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One day the realtor calls very enthusiastic and shows us a home that is pretty far above the top of our price range. She is very pushy, and says if we do not make a full price offer on this home, this day, we will never live in the neighborhoods we are interested in. The house is nice, but we have reservations. Realtor continues to push, so we make a full price offer and get the house.
She made it part of the contract that we had to use an inspector of her choosing.
While it certainly sounds like you didn't have good experiences, you have to take the bulk of the responsibility. I'm amazed that someone would allow themselves to put themselves in the two positions above.
That's like blaming the car salesman for paying too much or getting extras you didn't want.
The last several posts do seem to reflect the way many people view commission driven sales people. On our local San Jose news last night there was yet another story about real estate sales people who had pushed people into homes they could not afford and they were the first ones to grab their commission in the transaction food chain. No one can honestly defend the result of our current crisis which has cause severe distress to many families for the sake of a few dollars.
Buying a home is a complex process in which the general public needs to provide their own legal representation. In addition the public must demand their elected officials make sufficient regulation to protect them and limit the influence of the NAR. The above stories are really sad but are also consistent with my own experience and those of good people I know.
While it certainly sounds like you didn't have good experiences, you have to take the bulk of the responsibility. I'm amazed that someone would allow themselves to put themselves in the two positions above.
That's like blaming the car salesman for paying too much or getting extras you didn't want.
American people dislike conflict and saying "no" to someone else. I once sat at a clients table and was going over the listing contract with him section by section so he'd know what he was signing and he told me to stop talking and just tell him where to sign. I could have had really detrimental clauses in there and he didn't care. There are some people out there that refuse to do what they should do to protect themselves and then they blame other people for not protecting them.
In an ideal world all people would be ethical, but we don't live in that world. As such consumers need to make sure they do their best to hire ethical people and if they don't like what is happening stop the process, fire their agent, whatever it is and get someone advocating for them. Unethical people count on that fact that most people are unwilling to stand up for themselves.
I always find it humorous when people immediately say skip real estate agents and go straight for attorneys, as if all of them are competent and ethical. I know attorneys get disbarred in Oregon every year. The problem is that consumers don't want to stand up for themselves and to investigate service providers.
Yeah...some of these stories sund really bad. I would like to go one record by saying that I have never seen or experienced a class that teaches agents how to dupe the general public.
So in an effort to lighten the mood a little bit I want to share a story with you. Mind you that I was not actually present when this happened nor can I confirm or deny that this actually happened. But it's really entertaining and I tihnk most of you will get a kick out of it.
So...as many of you may or may not know the life of an on site agent is a lot different than the life of a general broker. We sit in a model home 5 (sometimes7) days a week making calls, sending emails, trying to get people to walk through our door. We also have on-site builders that are responsible for the construction side of things. So...in this one neighborhood the on site builder happened to live in the neighborhood they were overseeing as the super. One night the builder gets a call from a neighbor saying that all the light at the model home were on and there were a lot of people and cars out infront. So the builder goes to check it out. As they approach the model they see a rather large man "guarding" the door. They explained who they were and why there were there so the "guard" lets the builder through. As the builder is looking in the model trying to find the responsible party they hear things going on upstairs. So they go to check it out. In the master bedroom they see lights, cameras, and various actors and actresses. The on site agents come stumbling out of one of the bathrooms with pants around the ankles running back towards the owners suite. The on-site agent was moonlighting as an adult film actor and was using the model for a shooting location. Needless to say the on site agent was able to concentrate on his "acting" career after that...
The last several posts do seem to reflect the way many people view commission driven sales people. On our local San Jose news last night there was yet another story about real estate sales people who had pushed people into homes they could not afford and they were the first ones to grab their commission in the transaction food chain. No one can honestly defend the result of our current crisis which has cause severe distress to many families for the sake of a few dollars.
The problem that you have with your argument about people being pushed into buying homes is that it means that the American people are a bunch of spineless wimps. You allow yourself to be pushed. If you don't allow yourself to be pushed, you won't be pushed. It's that simple.
