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I know there is a real estate forum, but I feel like people from my area might be able to answer my questions better than people from other cities/areas/states.
What is a realtor's job? What a good realtor needs to do for their customers?
I went through 3 realtors so far and I didn't like even one of them (one was a friend, one was a referral and one was chosen based on good online reviews). One was always late, another - always busy, another - didn't really care about our needs regarding new house. I told what I was looking for, and started receiving daily emails with houses that didn't fit my needs...
Every single house we went to look at I found myself and let realtor know I want to look at it. The only benefit was that they were able to unlock the door.... No info regarding HOA or any debts or any background info on the house. They usually ask listing agent, listing agent usually answer "there is no info on that house", so my realtor usually comes back to me with "we don't know anything about that house"... Well, we have a public record system and we can find a lot info there - like a note about house being found vacant few years ago or permit for sinkhole investigation... I assume that type of research is not a realtor's job? The comps the realtor were putting together for me were not impressive. I was doing the same thing by myself by using county appraisal web site...
When we were preparing our offers, we were told that we need to hire an attorney if we have ANY questions regarding the paperwork OUR REALTOR put together for us...
So, what realtors are getting paid for? Thousands of dollars for opening houses (I was told by one realtor that she is willing to show me 10 houses with no charge and after that she will charge me for any additional house) and emailing paperwork seems too much for their job. Again, I might have a bad experience and it's not typical.
Please share with me what your realtors were doing for you when you were selling/buying your houses? Maybe I should look for better realtor or if they are not responsible for doing some researches about houses, maybe I should contact listing agents directly… Maybe I want too much from a realtor?
Don't take it personal please but if you go through three of them and still not satisfied, you either don't know how to select a good realtor or you have unrealistic expectations.
I let go my first realtor because she didn't want to deal with the hassle of short sale but I researched enough to get my second right out of here and I couldn't be more happier. She has helped myself and other CD members too.
Perhaps you need to ask for recommendations for a realtor from the good folks on CD. I know we have several realtors who have received rave reviews from people who have moved to Tampa Bay.
Of course not every real estate agent is going to be a match for everyone. I personally think they are paid to look for you a house that suits your needs. It cost 'them' money to drive you around too, plus you are paying for their knowledge of the area.
Are some better than others, absolutely but the one I know who posts on here is wonderful. She is helping my son navigate buying a house right now and she needs a medal for doing that. LOL
I think you also have to remember that Tampa is different than other places and if you go to NYC and try to buy a home for the cost of one in Tampa you will not like what your options are there.
I have heard that so many of the 'good' houses are being snapped up by investors which makes finding a home that suits your needs even harder.
Don't take it personal please but if you go through three of them and still not satisfied, you either don't know how to select a good realtor or you have unrealistic expectations.
I let go my first realtor because she didn't want to deal with the hassle of short sale but I researched enough to get my second right out of here and I couldn't be more happier. She has helped myself and other CD members too.
Good luck.
Define help, dis she have access to listings you didn't yourself? Did she provide information about the neighborhood that you didn't or couldn't find out by yourself? in my experience as a buyer, the realtor basically met me at the house i wanted to see, that I found and pointed out the obvious while we were at the house, more often than not couldn't make it at the time I could. Other than provide anecdotal references during the contract negotiation and making some phone calls that I could have handled had it been proper etiquette. The whole concept of finding a house is outdated, there is no "finding a house", there is a database with all the listings period, new listings come up you get an email look at it, cross reference google maps, see property appraisal website, drive by, other than opening the door for me where does the realtor come into play. IMO that whole profession is headed for some rearranging, or weeding out.
Don't take it personal please but if you go through three of them and still not satisfied, you either don't know how to select a good realtor or you have unrealistic expectations.
I let go my first realtor because she didn't want to deal with the hassle of short sale but I researched enough to get my second right out of here and I couldn't be more happier. She has helped myself and other CD members too.
Good luck.
The idea of this thread was to understand if I really have unrealistic expectations from the realtor. I would love to hear what your realtor did for you other than unlock doors and put his/her info on the last page of the contract to get $$.
Perhaps you need to ask for recommendations for a realtor from the good folks on CD. I know we have several realtors who have received rave reviews from people who have moved to Tampa Bay.
Of course not every real estate agent is going to be a match for everyone. I personally think they are paid to look for you a house that suits your needs. It cost 'them' money to drive you around too, plus you are paying for their knowledge of the area.
Are some better than others, absolutely but the one I know who posts on here is wonderful. She is helping my son navigate buying a house right now and she needs a medal for doing that. LOL
I think you also have to remember that Tampa is different than other places and if you go to NYC and try to buy a home for the cost of one in Tampa you will not like what your options are there.
I have heard that so many of the 'good' houses are being snapped up by investors which makes finding a home that suits your needs even harder.
Well, everything I've got so far were few emails from realtors who would like to work with me. People who PM me with "I am a good realtor, I can work with you" are no different from any other realtor. I would like to get some references. I've got few recommendations from friends, but their realtors told me they are too far away from Wesley Chapel and will not be interested in driving here on regular basis. I am glad they were honest at the beginning
And you are right, not every real estate agent is going to be a match for everyone.
I am really trying to understand what is included in realtor's duty.
I know the area where I would like to buy a house. I know about schools and traffic in that area. I can pull up HOA rules for interested community...
