We had been looking for an acreage property for months, and had visited many open homes where Ben was the agent. He barely acknowledged us, even though we had spoken with him several times. We put an offer on Shady Lane, but weren’t successful (at first), but good enough to indicate we were seriously shopping! At another of Ben’s open houses at Alligator Creek a couple of weeks later, we were about to leave when Ben mentioned as an aside that Shady Lane had fallen through (he said he’d intended to call us later, which I’m sure was true). He did give us good advice on the seller’s expectations on price. We made the successful offer - informed by email with the contract attached. All communication (what little there was) then only went to my husband. At no time did Ben call us to check in with us. My husband called him once and Ben returned a call on the same matter, and that was the only phone contact we had. I sent emails that were unanswered. Due to my husband being seconded to fight fires in Western Queensland, we had to do our pre-inspection 6 days before settlement. To be fair, Ben did organise this a very short notice. However despite emailing Ben information about a verbal agreement made with the owner regarding what could be left on the property, when I visited the property the morning after settlement, most of what was agreed upon hadn’t occurred. And the place was strewn with items of which the seller hadn’t disposed. In our previous real estate dealings the agent had ensured that everything was squared away before settlement, or had called us the day before to inform us of the situation. There was no congratulatory call on settlement - nothing! The treatment we received has soured what should have been an exciting experience for us.
