Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a BA degree, a Employing Brokers license, I have been involved in 1,000s of transactions, and I have 31 years of experience. I currently manage brokers in Colorado.
As a matter of fact, I bought and sold my first home without a Realtor closing through a title company and drafting my own documents as a FSBO (For Sale by Owner). When I bought my second home, I did use a local Realtor and about 5 years later I became a licensed Realtor in my local market. In my market, only a small percentage of Real Estate transactions are handled through a Real Estate Attorney.
Heidi60, I seriously question that you have enough experience to make assumptions/claims about Realtors as you seem to be making. I have bought and sold homes both with and without Realtors and if something goes wrong with a transaction, having an experienced Realtor does go a long way. Feel free to choose your own method to buy and sell a property, but don't assume it will work for all potential buyers and sellers in every transaction.
Have you done a dollar for dollar cost comparison? What is the cost without legal advice? With such a large investment at risk you really need to have one person on your side who will tell you the truth, and monitor the sales process. It is far too expensive to rely on a commissioned salesperson, no matter what you purchase.
Lawyers are far cheaper as they have no financial interest in the outcome. Please read the many posts here about how expensive it can be to use a commissioned sales person compared to a highly educated lawyer. As long as they whine about you need to have salespersons to complete a standard form, they will continue to have their hands on YOUR equity. It is past time to correct the system.
Attorneys hire me for the valuable service I provide, and they refer me to friends and family.
Smart Attorneys, like any smart consumers, respect other professionals for their knowledge and skills.
No amount of mindless trolling will alter those facts.
As a matter of fact, I bought and sold my first home without a Realtor closing through a title company and drafting my own documents as a FSBO (For Sale by Owner). When I bought my second home, I did use a local Realtor and about 5 years later I became a licensed Realtor in my local market. In my market, only a small percentage of Real Estate transactions are handled through a Real Estate Attorney.
Heidi60, I seriously question that you have enough experience to make assumptions/claTims about Realtors as you seem to be making. I have bought and sold homes both with and without Realtors and if something goes wrong with a transaction, having an experienced Realtor does go a long way. Feel free to choose your own method to buy and sell a property, but don't assume it will work for all potential buyers and sellers in every transaction.
How can you claim to know my experience? I have bought and sold without commissioned sales people having their hands in my pocket. My experience with them is that you cannot - should not - enter into any kind of contract without the advice of a highly educated lawyer to protect your interests. The process needs to be monitored so you understand your rights and their responsibilities. I have a neighbor who buys and sells a lot of real estate. In our last conversation she confided that she has NEVER had an experience with the salesperson where she didn't end up hating them. There is a well earned reason many feel the same way. All I am saying is keep your options open and do protect yourselves.
Please, just read the numerous posts here to see how many have been burned by those "smiling faces"...
Are there posts like this in the lawyer forum complaining about attorneys getting 33% of a settlement in a contingency fee arrangement?
At least they take nothing when they fail. Sort of like a real estate agent. Unlike hourly attorneys with no financial interest in the outcome, i.e., no reason to care if a deal ever closes because they are on the clock at $200--$300/hour or more.
Methinks someone's favorite niece is in law school and drumming up business is more important than being smart. That's what methinks....
Based on your comments, I can chose to offer my opinion of your experience. Not all Real Estate transactions in all markets require an attorney to be involved. In my state, and probably all states, the common Real Estate contract is written by attorneys. The contracts you can buy at your local office supply store (Office Depot and Staples for example) are written by attorneys as well.
I bought and sold my first house without a Realtor or attorney with no issues, by closing through a title agency. You are making too many assumptions about an industry that I doubt you have had any professional experience as a Realtor and prefer to bash that industry instead due to your misconceptions.
I have bought and sold without commissioned sales people having their hands in my pocket.
And if you are the buyer, you are not paying a commission to your agent in virtually all transactions. Your opinion has no bearing on the seller's agreement to pay commissions based on the listing agreement.
He was being sarcastic.
We've had posters before who seriously suggested minimum wage for agents.
I laughed....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
