Sometimes the best thing a real estate agent can tell you is that a property isn’t worth buying. But what happens when that same agent disappears?
I’ve been looking at apartments in Lisbon from Los Angeles. And if you’ve ever tried buying property in another country, you know how much you’re relying on people you’ve never met in person.
I connected with a Lisbon real estate agent who, at first, seemed like exactly the person I wanted on my side.
She was knowledgeable. She arranged a video call with her property manager. He sent me pages of details, and she kept new listings coming.
And then she did something that really impressed me.
She told me not to buy an apartment. She texted that it was way overpriced.
Now, I’m a real estate agent myself. I know there’s always an incentive to get a deal done. So when someone is willing to tell a prospective buyer to walk away from a property, I pay attention.
I liked that about her.
There was just one problem: communication. A simple question could take five to ten days to get answered.
At first, I tried to be understanding. Different country, different schedules, different ways of doing business. I’m sitting in Los Angeles, after all.
Then we scheduled a video walkthrough.
She was so late that I couldn’t wait any longer. She did the walkthrough without me and sent the video afterward.
Not ideal, but okay. Things happen.
She apologized and arranged another call so we could get back on track.
On the morning of that call, I checked with her to make sure we were still on. She confirmed.
Then the time came, and nothing. No call, no message, no explanation.
That was October 7. I haven’t heard from her since.
I’m not expecting someone in Portugal to run on Los Angeles time, or to answer every question instantly. But when I’m thousands of miles away and can’t walk into the office, a confirmed call that never happens is hard to work around.
So I’ve stopped waiting.
I’m still interested in Lisbon. I’m still looking at properties. And I’m still convinced that finding the right local people is one of the most important parts of buying abroad.
I just thought I’d found one of them.
The strange part is, I didn’t lose confidence in her because she gave me bad advice. I lost confidence because she stopped answering.
— Joe
If you’ve bought property abroad: did you ever have to walk away from someone you otherwise liked working with?