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What she wanted is understandable in a high end Luxury market. The CEO buying a 2-3 Million dollar home will not think much of the skills of an agent if they are driving a 2003 Toy Van.
In many cases, Perception is Reality. I don't sell much Luxury but do work with many Executives. I need a fairly new and nice / decent vehicle.
Agreed.
I am on the bubble to replace the 2007 Edge next year.
(I was thinking of some year end shopping, but my "accountant" would not go along for the ride. )
It's OK, but it seems like I always wait until the car is NOT OK, and will try to get ahead of the curve.
All i can say is a prefer reality to be reality. I had no interest in working in that office anyway, i just went for the seminar. I just found it amusing that she was holding a seminar in an attempt to gain agents, and then told potential agents that they werent good enough because of the car they drove. I realise that holding such a seminar was probably required by the overseeing company of that franchise. It is very rare down here that new agents have the werewithal to have a luxury car, unless they just lost a previously high paying job like my neighbor with the lexus. Paid cash when at 75k annually, now is on 24k and food stamps. Too bad he has no interest in sales.
Haha, my mom's (real estate broker) 2000 Dodge Caravan with 250k+ miles laughs at your Ford Edge.
My dad's (real estate agent) Dodge truck with 350k+ miles laughs at her Caravan
Their old van (I called it Wally growing up) falls over laughing at them all. We gave it to the repairman for parts when it passed 450k miles.
Let's hear it for American cars!!! (My preference is Ford!)
Maybe some of the realtors would like my opinion on this matter since I'm not a realtor. I'm a physician and I do view realtors differently if they drive a nice car. It shows the realtor has acheived some level of success and there is credibility there. Maybe the realtor who drives a beater is very successful and just chooses to drive that but I don't know that and first impressions count.
Also, I think of it as a form of professionalism. I'm a physician but I wear a dress shirt and tie to work everyday. I receive a lot of compliments on this. I know a lot of physicians wear polo shirts and jeans or khakis in the Phoenix area and they can get away with that but I know most patients appreciate it when their doctor doesn't look like they just got out of bed. When a realtor buys a nice car and takes their clients in it, it shows they care about their clients and want them to have a nice experience as they are driven around. They don't have to get an incredibly ostentatious car but a new nice clean luxury car says something.
I've worked with good and bad realtors. The good realtors in my opinion are the ones who are put together well. They dress well. They have a nice car. They have good old school manners (sir or mam or "what do you prefer to go by"), They are organized, They anticipate needs and don't wait for me to ask them to do something, They are responsive but not pushy.
So while you might think it's cute to drive people around in your beater truck or family minivan, I can assure you others probably don't and are too polite to say anything or tolerate it, but it probably doesn't leave a good impression. Again, you don't need to spend 90K on Mercedes S Class but if you can afford a nice luxury car in the 30-50K range, I would go for that.
That being said, do I think some realtors can overdo it? Absolutely! You don't need to hand out bottles of Perrier or show up wearing your 15K Rolex Oyster Pearl that is diamond studded or pull up in your Bentley....even if you can afford all these things. You don't want to come across as ostentatious and obnoxious. You want to be classy and professional.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 12-19-2012 at 09:32 AM..
Maybe some of the realtors would like my opinion on this matter since I'm not a realtor. I'm a physician and I do view realtors differently if they drive a nice car. It shows the realtor has acheived some level of success and there is credibility there. Maybe the realtor who drives a beater is very successful and just chooses to drive that but I don't know that and first impressions count.
Also, I think of it as a form of professionalism. I'm a physician but I wear a dress shirt and tie to work everyday. I receive a lot of compliments on this. I know a lot of physicians wear polo shirts and jeans or khakis in the Phoenix area and they can get away with that but I know most patients appreciate it when their doctor doesn't look like they just got out of bed. When a realtor buys a nice car and takes their clients in it, it shows they care about their clients and want them to have a nice experience as they are driven around. They don't have to get an incredibly ostentatious car but a new nice clean luxury car says something.
I've worked with good and bad realtors. The good realtors in my opinion are the ones who are put together well. They dress well. They have a nice car. They have good old school manners (sir or mam or "what do you prefer to go by"), They are organized, They anticipate needs and don't wait for me to ask them to do something, They are responsive but not pushy.
So while you might think it's cute to drive people around in your beater truck or family minivan, I can assure you others probably don't and are too polite to say anything or tolerate it, but it probably doesn't leave a good impression. Again, you don't need to spend 90K on Mercedes S Class but if you can afford a nice luxury car in the 30-50K range, I would go for that.
Good post.
I feel fine up to about 70,000 miles and am a little uneasy with my car at over 90,000 miles, and clients have to reach the Inner Circle to see my truck...
I practically live in my vehicle. I get in and out of it dozens of times per day. I want a nice, comfortable car with power everything and a good stereo, room for 2 or 3 guests plus some cargo room. I have a 2008 4 Door Jeep Rubicon that will go anywhere. I got a screaming deal on it, showroom price about $35,000 but this one was 8 months old, had 12,000 miles on it and I bought it from an individual for about $20,000.
My last car was a Subaru Outback Anniversary edition which I drove for 9 years and had approximately 275,000 miles on it. Again, I bought it when it was about a year old with 30K miles for way less than a new one.
If you spend hours a day in your car, you want a nice one, in my book!
