secretive home listings ??? (New York, York: lawyers, new house, neighborhood)

[dman72]

Originally Posted by newtoli

There is a house down the street from us that we were interested in possibly purchasing. A sign went up for the local Realtor, we called and asked about the listing and the price. The answer was:

"Who wants to know?".

Incredibly unprofessional.

Does anyone in the tri state area do business...straight? It's like everyone is a mini-wannabe mobster. It gets REALLY TIRING after awhile. You get burned by a con man, so you either don't trust anyone else, or you try to screw someone else to try to re-coup what you got screwed out of. People spend too much time watching the Godfather and The Sopranos, I think.

[Chrisk327]

the picture thing is annoying and definately happens in some cases.

My house is currently for sale, and we have 1 pic up for now, listed tuesday, pictures being taken today. i'm just itching to get more pics up.

Yes it is telling when there are a bunch of pics up and certian things are left out, mostly the kitchen and bathrooms.

[scottzilla]

Originally Posted by dman72

Does anyone in the tri state area do business...straight? It's like everyone is a mini-wannabe mobster. It gets REALLY TIRING after awhile. You get burned by a con man, so you either don't trust anyone else, or you try to screw someone else to try to re-coup what you got screwed out of. People spend too much time watching the Godfather and The Sopranos, I think.

Generally speaking when it comes to real estate nobody has your best interest at heart. Sure, they will tell you they do but the only one looking out for you is-you. It's sad but true.

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by Chrisk327

the picture thing is annoying and definately happens in some cases.

My house is currently for sale, and we have 1 pic up for now, listed tuesday, pictures being taken today. i'm just itching to get more pics up.

Yes it is telling when there are a bunch of pics up and certian things are left out, mostly the kitchen and bathrooms.

2 days from listing to have the interior pictures taken does not sound terrible to me. Often, at the time the listing is taken, the home is not ready for pictures. Also, some agencies use professional photographers, rather then the listing agent taking them himself.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by newtoli

There is a house down the street from us that we were interested in possibly purchasing. A sign went up for the local Realtor, we called and asked about the listing and the price. The answer was:

"Who wants to know?".

Incredibly unprofessional.

I would let that neighbor know how their realtor is treating inquiries because if my house were for sale and people calling to inquire were treated so rudely, I would definitely want to know about it. That is no way to treat a potential customer and if I were the one who called and received that kind of antagonistic treatment, I would never bother with ANYTHING listed with that real estate broker's office again ever.

[Chrisk327]

Having been to a few open houses recently in additon to putting mine up for sale, the RE profession runs the gamnit, you have the very professional ones that at least give the appearance that they know what they're doing and behave ethically, and then there are plenty that I've run into that I think just stepped off a no-name used car lot.

If my agent treated someone rudely I would sure want to know about it. However, I'd like to think I picked right and that wouldn't happen.

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by Chrisk327

Having been to a few open houses recently in additon to putting mine up for sale, the RE profession runs the gamnit, you have the very professional ones that at least give the appearance that they know what they're doing and behave ethically, and then there are plenty that I've run into that I think just stepped off a no-name used car lot.

True. There are some very good ones out there and some very bad ones. The problem is that it is too easy to enter this business. Up until a year ago, all you had to do was take a 45 hour course and pass a (very easy) multiple choice exam. Recently they raised this to 75 hours (still the same easy exam), but I still believe it is not enough. In my opinion, there should be required the equivalent of a two year college level certificate program and part-time agents should not be allowed.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by TomMoser

True. There are some very good ones out there and some very bad ones. The problem is that it is too easy to enter this business. Up until a year ago, all you had to do was take a 45 hour course and pass a (very easy) multiple choice exam. Recently they raised this to 75 hours (still the same easy exam), but I still believe it is not enough. In my opinion, there should be required the equivalent of a two year college level certificate program and part-time agents should not be allowed.

All good points and I think it would greatly improve the skills and the public's perception of real estate salespeople. However, I wonder if real estate brokers would agree with you. More cost, qualifications and regulations to enter the biz as a salesperson would cut down on the people willing to work for free (commissioned sales = "for free" to the business owner as the business owner only is required to pay them if they make money for the owner). They are used to having free employees and if potential real estate salespeople are faced with more regulations and costs to enter the business, many wouldn't be so amenable to working for free. Especially if no part-timers were allowed and they had to work for free full-time.

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

All good points and I think it would greatly improve the skills and the public's perception of real estate salespeople. However, I wonder if real estate brokers would agree with you. More cost, qualifications and regulations to enter the biz as a salesperson would cut down on the people willing to work for free (commissioned sales = "for free" to the business owner as the business owner only is required to pay them if they make money for the owner). They are used to having free employees and if potential real estate salespeople are faced with more regulations and costs to enter the business, many wouldn't be so amenable to working for free. Especially if no part-timers were allowed and they had to work for free full-time.

That's a very good point. It would change the model for brokerage firms. Too many take on all that apply. The old saying is "the one with the biggest army wins". The low entry qualifications, though, is also why we have such a high drop out rate. It's similar to the insurance industry. If you take on a new person maybe you'll get one or two deals out of them from relatives or friends before they leave the business.

I actually had a discussion about this with my broker recently. We are a firm of about 200 agents. Of those, about 10% are actually producers (which is higher then the industry average). However, we have also had a couple of agents who have gotten us in trouble recently. He is now of the mind to be more selective in the hiring process. The problem is 1) you really don't know how an agent will behave until he is on board, and 2) no matter how hard you try to supervise, ultimately they are out in the field by themselves.

I think that it is time for a sea change in our industry. Until then, though, the consumer has to beware. When you are listing your home or seeking a buyer's agent do your homework. Treat it like you are hiring an employee. Ask the hard questions. Check their background and track record. In the end, it's your decision who you want to have on your team, so don't minimize the importance of picking the right person.

[TeamExit]

i love when the listing says good condition, shows a nice kitchen, hardwood floors throughout, decent bathroom.. then u get there and got to the 2nd floor and its basically gutted! (or needs to be)

i think there just needs to be more regulation. like a house that needs major work should not regarded as "fair". fair should mean something like "liveable, but needs work. TLC". and "good" should actually mean GOOD, minimal work needed, like maybe paint, etc. Everything about RE listings are just misleading