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we recently had an excellent Realtor who showed us a lot of properties and did a great job. she spent a lot of time and energy for us and yet, we didn't end up buying anything, but not because any lack on her part. should we give her something or do something? like paying her a small fee, or a large gift? its seems like something should be done for her, we actually used her dad a while ago as well, and the same thing happened, we ended up not being able to buy anything at the time, but he also went through a lot of time and efforts to help us out. they are a sort of family friend..... I felt very rude, but obviously we couldn't just buy something!!?? what seem appropriate to do?
I think you may be lost. This is the "We Hate All Realtors" forum. With all due respect, can you please take your good Realtor stories elsewhere.
How many have you done this to. Take their time, looking then not buy? Why?
Um, John, first why do you assume the OP is a "he?" That's kind of presumtuous.
Secondly, I think they pretty much answered the why for the first occurance, reading between the lines is seems like they either couldn't find anything they could afford or liked for the money. They feel bad and want to recognize and find a way to provide some compensation. Why would you brow beat them? Would you do that to someone in person? Then please don't do it on the internet.
This is the Internet. If one does not want nor expect questions then do not post. They did say this was the 2nd time they had spent a lot of time with a realtor (her and prior to that, her Dad) and did not buy. I was polite and asked why.
My use of Sir was shorthand for the OP's name, sirac, not their sex. I can see that misunderstanding.
This is the Internet. If one does not want nor expect questions then do not post. They did say this was the 2nd time they had spent a lot of time with a realtor (her and prior to that, her Dad) and did not buy. I was polite and asked why.
My use of Sir was shorthand for the OP's name, sirac, not their sex. I can see that misunderstanding.
Fair enough, my apologies on the misunderstanding. And I guess the pattern of behavior is question-worthy, just thought it was a little tangental to the issue. But as you said, it's the internet. If you don't want a thread to take a different route, don't post.
I can't speak for Sirac4 specifically, but there are some of us that would prefer to use a real estate professional in a professional services capacity, especially on the purchasing side. In my opinion that includes compensating them like a professional service provider for services. Sirac4 had an agent provide them with services that allowed them to analyze the market, then made the determination that it wasn't the correct time for them to purchase, that agent(s) in question performed a service that they desired and are willing to pay for. In my case I'm not really willing to go along with commission compensation in any industry if there is any way to avoid it, I want to pay for the services I desire not for a result that I'm trying to determine whether or not is even desirable.
The lack of ability to find real estate practitioners that work like service providers is a primary driver for the "We Hate All Realtors" bias that shows up in not just the city-data real estate forum, but all truly open discussions and forums about real estate both on the internet and in real time. Personally I think if we want agents to act like professional service providers we have to find a compensation method that is compatible, so I don't think a tip is really appropriate either.
My favorite cousin Linda is a realtor and she has always said no matter how much time is spent or if a purchase is made or not it is part of the business. It always balances out when you have someone who looks at 20 houses and doesn't buy then you get that one person who spends 10 minutes and buys a million dollar home.
I think that if you are feeling like giving a gift, a gift card is a good idea. Personally, I like the car wash idea because I hate spending the money to wash my car and usually end up doing it myself out of cheapness. Since Realtors tend to drive clients around a lot, a clean car is always nice.
I think the best gift you could give her is referrals though. Giving her postive reviews on yelp/facebook/angie's list would be really nice. I wouldn't mention in the reviews that you didn't buy anything and instead would focus on her patience, professionalism, kindness, etc. Referrals are the best gift you can give a Realtor, IMO.
Fair enough, my apologies on the misunderstanding. And I guess the pattern of behavior is question-worthy, just thought it was a little tangental to the issue. But as you said, it's the internet. If you don't want a thread to take a different route, don't post.
I agree. There's no reason to go there. As to Johngolf, to be honest, as a buyer, I can see many houses, hundreds even. Buying a home is a personal decision that involves a great deal of money. It can be a frustrating experience for all involved. I'd like to think that my realtor wouldn't be upset or anything over it. The next house we purchase will involve a more comprehensive search because we don't want to go through upheaval/moving again.
A gift card would be a perfect way of showing appreciation even though it didn't work out.
Thank you all! this advice has been great and very helpful! and yes, I may be lost in the wrong forum! I tried to "google" this issue, but couldn't find what I was looking for, so I thought I would try this route, and I thank you all for the information, it was actually really helpful, I like the idea of a nice car wash and maybe a gas or restaurant gift card, who ever said it, Realtor's do like to keep their cars clean! as to clarify why we were in this situation in the first place, we had originally asked a man who had been in the business a long time and who would steer us the right way, to show us some houses, which he did, and did a great job, our budget for a house and our requirements for a house (I owned a small biz. at the time) and the small town market that we live in, prevented us from being able to afford anything, and we wanted to be wise about what we purchased/affordability....so after about 5 years we were ready to try again...and we contacted the same man to help us, so he could get paid finally! and he referred us to his daughter who is now in the biz, and was a good friend of mine in grade school, (he is doing very well, and wanted to pass the commission on to her I believe) so, we used her, but again ran into some similar issues with our affordability and the markets options for our small town...and our high standards...now we are using a housing company that helps lower/middle income families to have affordable housing, so we wont be able to use her again, and we wanted to thank her for her efforts. they both really did an excellent job researching and looking and showing us, even getting in crawl spaces and checking for dry rot and the likes... so thanks again everyone!! and I am a female, just to clarify that issue that popped up!
some of my favorite unexpected gifts...were deer meat and moose meat
also,,,in this day of social media- throw out some testimonials on what a good job this broker did..
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I tried to "google" this issue, but couldn't find what I was looking for, so I thought I would try this route, and I thank you all for the information, it was actually really helpful, I like the idea of a nice car wash and maybe a gas or restaurant gift card, who ever said it, Realtor's do like to keep their cars clean! as to clarify why we were in this situation in the first place, we had originally asked a man who had been in the business a long time and who would steer us the right way, to show us some houses, which he did, and did a great job, our budget for a house and our requirements for a house (I owned a small biz. at the time) and the small town market that we live in, prevented us from being able to afford anything, and we wanted to be wise about what we purchased/affordability....so after about 5 years we were ready to try again...and we contacted the same man to help us, so he could get paid finally! and he referred us to his daughter who is now in the biz, and was a good friend of mine in grade school, (he is doing very well, and wanted to pass the commission on to her I believe) so, we used her, but again ran into some similar issues with our affordability and the markets options for our small town...and our high standards...now we are using a housing company that helps lower/middle income families to have affordable housing, so we wont be able to use her again, and we wanted to thank her for her efforts. they both really did an excellent job researching and looking and showing us, even getting in crawl spaces and checking for dry rot and the likes... so thanks again everyone!! 