One of our vehicles that I drive regularly is a 1997 Dodge Cummins Diesel pickup with almost 400,000 miles on it and still going strong. A few scratches and dings here and there, but when I'm showing land and the client shows up in their shiny new pickup or car and I suggest we get in mine to go heading off cross country through the mesquite thorns and the limestone to see the acreage, the relief on their faces is palpable.
Great for hauling signs and staging materials, too. I normally caravan with buyers (especially those with small children because the car seats are nowhere near as easy to move from one car to another these days!) rather than taking them in my car, and they like that if another vehicle gets between us on the highway when they're following me, the truck is tall enough that they can still see me. Hasn't been a problem yet.
Maybe some of the realtors would like my opinion on this matter since I'm not a realtor. I'm a physician and I do view realtors differently if they drive a nice car. It shows the realtor has acheived some level of success and there is credibility there. Maybe the realtor who drives a beater is very successful and just chooses to drive that but I don't know that and first impressions count.
Also, I think of it as a form of professionalism. I'm a physician but I wear a dress shirt and tie to work everyday. I receive a lot of compliments on this. I know a lot of physicians wear polo shirts and jeans or khakis in the Phoenix area and they can get away with that but I know most patients appreciate it when their doctor doesn't look like they just got out of bed. When a realtor buys a nice car and takes their clients in it, it shows they care about their clients and want them to have a nice experience as they are driven around. They don't have to get an incredibly ostentatious car but a new nice clean luxury car says something.
I've worked with good and bad realtors. The good realtors in my opinion are the ones who are put together well. They dress well. They have a nice car. They have good old school manners (sir or mam or "what do you prefer to go by"), They are organized, They anticipate needs and don't wait for me to ask them to do something, They are responsive but not pushy.
So while you might think it's cute to drive people around in your beater truck or family minivan, I can assure you others probably don't and are too polite to say anything or tolerate it, but it probably doesn't leave a good impression. Again, you don't need to spend 90K on Mercedes S Class but if you can afford a nice luxury car in the 30-50K range, I would go for that.
That being said, do I think some realtors can overdo it? Absolutely! You don't need to hand out bottles of Perrier or show up wearing your 15K Rolex Oyster Pearl that is diamond studded or pull up in your Bentley....even if you can afford all these things. You don't want to come across as ostentatious and obnoxious. You want to be classy and professional.
Exceptionally nice post; thank you. A Realtor's car is his/her "office" 90% of the time, and should reflect professionalism.
Maybe some of the realtors would like my opinion on this matter since I'm not a realtor. I'm a physician and I do view realtors differently if they drive a nice car. It shows the realtor has acheived some level of success and there is credibility there. Maybe the realtor who drives a beater is very successful and just chooses to drive that but I don't know that and first impressions count.
Also, I think of it as a form of professionalism. I'm a physician but I wear a dress shirt and tie to work everyday. I receive a lot of compliments on this. I know a lot of physicians wear polo shirts and jeans or khakis in the Phoenix area and they can get away with that but I know most patients appreciate it when their doctor doesn't look like they just got out of bed. When a realtor buys a nice car and takes their clients in it, it shows they care about their clients and want them to have a nice experience as they are driven around. They don't have to get an incredibly ostentatious car but a new nice clean luxury car says something.
I've worked with good and bad realtors. The good realtors in my opinion are the ones who are put together well. They dress well. They have a nice car. They have good old school manners (sir or mam or "what do you prefer to go by"), They are organized, They anticipate needs and don't wait for me to ask them to do something, They are responsive but not pushy.
So while you might think it's cute to drive people around in your beater truck or family minivan, I can assure you others probably don't and are too polite to say anything or tolerate it, but it probably doesn't leave a good impression. Again, you don't need to spend 90K on Mercedes S Class but if you can afford a nice luxury car in the 30-50K range, I would go for that.
That being said, do I think some realtors can overdo it? Absolutely! You don't need to hand out bottles of Perrier or show up wearing your 15K Rolex Oyster Pearl that is diamond studded or pull up in your Bentley....even if you can afford all these things. You don't want to come across as ostentatious and obnoxious. You want to be classy and professional.
I generally agree with you, but I think it depends on the part of the country you live in. What is seen as appropriate or minimally required in LA (I don't know about Phoenix) is not in Washington, DC, and vice versa. A $30K-$50K luxury car is certainly NOT seen as something a successful agent would have to have in the DC metro area. Some very successful people would in fact view you as silly to spend that much money on a car, or, more likely, they just wouldn't care either way. For those who care, I suspect at least some of them would be favorably impressed with a mid-priced, clean, hybrid, since they are comfortable for clients, and sensible, as well as good for the environment.
Many people (not just real estate agents) go into debt to appear to be successful (or for other reasons) when they are not. Read The Millionaire Next Door to see what people with real wealth tend to do in their spending patterns. So you can't really judge people by the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, etc. But I also agree that being unconcerned at all with appearances is not wise, professionally. It's just that it is unnecessary (at least in some places, and with most clients) to spend even what you suggest on a car, in order to be professional.
At the same time, I don't think either extreme makes sense. An agent who can't afford a $50K car shouldn't buy one and doesn't need one, but forcing clients to drive in a "beater" isn't very professional either. There is a middle ground. But as a prospective buyer/seller, what I am concerned most about are things like, how respectfully am I treated? is the agent on top of new listings? did the agent do his/her research on comparables? etc.
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