Our current crisis has so little to do with real estate commissions. If you honestly believe that you really need to do some more reading about the serious ills of our economy and why we are here today. The demise of the American economy started a long time ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heidi60
Buying a home is a complex process in which the general public needs to provide their own legal representation. In addition the public must demand their elected officials make sufficient regulation to protect them and limit the influence of the NAR. The above stories are really sad but are also consistent with my own experience and those of good people I know.
The NAR is a trade organization and the purpose of trade organizations is to lobby for that trade. Here is a list of trade organizations in the US. The NAR is one of MANY. The NAR isn't the problem that you are referencing. The problem is that 82% of MLS's require members of the MLS to be members of the NAR. If the MLS's would stop requiring that, you'd see a shift in the power of the NAR because their dues would drop, probably in half. I'd say about half of REALTORS are REALTORS only because they have to be in order to do business. That isn't a NAR thing, that is an old-school MLS thing.
My MLS doesn't require membership in NAR, and I'd say maybe 1/2 of the agents in my area are REALTORS. NWMLS, which is the largest non-REATLOR MLS, is for the entire state of Washington. There are many non-REALTORS there.
While I am not a REALTOR, as I am not a fan of the NAR, the fact is that the NAR is doing what it is supposed to be doing. Advocating for home ownership, and real estate agents. That is the job of a trade organization. We don't need more crazy ineffective legislation. Plenty of that to go around.
Government can't protect you. You need to protect yourself.
Yeah...some of these stories sund really bad. I would like to go one record by saying that I have never seen or experienced a class that teaches agents how to dupe the general public.
I think they are referring to the marketing classes where they teach you scripts and such to talk people into working with you. Dupe is too strong a word, but definitely pressure tactics are definitely taught by some. They count on the fact that people don't like conflict and use that against consumers.
There are also coaches that teach the opposite with respectful ways to market your business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BiggJoe4181
So...as many of you may or may not know the life of an on site agent is a lot different than the life of a general broker. We sit in a model home 5 (sometimes7) days a week making calls, sending emails, trying to get people to walk through our door. We also have on-site builders that are responsible for the construction side of things. So...in this one neighborhood the on site builder happened to live in the neighborhood they were overseeing as the super. One night the builder gets a call from a neighbor saying that all the light at the model home were on and there were a lot of people and cars out infront. So the builder goes to check it out. As they approach the model they see a rather large man "guarding" the door. They explained who they were and why there were there so the "guard" lets the builder through. As the builder is looking in the model trying to find the responsible party they hear things going on upstairs. So they go to check it out. In the master bedroom they see lights, cameras, and various actors and actresses. The on site agents come stumbling out of one of the bathrooms with pants around the ankles running back towards the owners suite. The on-site agent was moonlighting as an adult film actor and was using the model for a shooting location. Needless to say the on site agent was able to concentrate on his "acting" career after that...
Had I know about that we could have hooked up the local agent here that was having sex with the sheriff in vacant houses that were for sale a few years ago. That was a special scandal. Needless to say her license was suspended.
I don't blame vulnerable people being duped. Blaming the victim scenario. Some people are naive or raised to respect "authorities." Thank God I discarded that idea years ago. I think challenging any percieved authority on anything is best and I do it regularly. I always start from the premise that you really don't know who you're dealing with and they have to prove themselves trustworthy--not the other way around. Maybe a suspicious nature, but better than the other way.
I don't blame vulnerable people being duped. Blaming the victim scenario. Some people are naive or raised to respect "authorities." Thank God I discarded that idea years ago. I think challenging any percieved authority on anything is best and I do it regularly.
I'd LOVE to be a fly on the car window if you get pulled over for speeding.
I'd LOVE to be a fly on the car window if you get pulled over for speeding.
Well, I won't challenge someone who has authority over me if I've done something illegal and they are right. Or TSA if they tell me I have 4 oz of liquid versus 3. I'm in their game then and I shut up.
It's just there are so many situations in life where you give away your authority without needing to. I'm really talking about consulting with authorities, whether it be physicians, dentists, real estate agents, etc. In those consulting professions, you are the one who can choose what to believe or not and get 2nd opinions.
But, I think I must have given a few police some comments over the years. Esp., when I was younger. Hmm....
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