Dealing with Real Estate Agents

[Kbinspections]

Originally Posted by longislander2

Good agents are extremely rare. Most are either naive amateurs or real cutthroats who will sell you down the river for a commission. I have yet to run across an agent who knows how to pull out all stops in marketing a home. They all use the usual formula -- photos, brochure, multiple listing (with ancillary listings on the usual web sites), open houses and that's about it. A lot of times, they don't even do these things well. I'm appalled when I see listings for homes that I know and see how bad the photos are, how poorly they are described, how the best features are ignored or downplayed, etc., etc. Yet people are ready to pay tens of thousands of dollars in commission for these lackluster efforts.

And once those things are done, the agents then sit back and see who comes through the door. They rarely, if ever, go out and mingle in circles where they might find prospective buyers. We almost never get callbacks from agents about new listings that might interest us. Very few know how to use social media as an added selling tool. If commissioned sales people in other professions were this reactive, they would starve.

Also, an agent who is good at showing you homes may not be so great at marketing yours. We had an agent who worked closely with us when we wanted to buy a home. We thought she was great, but in the end, we bought a home directly from an owner through a newspaper ad. However, we thought so highly of this agent that we later hired her to sell our home. She and her agency did not do a great job and we let the listing expire.

I deal with them everyday. The really really bad ones quit when the housing market collapsed. I would guess that only 10-15% of the agents are top notch, then it drops off quickly.

Maybe you could say that about all professions, we have alot of stinkers in my line of work.

I would put the agents on this board in the top notch catagory....which is most likely why they contribute to the forum.

[TomMoser]

Thanks Rich. As Sy Syms used to say "An educated consumer is our best customer."

[longislander2]

Originally Posted by Kbinspections

I deal with them everyday. The really really bad ones quit when the housing market collapsed. I would guess that only 10-15% of the agents are top notch, then it drops off quickly.

Maybe you could say that about all professions, we have alot of stinkers in my line of work.

I would put the agents on this board in the top notch catagory....which is most likely why they contribute to the forum.

Beyond those who are highly unethical or true crooks, I find the most appalling ones are agents who can't even answer basic questions about their own listings, such as type of heating system, whether the oil tank is buried, whether there are sewers or a septic system, and on and on and on. I want to go to the sellers, shake them by the collar and say, "Why are you paying this idiot to represent you?"

The good ones are rarer than hen's teeth.

[LegalDiva]

I know an excellent RE agent from Dallow Realty. DM me if you want contact info/name.

[Elke Mariotti]

Originally Posted by Kbinspections

I deal with them everyday. The really really bad ones quit when the housing market collapsed. I would guess that only 10-15% of the agents are top notch, then it drops off quickly.

Maybe you could say that about all professions, we have alot of stinkers in my line of work.

I would put the agents on this board in the top notch catagory....which is most likely why they contribute to the forum.

Thanks Rich!

I agree with Tom about the educated consumer