Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
MikeJ is not and has never been affiliated with the named Brokerage though. So, it would actually be to his benefit to see that company "harmed", whether it was in reputation alone or in actual loss of business, or something coming of the complaint that is playing out on the internet.
Mike will also tell you that there's a vast difference between the good local brokers, and those who don't put their clients' interest first. And within this thread, he has in fact stated an opinion that provisional brokers - that is, a class of newly-licensed folks - are not as good as their counterparts.
What he is raising to "shut the thread down" is the possible violations of CityData Terms of Service. Whether those TOS are to protect the real estate brokerage, the anonymous poster, or CD itself from legal action, I have no idea.
MikeJ is not and has never been affiliated with the named Brokerage though. So, it would actually be to his benefit to see that company "harmed", whether it was in reputation alone or in actual loss of business, or something coming of the complaint that is playing out on the internet.
Mike will also tell you that there's a vast difference between the good local brokers, and those who don't put their clients' interest first. And within this thread, he has in fact stated an opinion that provisional brokers - that is, a class of newly-licensed folks - are not as good as their counterparts.
What he is raising to "shut the thread down" is the possible violations of CityData Terms of Service. Whether those TOS are to protect the real estate brokerage, the anonymous poster, or CD itself from legal action, I have no idea.
Thanks for the clarification, Bo.
However, I recognize that it is a long-standing unwritten CD rule that one does not have to actually read a thread or have even a hint of comprehension of the subject matter discussed to hold and to weigh in with an uninformed and poorly supported opinion.
Cool. When you sell your house as a FSBO and get screwed, we can look forward to your thread entitled 'Beware of FSBO in NC". You'll be blaming everyone else again.
JK, you approve of brokers/sales agents adding terms to your contracts without your knowledge or consent? You approve of 'experts' writing contracts for you that don't meet state laws? Thanks for letting the public know of your beliefs.
I'll admit that I had never heard the term "provisional broker" before. I'm glad that I've learned some new things from this thread.
But you don't have to know any of this stuff. THere's an easy, common sense question one should almost always ask BEFORE hiring someone: "How long have you been doing this professionally?" or "How much experience do you have in this job?". It's called an interview. If you're employed, I'm sure you know what I mean, and WHY wouldn't you do the same when YOU are hiring someone?
Good advice, I agree. BTW... when you sign an agency agreement, you don't have an 'agreement' with the broker, but with the brokerage house backing them. (The exact wording is found online). I was aware that Fonville had been around for awhile and did not open over night. Also, per state licensing law, a provisional broker must be 'supervised at all times'. So even if the agent said 'I've never sold a home in my life', they are **supposed to be** overseen by a more senior broker.
by the way, I personally would be all for a "Broker level" disclosure, so consumers knew whether they were dealing with a PB, when the person was licensed, are they a one-person BIC show, etc.
You need to contact the Legislature about that though.
This is an awesome suggestion. I'm already planning on bringing this matter to my state senator; you've helped me organize my thoughts.
JK, you approve of brokers/sales agents adding terms to your contracts without your knowledge or consent? You approve of 'experts' writing contracts for you that don't meet state laws? Thanks for letting the public know of your beliefs.
Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every industry, not just Real Estate. And, I'm going to say that there are 3 sides to every story.
I see where the OP made mistakes and without hearing from the Agent, in question, it is difficult to see ALL the mistakes that were made.
In my opinion, dual agency should be banned. But...that is the reason Agents do Open Houses...to get buyers and to sell the home they are holding Open. So...potential buyers should go to Open Houses and Model Homes but KNOW that those agents do NOT work for you. Hard lesson for the OP to learn and it is human nature to put the blame elsewhere.
If you are looking to hire a Realtor, try to get referrals from friends and co workers. If that doesn't work, you may have to go to Open Houses. Ask questions. Know WHO is representing you and who isn't. ASK the agent questions. A good one is "How long have you been a Realtor?". I'm sure you can google this and learn lots.
As for an Agent that "adds terms to your contract" or "writes contracts for you that don't meet state laws", I doubt this. Our "Contracts" are written by the NC Bar Association and are fill in the blanks. As Realtors, we are not allowed to change those words. The buyer who signs a contract without reading it and asking questions so he/she can understand the contract must be held accountable.
If "I" were the OP and felt like things were done illegally or I was done wrong, in some manner, I would call the Broker In Charge of the office that his Agent works out of. I would meet with the Broker In Charge. If things were done illegally or incorrectly, he/she should be able to explain to the OP what was done incorrectly and perhaps make things "right".
As for those posters who made negative comments about Real Estate and/or Realtors, how silly do you think you look, assuming that all people in a profession are the same? Educate yourself.
OP...I really am sorry you had such a bad experience; however, you should have done more research. I bet if you go to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower, you research that lawnmower! Best of luck to you.
Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every industry, not just Real Estate. And, I'm going to say that there are 3 sides to every story.
