Three Houses And You Are Out

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Brian — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 11:00:00 GMT

RE is a tough business: The agent does several months of work and does not get paid until the deal closes if it at all. Flaky buyers and sellers abuse agents all the time and justify it through the "customer is always right" mindset. On the other side, a well educated agent will know how to properly negotiate that comission. In Jane's case, the agent is not listening to her and should be replaced. In Pianomon's case, the buyer could have covered the agents fee if the house was so perfect.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Jim — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Well I am one of those with a 3 home limit The first time. I have found what buyers say they want and what they buy are 2 different things. More than i try to sell them I try to learn from them. What stopped them from buying? I also take notes and sometimes photos of what we have seen. Finally if they choose not to buy one of these I now have enough information to find what they really want. I also e-mail the photos to other buyers. I never show anyone anything unless I have a prequel.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

braynzbig — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Will the real humans please avert your gaze, as for Eric here. We work hard at the same low paying job that you do. Your "go save another tree" comment is inappropriate. You sir have no idea how many of your freedoms have been eroded by virtue of the patriot act, let alone the corporate greed that underminds our ability to purcahse anything. How dare you be so rude to strangers. Practice that style of civility upon your personal aquaintances, e.g. those that will tolerrate you. We will not.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Eric — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:00:00 GMT

This last comment of refusing to pay a buyers agent a commission is moronic at best. 2-3% is what is required to do the kind of work that the agent must do start to finish to list or help a customer buy a home. You are in AMERICA, home of profitability. What job do you work at that you would work for less than you were worth? Non-profit, fantastic, go save another tree. Corporation, shut up and pay and enjoy the free country you live in.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Jazzi — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 11:00:00 GMT

We have been in search of a home for 8 years now. The most recent agent that we have shows little desire to get us what we want and can afford. 95% of the properties she showed were ones that I researched & sent to her. What I have found is some agents are complacent w/ mediocracy and have little the ambition to achieve greatness, their patience is awful & the level of unprofessionalism is disturbing. Now, I have decided to become a licensed agent and make this process more plesant for others.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Steve — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

If you found this blog then you are computer literate enough to find properties online without an agent. In fact, the sellers agent would love you too since he does not have to split the commission. Do your homework using the online tools and make your own judgement. Don't let any agent pressure you, you've got the money therefore you are a king in today's market.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Barbara — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Jane- I had the same problem with a realtor insisting on only showing me properties that were listed by the agency she worked for, even though those properties did not match my criteria or price. I finally registered on several real estate websites so I could get the addresses of houses I was interested in and eventually just went to see them without "my" realtor. Since I had not signed a buyer/broker contract, I was able to move on and buy a house I found for myself, using the seller's broker.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Cynthia Bushman — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Just like any other of my colleagues in the business of selling and marketing residential real estate, I have had my share of frustrations with buyers in particular. I made it a point to get all the specific information of what their "dream" home is like, their likes and dislikes, location, financial qualificiation, etc. I work hard to prevent wasting their time as well as mine (not to mention my car mileage), thus I search for the 5 best properties to show. Final decision is theirs.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Fabi909 — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

This case appears to have the agent responsible to the Buyer and not the Seller. Thus, the commission shoud be paid by the Buyer, who would havereduced his offer by the agreed upon percentage. Just as Sellers increase their acceptable price to factor in paying commissions. If this agent had educated his Buyer before showing the property, this situation could have been avoided, and all parties (including the agent himself) could have been better served.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Jane — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

I am a new home buyer-I'm very serious, I have my "ducks in a row" by having my loan preapproved, by having a month-to-month lease, and by knowing what I want and what the market value is in my area (ieI did my homework). Right now, I am VERY frustrated with this whole process. Currently, my agent takes me to see a lot of homes, but they do not match my criteria so she is wasting time for both of us! (to be continued)

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Jane — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

With regards to the three house rule, how would one know after just three houses? This is a huge decision. The first three houses my agent showed me were awful and what is most scary now is that she is a Century 21 Agent. Is this a standard they hold?

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Rachel LaMar — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Agents need to recognize that the client is "king/queen," and working hard is normal!! Some clients take a long time to make a decision, but it has to be THEIR decision, and the agent is there to provide information and help, not to push. If you have to hand someone off, then maybe you should rethink why you are in this business which is really about PEOPLE, not homes.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Jane — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

cont. I need to move by July-there are plenty of homes for sale, but she is very limited on what she will show me. We have tried to submit two contracts and both have failed and I am running out of time. In both cases, both houses had been on the market 4+ months and perfectly matched my criteria. I wonder why these did not make it into her listings three months ago when I began my search. I'm told that she works for me, but right now I have my doubts!

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

Rachel LaMar — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

As a broker and attorney, the lack of knowledge and preparation of many agents in this business is astounding. As I acknowledge the agent's position (lots of work, small fee) in this situation, he/she failed to establish payment terms before bringing the buyer, and therefore the onus is upon him/herself to "eat it" in this case. Both buyers and sellers need to carefully choose with whom they want to work, and this decision should be based upon knowledge, experience and a basic comfort level.

RE:Three Houses And You Are Out

shane — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 11:00:00 GMT

Real estate is headed for changes being driven by the consumer, and their new tools (technology, Internet and education). With in the next few years consumer demands will be what phases out the real estate industry as we know it, the issue of commissions, customer service and efficiency will be addressed also. In the end, Wal-Mart (or someone like them) will fix the shopping problem faced by buyer agents, with no limits, and for a very economical fee. Long live the consumer!