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How Realtors Help
Topic Started: Aug 2 2010, 10:18 AM (403 Views)
Riley
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HOLY CARP!!!
I've always liked these commercials.



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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Good commercials. But sadly these days real estate agents are outmoded.

Most of the help they are could much more efficiently be provided in other ways.

Most of the help they WERE is currently provided much more efficiently by the internet.

They are no longer needed to tell their clients about which homes are on the market. That WAS their main purpose.

A few days ago I was given the code to a lockbox on a home for sale, by the selling agent. I went and viewed it alone. Good times.

The internet has outmoded real estate agents and now they're a bit desperate.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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The 89th Key
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Riley - I haven't seen those, but they are funny!

Horace - I agree about "finding" a place. Especially if you are even minimally competent on the internet, you can find pretty much your own listings, etc. (I found my own place, that I bought last year) However they are VERY helpful in the buying process, especially to a first-time home buyer. All the paperwork, contracts, hoops to jump through, and general advice was well worth getting a Realtor.
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
The 89th Key
Aug 3 2010, 10:26 AM
Riley - I haven't seen those, but they are funny!

Horace - I agree about "finding" a place. Especially if you are even minimally competent on the internet, you can find pretty much your own listings, etc. (I found my own place, that I bought last year) However they are VERY helpful in the buying process, especially to a first-time home buyer. All the paperwork, contracts, hoops to jump through, and general advice was well worth getting a Realtor.
yes they are good for that, but that is more of a pencil pushing thing which could be done much more efficiently and for less expense by dedicated real estate accountants who don't have to simultaneously be traveling salespeople.

The 3% commissions on sale price that they have gotten historically is based on not only the pencil pushing aspect but the ability to find the properties. They had a bit of an information monopoly and they leveraged it. Now they don't have it but their wage is the same. Things'll probably equalize.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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BeeLady
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Middle Aged Carp
Horace
Aug 2 2010, 08:36 PM
A few days ago I was given the code to a lockbox on a home for sale, by the selling agent. I went and viewed it alone. Good times.

This agent should be reported and his/her license yanked or at least disciplinary action taken.

So..it is ok to give strangers the key to your house so they can enter at any time they please? :hair:
"My wheel shall sing responsive to my tread,
And I will spin so fine, so strong a thread
Fate shall not cut it, nor Time's forces break"
"Distaff and Spindle: Sonnets by Mary Ashley Townsend" 1895
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
If you're moving into an area (or country) that you're unfamiliar with, a good realtor is invaluable. I don't think we would have survived the process without the two people we used. The guy in Canada, in particular, was an absolute bloody godsend. He explained all the different areas of the town, and also what was considered desirable in a Canadian house, which is very different from what we were used to in the UK. He also drove us around the town on a number of occasions - he more than earned his commission.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
BeeLady
Aug 4 2010, 04:16 AM
Horace
Aug 2 2010, 08:36 PM
A few days ago I was given the code to a lockbox on a home for sale, by the selling agent. I went and viewed it alone. Good times.

This agent should be reported and his/her license yanked or at least disciplinary action taken.

So..it is ok to give strangers the key to your house so they can enter at any time they please? :hair:
You're thinking in terms of regular sales. Of course he wouldn't have done it in that case.

This was a currently vacant property owned by the bank.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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ilm
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Middle Aged Carp
The first thread by Riley does not let me see the commercials.

I AGREE with BeeLady, no agent should allow someone to look at a house by having the code to get into the house. I am not even sure a bank would want people going into a house on their own.

I have a problem with realtors making big commissions, especially since as mentioned people are using the internet to research homes.

In the past, a realtor gave my house key to future buyers. He was obviously wanting to please them and not loose a sale. I was away at the time, and when I came back, one of the doors was wide open, and a flute was stolen. Maybe other things were stolen too.

Also, there are realtors that play both sides to get the commission. I have never found a realtor to be on my side whether buying or selling. If there are any realtors on this forum, you are probably not this way. Anyhow, hubby and I no longer want to ever buy or sell again.
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
ilikemozart
Aug 4 2010, 06:46 AM
Also, there are realtors that play both sides to get the commission. I have never found a realtor to be on my side whether buying or selling. If there are any realtors on this forum, you are probably not this way. Anyhow, hubby and I no longer want to ever buy or sell again.
In a short sale, it's for the best as a buyer to use an agent who is playing both sides, i.e. to use the selling agent. Short sales have half commissions as it is (from what I understand) and require constant follow-up by the seller's agent with the bank to prod them into doing something. Only a motivated agent will do that. Motivate them by making them your buyer's agent, doubling their commission if the sale goes though, and things tend to go a lot more smoothly.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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ilm
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Middle Aged Carp
Horace, What I meant by "playing both sides," (which was a bad choice of wording), is that as a person selling a house, I have never felt my listing agent was totally supportive of my interests. She would just want me to take any offer, so that she can get her commission and move on.