I see where the OP made mistakes and without hearing from the Agent, in question, it is difficult to see ALL the mistakes that were made.
In my opinion, dual agency should be banned. But...that is the reason Agents do Open Houses...to get buyers and to sell the home they are holding Open. So...potential buyers should go to Open Houses and Model Homes but KNOW that those agents do NOT work for you. Hard lesson for the OP to learn and it is human nature to put the blame elsewhere.
If you are looking to hire a Realtor, try to get referrals from friends and co workers. If that doesn't work, you may have to go to Open Houses. Ask questions. Know WHO is representing you and who isn't. ASK the agent questions. A good one is "How long have you been a Realtor?". I'm sure you can google this and learn lots.
As for an Agent that "adds terms to your contract" or "writes contracts for you that don't meet state laws", I doubt this. Our "Contracts" are written by the NC Bar Association and are fill in the blanks. As Realtors, we are not allowed to change those words. The buyer who signs a contract without reading it and asking questions so he/she can understand the contract must be held accountable.
If "I" were the OP and felt like things were done illegally or I was done wrong, in some manner, I would call the Broker In Charge of the office that his Agent works out of. I would meet with the Broker In Charge. If things were done illegally or incorrectly, he/she should be able to explain to the OP what was done incorrectly and perhaps make things "right".
As for those posters who made negative comments about Real Estate and/or Realtors, how silly do you think you look, assuming that all people in a profession are the same? Educate yourself.
OP...I really am sorry you had such a bad experience; however, you should have done more research. I bet if you go to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower, you research that lawnmower! Best of luck to you.
Vicki,
Good post.
Unfortunately, there are many, many agents out there who leave a multitude of blank fields in their paperwork.
No "N/A" because it is too much bother to be diligent.
I suppose from the OP's post that the contract may have been incomplete with blank fields, and an agent filling in.
Blank fields in offers is not an experience I can recall having had with FM agents.
But, there are plenty of other firms doing high sales volumes with completely untrained and unsupervised agents running amok..
Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every industry, not just Real Estate. And, I'm going to say that there are 3 sides to every story.
I see where the OP made mistakes and without hearing from the Agent, in question, it is difficult to see ALL the mistakes that were made.
In my opinion, dual agency should be banned. But...that is the reason Agents do Open Houses...to get buyers and to sell the home they are holding Open. So...potential buyers should go to Open Houses and Model Homes but KNOW that those agents do NOT work for you. Hard lesson for the OP to learn and it is human nature to put the blame elsewhere.
If you are looking to hire a Realtor, try to get referrals from friends and co workers. If that doesn't work, you may have to go to Open Houses. Ask questions. Know WHO is representing you and who isn't. ASK the agent questions. A good one is "How long have you been a Realtor?". I'm sure you can google this and learn lots.
As for an Agent that "adds terms to your contract" or "writes contracts for you that don't meet state laws", I doubt this. Our "Contracts" are written by the NC Bar Association and are fill in the blanks. As Realtors, we are not allowed to change those words. The buyer who signs a contract without reading it and asking questions so he/she can understand the contract must be held accountable.
If "I" were the OP and felt like things were done illegally or I was done wrong, in some manner, I would call the Broker In Charge of the office that his Agent works out of. I would meet with the Broker In Charge. If things were done illegally or incorrectly, he/she should be able to explain to the OP what was done incorrectly and perhaps make things "right".
As for those posters who made negative comments about Real Estate and/or Realtors, how silly do you think you look, assuming that all people in a profession are the same? Educate yourself.
OP...I really am sorry you had such a bad experience; however, you should have done more research. I bet if you go to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower, you research that lawnmower! Best of luck to you.
Hi vicki, Thanks for a well thought, well stated post. What I intended to state is that the broker added, after I left her office, a false representation. She said I was putting down 20% when she knew I was putting down 10%. The real estate commission reviewed this and said they were fine with the addition.
However, I read in a legal commentary that sellers can sue the buyer if the buyer makes false representations about their financial position. For example, if I was one of four offers, and I was chosen becuase I was putting 20% down and the other three were putting down 10%, and then I couldn't get financing at the last minute, I interpreted the column to mean I could be sued for lying. Bottom line: I don't want brokers making (false) representations without my knowing, and I doubt any other buyer does either.
JK, you approve of brokers/sales agents adding terms to your contracts without your knowledge or consent? You approve of 'experts' writing contracts for you that don't meet state laws? Thanks for letting the public know of your beliefs.
I went back and read your OP. You state that the agent added DD and EM to the contract without your consent and indicate that you noticed it had been "prepopulated" before you signed. Yet you still signed the contract. I have no idea if the agent explained to you what DD and EM is, but it's possible you missed the discussion due to the excitement of buying a new home. You DID sign the contract with those numbers on it, though, correct? I can promise you, it's a hot market in Cary, if you had not offered DD and EM, you would NOT get the house if there were other interested parties.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
