When Your Realtor Ghosts You.

by Richard Valdez - www.RichardValdezRE.com

Because sometimes losing a deal feels suspiciously like losing a date.

In real estate, as in love, communication is everything.

One missed text can unravel a deal the way one unanswered “What are we?” can unravel a relationship.

So when our Baguio-based realtor went radio silent during a scheduled video call with the seller’s agent — after I had carefully WhatsApped, emailed, and even sent details a day and a half in advance — I found myself in an all-too-familiar storyline: waiting for a reply that never came.

The twist?

Instead of sipping a martini in Manhattan, I was in San Francisco, married, with four opinionated dogs, trying to buy land halfway across the world. And instead of a boyfriend who “just isn’t good with texting,” it was a professional — someone who was supposed to be representing us in what could be one of the most important purchases of our lives.

Later, I learned the truth.

She was driving from Baguio City to Manila, and of course, safety comes before a Zoom link. Still, in real estate, as in relationships, silence speaks volumes.

As a Realtor myself, I know what’s at stake when a call goes unanswered. Deals dissolve, trust erodes, and clients move on. And that’s exactly what my husband and I decided to do: move forward without representation. It wasn’t dramatic, it wasn’t messy — just the quiet understanding that sometimes, people aren’t meant to be in your story forever.

My grandmother Valentina once told me,

“Maybe some people aren’t meant to be in our lives forever. Sometimes they just pass through to teach us lessons.” At the time, I thought she was talking about men. Turns out, she might have been talking about Realtors.

And as I closed my laptop that night, I couldn’t help but wonder: in both real estate and love, are we all just looking for the same thing — someone who shows up, answers back, and makes us feel at home?