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Oddly enough, as a Realtor myself, I don't think I ever really respected the career field. The education requirements are a joke to be a professional sales person and since we deal with the general public, who by definition tend not to be sophisticated real estate buyers and sellers, they ought to be much more stringent given the amount of $$ changing hands. I think the industry has a ways to go before the stereotype agent changes.
<---- about half completed the M.S. in real estate from Hopkins. No, it's not a masters in real estate agent.
Oddly enough, as a Realtor myself, I don't think I ever really respected the career field. The education requirements are a joke to be a professional sales person and since we deal with the general public, who by definition tend not to be sophisticated real estate buyers and sellers, they ought to be much more stringent given the amount of $$ changing hands. I think the industry has a ways to go before the stereotype agent changes.
<---- about half completed the M.S. in real estate from Hopkins. No, it's not a masters in real estate agent.
I find it a bit disheartening that some folks in NC find the NC real estate licensing test to be difficult.
I don't know about the NC test but the Florida test was pretty hard. The problem is not the test itself. It's the low passing score. I worked as hard in preparation for that test as I did for any test I had in college but it's a bit disheartening to know that others can get 'just enough' to pass. On the other hand, when I consider the bulk of the material I studied for the test, almost none of it actually prepared me for the practical application of being a licensee. If I were able to change things, I'd keep the first test as is, add a one year apprenticeship followed by another practical test, and remove the broker model. I understand some states have agent/brokers instead of what amounts to as a sharecropping system. I think that works better because it forces practitioners to be more accountable, more professional, and it weeds out the weak.
My agent was doing it on the side and got me into a mess. I should have let her go...She wasn't looking out for my best interests and now I get to pay for it. I have learned a lot thoughl
Marketing. With a specialty in real estate. I have worked with literally dozens upon dozens of real estate agents over the years in every facet of the biz, from development marketing to realty firm marketing to buying and selling my own house multiple times.
Mind you, there is a cadre of true real estate professionals out there, people who really do an excellent job. Sadly, they are outnumbered by the dilettantes and those who are just downright lazy.
In other words. If I buy what you are selling it makes me one of the good ones.
You want an agent that does at least 20 transactions a year (luxury agents excluded). It isn't about moving product, it is about knowledge. The agent that is writing offers and immersed in negotiations on a monthly basis understands what is happening in the real estate market better, stays up on lending changes, and just has superior knowledge than someone that does 5 a year. If you want an agent that does 1-2 transactions a year because you don't want an informed agent that is your choice, but it isn't good for the majority of consumers. 20 transactions a year is a very reasonable pace to do business and still provide good customer service.
I would want to hire the agent that knows the market has shifted and multiple offers are common. I would want to hire the agent that knows that as of a certain date the FHA fee is going up. I would want to hire the agent that has been inside so many houses they can tell me why house x sold for less than house y. Being active in the process builds knowledge.
None of this is true. I know plenty of idiot agents that have a lot of business. But then someone that thinks most agents are good, as you have said you do (also not true)would think larger amount of business means they are smarter or more ethical. Just isn't true, so please stop lying to people on this forum.
Oddly enough, as a Realtor myself, I don't think I ever really respected the career field. The education requirements are a joke to be a professional sales person and since we deal with the general public, who by definition tend not to be sophisticated real estate buyers and sellers, they ought to be much more stringent given the amount of $$ changing hands. I think the industry has a ways to go before the stereotype agent changes.
<---- about half completed the M.S. in real estate from Hopkins. No, it's not a masters in real estate agent.
I agree with you about the continuing education part of it. Most of the classes don't teach anything. The interesting ones are few.
None of this is true. I know plenty of idiot agents that have a lot of business. But then someone that thinks most agents are good, as you have said you do (also not true)would think larger amount of business means they are smarter or more ethical. Just isn't true, so please stop lying to people on this forum.
I said most agents in my city are average. Are you a Salem Oregon agent?
If I wrote about all my bad experiences with realtors, I would run out of room here.
First off, my sister n law is a real estate agent (since 1988) and she actually works her butt off for her clients. Because she was licensed in another city, she could only recommend to use a local agent and keep her up to date on our deals. She can attest to the problems we have had over the years.
Every damn realtor I have ever dealt with is lazy. Doesn't want to do anything. Only wants to get that check at closing.
I've even had to take over the photography for my homes because the ones they used were terrible.
The one that really sticks out is when my husband and I were selling an investment house.
We were 10 days away from closing when I realized I hadn't heard from my agent in about 2 weeks.
So I called him to see how everything was going.
When the agent heard my voice, I knew something was wrong.
He then proceeded to tell me that my buyer back out 2 WEEKS EARLIER, and that he had already put the home back on the market in hopes to get another buyer in time (and he said it like he was being a hero!)
I could not believe it. He literally had no excuse as to why he didn't call us to inform us. I immediately called my sister n law who called him and bitched him out. The only good thing that came out was it was one day over the limit for the buyer to back out without losing her good faith deposit. We got $900 but needless to say, we fired his ass.
We've had agents not want to show up to show us a home without adding extra commission because he lived 20 minutes away. There was one house we were very interested in and the agent didn't show up. We complained to the owner who then filed a complaint because they were in a desperate situation to sell. By then, we had picked another home.
Any business where somebody is their own boss is going to have problems.
Your success is what you put into it.
I too could run out of space with my unethical experiences dealing with commissioned sales people. But, the bottom line is seller/buyer get little value in realation to what they demand for their realtor commissions. Filling out a form isn't rocket science and who cares who they decide to split the money with - that is their problem, not the public's. My tax preparer has more knowledge about her profession but hardly get tens of thousands for her work but she does have my respect as an ethical person who adhers to the law. The entire "food chain" needs to be broken so that the inspectors and others involved are working to provide acurate information regarding the value and condition of the home. Respect is earned.
If I wrote about all my bad experiences with realtors, I would run out of room here.
First off, my sister n law is a real estate agent (since 1988) and she actually works her butt off for her clients. Because she was licensed in another city, she could only recommend to use a local agent and keep her up to date on our deals. She can attest to the problems we have had over the years.
Every damn realtor I have ever dealt with is lazy. Doesn't want to do anything. Only wants to get that check at closing.
I've even had to take over the photography for my homes because the ones they used were terrible..
Is it possible that the problem you have had with bad Realtors has something to do with your research and selection?
It seems if the first agent was bad, one would to a better job of selecting the next one.
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Cosmo Kramer in the dojo comes to mind....
