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I hardly think realtors bear any significant portion of the blame of the housing collapse. People wanted houses, realtors sold houses. The point is, the people wanted houses. It's not the realtor's job to make sure everyone makes a good housing decision. When people don't want houses, realtors don't sell many houses. Stop taking responsibility out of the hands of the individual. I'd hazard to say that most of the realtors really did think housing would keep rising, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO BOUGHT. They didn't have a magic ball any more than the individual purchasers did.
By your way of thinking, all cashiers at fast food places are responsible for all of the obese people in the country. It just isn't so. People need to buck up and take responsibility for their own decisions, instead of casting frantically about to shift the blame to someone else.
No all the "good people" will leave the profession and strive to find a way to make an actual contribution to society.
Your need for a commission helped propogate the largest housing bubble in history, and a plethera of future bankruptcies and homeless people.
Curious as to your contribution to society.
But aside from that, you must be a very weak minded person to think that it was realtors making people buy houses and not the people who actually bought them. You sound like the kind of person who is always looking to blame someone else for their problems.
I hardly think realtors bear any significant portion of the blame of the housing collapse. People wanted houses, realtors sold houses. The point is, the people wanted houses. It's not the realtor's job to make sure everyone makes a good housing decision. When people don't want houses, realtors don't sell many houses. Stop taking responsibility out of the hands of the individual. I'd hazard to say that most of the realtors really did think housing would keep rising, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO BOUGHT. They didn't have a magic ball any more than the individual purchasers did.
By your way of thinking, all cashiers at fast food places are responsible for all of the obese people in the country. It just isn't so. People need to buck up and take responsibility for their own decisions, instead of casting frantically about to shift the blame to someone else.
So what, exactly, is the point of a realtor? I mean, really, why are they doing to justify their expense?
But aside from that, you must be a very weak minded person to think that it was realtors making people buy houses and not the people who actually bought them. You sound like the kind of person who is always looking to blame someone else for their problems.
You don't feel that the real estate professionals have been lying about/altering stats to make people keep buying when they shouldn't be doing so? How is anyone to make an informed decision when major media outlets publish false information provided by real estate agencies?
One of my 29 realtor acquaintances told me that 2005 was a great time to buy. He has zero chance of ever getting any business or referral from me. The other 28 would stand a chance, but currently they serve me coffee at Starbucks.
Good Realtor - "Don't you dare buy now. Go rent. That house you have your eye on will be 50k cheaper a year from now"
Lousy Realtor - "This is a great time to buy if you find a house you like. Plus I need the commission"
Can you imagine if you felt it was time to buy and contacted a real estate agent and the agent told you "Don't you dare buy now. Go rent. That house you have your eye on will be 50k cheaper a year from now".
Your definition of a good agent is one whose opinion matches yours. That is not my definition of a good agent.
So what, exactly, is the point of a realtor? I mean, really, why are they doing to justify their expense?
Well, I'm no realtor, but in my limited experience:
The realtor showed me houses. When I was interested in a house, she took me through. She set me up for a MLS feed. She submitted my offers (and the reams of paperwork that included). She presented me counteroffers. She helped me phrase my own counteroffers. She kept on the bank (when we offered on a foreclosure) to get them to reply to our offers. She phrased our contracts in a way that covered our behinds if there were defects in the home and we needed to back out. She attended our inspection. She kept the title company and the lender on the same page. She attended our closing and went over all of the closing papers with us, helping us understand what we were signing.
Our realtor was invaluable in our buying process. She worked for her money, and earned her commission. Her job wasn't to tell us whether it was a good time to buy. That isn't what a realtor is for, in my opinion. We are smarter than that, and decided when to buy based on our needs.
My sister sold last month. Her realtor told her how much money she could reasonably expect from her house. She told her how to stage the house to get the most money out of it (which walls to paint, what to fix). She advertised the home and scheduled appointments for showing. She handled the paperwork for closing. My sister feels that her realtor earned her commission.
You don't feel that the real estate professionals have been lying about/altering stats to make people keep buying when they shouldn't be doing so? How is anyone to make an informed decision when major media outlets publish false information provided by real estate agencies?
Why do stats even matter anymore? The point is people shouldn't be looking at houses as investments anymore, you buy a house because you need somewhere to live, like you buy a car because you need to get places. It's a consumable good. And like with cars, some people rent and some people buy. Both have their advantages/disadvantages. Being pissy at realtors for trying to make a living is one of the dumbest things I've read on this board. If you don't need their sevices, don't use them.
Why do stats even matter anymore? The point is people shouldn't be looking at houses as investments anymore, you buy a house because you need somewhere to live, like you buy a car because you need to get places. It's a consumable good. And like with cars, some people rent and some people buy. Both have their advantages/disadvantages. Being pissy at realtors for trying to make a living is one of the dumbest things I've read on this board. If you don't need their sevices, don't use them.
They have conveniently made it so that you cannot proceed in any realistic way without paying their commissions.
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