I am not sure why you are comparing Tampa with NYC. I never live and not planning to move their. And if I decided one day, well, I will be expecting to pay different price for the house over their... Maybe I missed your point.
Yes, there are many investors in our area. Most from California and they are paying cash for 100K houses. I didn't see many investors in 200K+ category. And it make sence. It harder to rent out 200K compare to 100K money wise over here...
Define help, dis she have access to listings you didn't yourself? Did she provide information about the neighborhood that you didn't or couldn't find out by yourself? in my experience as a buyer, the realtor basically met me at the house i wanted to see, that I found and pointed out the obvious while we were at the house, more often than not couldn't make it at the time I could. Other than provide anecdotal references during the contract negotiation and making some phone calls that I could have handled had it been proper etiquette. The whole concept of finding a house is outdated, there is no "finding a house", there is a database with all the listings period, new listings come up you get an email look at it, cross reference google maps, see property appraisal website, drive by, other than opening the door for me where does the realtor come into play. IMO that whole profession is headed for some rearranging, or weeding out.
Good point! I agree with you 100%
Why you ended up with a realtor and decided not to go straight to listing agent? That's what I am thinking to do next...
Well it kind of depends if you're buying or selling, I think. We got an agent who was a "buyers' agent" when we bought two years ago here in Florida. This means that the agent is working for *you*, not for people who are trying to sell their properties.
Yes, I did a lot of research and often found the places I wanted to see, the first time out, but he was always there for us during that, and once we had narrowed it down, he had a sheaf of possibilities (as did I),and he took us right to the condo developments that he thought were most suitable. And showed us multiple properties that had not been on my own lists. Took us around, walked us through, talked about the pros and cons, discussed neighbourhoods, etc. Then went through the whole offer process when we finally found the right place.
The idea of this thread was to understand if I really have unrealistic expectations from the realtor. I would love to hear what your realtor did for you other than unlock doors and put his/her info on the last page of the contract to get $$.
If you are trying to "justify" their purpose in a purchase, then its going to take a while to do that. With websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, etc and also For Sale By Owner, you can do your own homework and choose what homes to see. Realtors will always push homes down your throat (some more diplomatically than others), but if you have specific requirements then just go FSBO and be done. No need for a realtor to open those doors. Official For Sale by Owner site: Homes for Sale, Sell a House, Buy Real Estate | ForSaleByOwner.com - FSBO
They have an inventory weather you like it or not, and they will try to show you homes that are not in your price range nor your likes. We had this happen before and went the FSBO route on both homes we bought in the past, and had no issues what so ever.
They don't NEED to waste any gas on buyers nowadays because there are plenty of resources online where buyers can access information, and many realtors also list MLS listings too. I see no purpose for them at all, and won't use one in the future either unless we wanted to sell, in which case we'd be shopping around a bit and re-search them very well to see if they truly "know" marketing. Other than that, go FSBO and you're done.
Frankly, I also stay away from those who post horrible photos of properties, or no photos at all. If they post nice looking professional photographs, then I may contact one, if not I won't bother, it just means they don't really care how they present a property for a seller, which tells "ME" the buyer that they don't really value their work much. They are supposed to "showcase" properties for sale, and not throw them on MLS and forget about them.
To add one more thing: A Realtor needs to pick up an area and master it. Especially in Florida, where so many people are moving blindfolded. They should know the area you are looking at from geography to population etc, only then they can be useful.
The idea of this thread was to understand if I really have unrealistic expectations from the realtor. I would love to hear what your realtor did for you other than unlock doors and put his/her info on the last page of the contract to get $$.
See ..your attitude that they know nothing than opening and closing a door is your problem. If you think you know it all, you probably do it by yourself and save money.
But I will answer your question. Do you know which of the short sales that are out there are a good deal and have a high probability of closing? Well, I even posted here
Some of the significant advice were houses that would really need significant repair cost that I have no idea what that cost would be without contacting a contractor. Before going out to see a house, after I send her the selection, she would get as much information about the house and the neighborhood and give us a report when we meet at the house, not just locking and unlocking house. She is the one whoo gave me an idea of transfering the home and flood insurance of the then-owners directly rather than spending tones of time searching for one and it worked seemlessly--we knew exactly the insurance cost (and a great deal) and have everything ready by closing.
Above all my realtor was available 24/7 (not that I called on the wiered hours but it is really important to be fast). If I saw a house online now, we could go out to see it today or tomorrow and she could write our offer after we saw even if it is evening. Time is important. When we bought our house, the house came on market on Friday and we saw it on Saturday and on Sunday we have a signed and agreed contract. Such a speed from your realtor and in my case from my excellent broker, who wrote the pre-approval on Saturday was critical. Several people were coming to see the house on Monday and the house was off market.
Another very honest thing the realtor did was that disclosing the fact that the seller was offering an insentive above the normal 3% for buyers realtor (this is common when someone want a fast close). She even showed me the paper that has the note on that She let that part for negotiating and didn't ask more. That was key for closing the deal. To give you an idea how good deal I got, I bought just three years ago and my home appraised more than what I paid for and enough to get me out of FHA and save hundereds per month through refinancing.
Oh, I still keep contact with her and I just recently got mls data on the area that I live for sold and pending homes for free. That information helped me to know where the appraisal may come.
I can add more....but I want your realtor to earn it...
Last edited by Pragmaticus; 01-14-2013 at 12:55 PM..
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