Staying with my real estate theme from Friday, I wanted to discuss the job of a real estate agent dealing with ordinary transactions (not including short sales because they are far from normal). Regardless of how much an agent may complain about what he or she does, how difficult is it to sell a house? For the most part, if a home is accurately priced then it will sell itself. Granted, I recognize it is necessary to have someone work on contracts and negotiate details such as price and closing date, but in the end when the deal is closed, an agent makes his or her fair share of commission for the small amount of work performed.
Never in my life have I dealt with such an incompetent bunch of unprofessionals as I have with a few unnamed agents here in Orlando, Florida. I have email proof of unethical statements and I even caught a broker in a web of lies (hint, hint: Exit Realty). What did the broker do? He continued to lie trying to cover up the others, pretty soon he started to believe his fabrications! Unfortunately, one of his realtors was my listing agent so I had to complete our home sale BUT I did not use that company to purchase my next home despite their efforts to win my business back.
Also, ever notice how agents will not take ownership for their mistakes? It’s funny, anything that goes wrong with a deal is blamed on the agent representing the other party! I love it when an agent communicates details via telephone but then 5 minutes later when you receive the contract in hand, it does not indicate the details your agent just shared (it’s entirely different and your agent obviously didn’t even look at it)!
Based on my negative experiences, I have compiled a list of “must have” qualities a real estate professional needs in order to be successful.
- Timely and accurate communication
- Detail oriented
- Good listening skills
- Behave ethically
- Act with integrity
- Unselfishness (always have client’s best interest at heart)
One of the most important lessons I have learned is to double check EVERYTHING! If you are involved in a real estate transaction, DO NOT rely on your agent to tell you what the contract says. It is YOUR responsibility to review the documents and make sure they are accurate; otherwise, you could be up a certain creek without a paddle!
I think I’m going to be a real estate agent in my next life! Again, this blog is based on my negative experiences and my intent is not to anger agents I have never worked with, it is to bring awareness of the corruption that is in the business.