Then, when I am buying a house, the agent who would write up the offer, was never supportive knowing there are things wrong with the house, and after the deal is closed, is not available to have them corrected.

So, what I meant to say was that unfortunately, hubby and I have not done well with agents we have had listing our house, or agents we have had when buying a house.
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BeeLady
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Middle Aged Carp
Horace
Aug 4 2010, 06:09 AM
BeeLady
Aug 4 2010, 04:16 AM
Horace
Aug 2 2010, 08:36 PM
A few days ago I was given the code to a lockbox on a home for sale, by the selling agent. I went and viewed it alone. Good times.

This agent should be reported and his/her license yanked or at least disciplinary action taken.

So..it is ok to give strangers the key to your house so they can enter at any time they please? :hair:
You're thinking in terms of regular sales. Of course he wouldn't have done it in that case.

This was a currently vacant property owned by the bank.
The realtor was irresponsible not only in letting you in the property alone but also to give you the code (which will unlikely change and now allows you to return unencumbered) to a home, vacant or not. Plenty of bank owned properties are out there, if your agent it too lazy, busy or unwilling to find a sub to make time to take you there, get another agent.

If you were the seller and living somewhere else leaving your home vacant it would be ok for your agent to do that? NO!

Anything could happen. You could have been injured, stalked...or could have thrown a party at the property! Not to mention being unfamiliar with the locks and alarms you could have left the home open to others. I am sure the neighbors would be thrilled to hear that the agent is doing this. :eek:

If you are not getting satisfactory service from your agent, buyer or seller, complain to the office manager, cancel your contract and find another agent.

Just 'going along' with them and then complaining about all agents in general does no one any good.

"My wheel shall sing responsive to my tread,
And I will spin so fine, so strong a thread
Fate shall not cut it, nor Time's forces break"
"Distaff and Spindle: Sonnets by Mary Ashley Townsend" 1895
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
BeeLady
Aug 4 2010, 11:15 AM
Horace
Aug 4 2010, 06:09 AM
BeeLady
Aug 4 2010, 04:16 AM
Horace
Aug 2 2010, 08:36 PM
A few days ago I was given the code to a lockbox on a home for sale, by the selling agent. I went and viewed it alone. Good times.

This agent should be reported and his/her license yanked or at least disciplinary action taken.

So..it is ok to give strangers the key to your house so they can enter at any time they please? :hair:
You're thinking in terms of regular sales. Of course he wouldn't have done it in that case.

This was a currently vacant property owned by the bank.
The realtor was irresponsible not only in letting you in the property alone but also to give you the code (which will unlikely change and now allows you to return unencumbered) to a home, vacant or not. Plenty of bank owned properties are out there, if your agent it too lazy, busy or unwilling to find a sub to make time to take you there, get another agent.
The agent was quite responsible and I appreciated that he wasn't uptight. In any case, I won't see short sale properties with anybody but the selling agent, since that's the agent I'd use for that property.

Quote:
 
Just 'going along' with them and then complaining about all agents in general does no one any good.


I haven't complained about any agents in this thread. In fact I've gotten good service from every agent I've dealt with.

I've just stated some facts about the profession gradually becoming outmoded. Sorry if that is difficult to hear, but it is true.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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BeeLady
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Middle Aged Carp
Horace depending on what state you live in and the nature of the contract signed with the agent and the bank (which you would not be privy to) you could be charged with trespassing. Just saying..

And any agent who only gives out codes (gosh I hope he/she at least knows who you are) is not providing much of a service.

Electronic lock boxes are great. They record everyone who uses them, with time stamps etc.
"My wheel shall sing responsive to my tread,
And I will spin so fine, so strong a thread
Fate shall not cut it, nor Time's forces break"
"Distaff and Spindle: Sonnets by Mary Ashley Townsend" 1895
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
BeeLady
Aug 4 2010, 04:21 PM
Horace depending on what state you live in and the nature of the contract signed with the agent and the bank (which you would not be privy to) you could be charged with trespassing. Just saying..

And any agent who only gives out codes (gosh I hope he/she at least knows who you are) is not providing much of a service.

Electronic lock boxes are great. They record everyone who uses them, with time stamps etc.
It was a great service. I got to see the home. He was a particularly responsible agent, I thought. Wonderful guy, not uptight and tedious at all.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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