our living by being attentive, responsive, and helpful to everyone involved in a real estate transaction.

I do hope that you will try a different method of contact other than the question and answer section of trulia.com--direct contact will probably net results for you.

Sincerely

Myke Triebold, GRI, CNAS
850-305-6256
MykeSaysSold@aol.com http://www.NicevilleDestinBeachHomes.com

You need to go to an office and see them face to face...
That's it.

There is so much inventory and sellers yelling at Realtors they are not quick to answer many questions. On top of that, they have 20 times more buyers asking questions on each property.
There is no better way I can put it.
I hope this helps you.