Comments on: “Why are Realtors so arrogant and such assholes?”

By: Janell Cockayne

Janell Cockayne — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:52:40 +0000

This may not be the best place to ask this, but, I’m searching for a attorney in Fresno and I don’t know where to look do you have any info on this a attorney in Fresno? Its address is in Fresno, only 15 minutes from my house I can’t find reviews on them — Fresno Attorneys, 1713 Tulare Street #215, Fresno, CA 93721 – (559) 460-0529

By: Esteban

Esteban — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:17:27 +0000

Realtors are “middlemen” who make a living through “perception” of their value. They have every incentive to sell at the highest price they can get for a house. They work for themselves and the seller, not the buyer. No one in real estate in fact works for the buyer. Yet no one gets paid until the buyer buys. Realtors rarely preview homes these days and me, as the buyer, find my own houses online and all an agent does is make the appointment for us to get inside. All paperwork could be prepared by a Title Company person. All real estate contracts contain language protecting the Broker, Agent and seller. Very little protects the buyer. Realtors say they are professionals and provide so much invaluable information for a buyer or seller and then the contracts say they are not responsible for anything. The contracts are CYA. They try to charge flat 6% commission on a sale despite the value of the property and the process is the same for a cheap house versus an expensive house. They argue that it takes longer and more advertising to sell an expensive house, but not thousands of dollars more. Paperwork is identical. It is a cartel of sorts, protecting commissions. This is why many Realtors target high end homes so they make a killing on fewer transactions. Realtors are like fishermen, just casting out a huge net (MLS) and many listings, hoping to catch a few fish. I have never found that a Realtor improved my buying or selling experiences and they did nothing me and a Title COMPANY could not have done alone.

By: gigi201

gigi201 — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:58:40 +0000

I don’t understand what a realtor does exactly.

1. They can’t offer any legal advice when buying a house.

2. They can’t provide any financial advice or products when buying a house.

3. All information on houses is readily available on the Internet: Zillow + local websites. So there’s no information they are providing that I don’t already have myself.

4. Their “organization” requires passing only 1 test which can be taken as many times as needed if failed. No additional education requirements. Seems a bit light to me.

5. They don’t have any regulation beyond a “code of ethics,” I signed one of those when I became a boy scout at 12.

Can someone give me a good reason to use a realtor? I’m serious here, looking for answers from the realtor crowd.

By: honestly

honestly — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:42:11 +0000

Remember, houses sell houses, not realtors.

By: Richard Hertz

Richard Hertz — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:14:21 +0000

What pisses me off are the retired teachers and public employees who decide to go into real estate to make a “little extra money”, and to have something to do instead of watching Oprah and eating Cheeezits all day while laying around on the couch in their stained undies. The problem is they are all receiving FAT pensions that I, a working Realtor, and the rest of the poor souls in the dreaded private sector are paying for. We are paying for our competition to go into business against us! These “kiss in the mail” pensioners who don’t have to work are being subsidized by us to go into business to compete against us and take away, by diluting the business, our livelihoods.

By: Commission Crusher

Commission Crusher — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:54:15 +0000

Ha, nice post!

By: AliciaM

AliciaM — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:51:19 +0000

Just read the blog and all the comments. I bought a house in the East Bay late last year, after 4 months of solid looking. My realtor is one that I have worked with before, buying, and then selling the same house. She had originally been recommended to me by a coworker, and she has earned every penny of her commission. She is an experienced realtor in the area of the East Bay in which I bought, knows lots of top quality inspectors, mortgage brokers, and other service personnel (roofers, chimney inspectors, electricians, plumbers), and I have never been dissatisfied with of her recommendations. Buying right now is a very tough thing, from the standpoint that most of the homes out there are overpriced junk (still). My realtor also is not afraid to point out the flaws of a home we are viewing, differences in the asking price and comps in the neighborhood, etc. She also went out on the weekly broker tours and gave me her recommendations of which homes to see.
While I was looking, I will say that I met some really crappy realtors, both male and female, who I would never want to work with. One guy showed up late to open up for the Open House, and was crabby beyond belief! Absolutely no sense of customer service at all. I had considered putting an offer in on the house but having to work w/ him as the seller’s agent was a big deterrent.
Buying/selling real estate is a people business, and unfortunately too many people working in real estate do not have the personality for it.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:01:49 +0000

EdOl.
if you read a bit more about and from Alex, you’d notice that of anything, Alex takes satire and jokes and humors very well. How many Realtors you know would end their comments back with http://thefrontsteps.com/2008/01/15/san-francisco-its-time-to-harden-the-f-up/ ?

His own decision to post was deliberate and a way to fish for comments on the subject. It’s easier and more respectful to his own title to throw to the crowd a ridiculous letter (to which he replied professionally) than to actually write his own words about the same subject and with the same content.
Ever heard of PC-passive aggressive?

BTW – I sent another letter to Alex about one specific Realtor in our neighborhood that was way less PC … I used the B word for the female thing with a Realtor logo on her card.
They do exist in San Francisco unfortunately. … not mentioning the other (female) thing that left the country for a more beachy sunny vacation with our money-fee BEFORE the transaction closed properly, leaving OUR agent clean up HER mess.

By: Edward Olivier

Edward Olivier — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:37:44 +0000

The original letter to the editor was obviously SATIRE. I’m surprised the operator of this blog hasn’t picked up on that, then again, he is a realtor. (more satire I promise)

Let’s examine the phrases “Justin T.” is using:

“But maybe you can help me answer this question, why are Realtors so arrogant and such assholes?”

Justin T. makes a kind request, “maybe you can help” followed by an offensive question. This is classic structure for a humorous sentence.

“driving around in the bling, bling cars all the time.”

The expression “bling bling cars” made me laugh out loud. My father is a realtor and never once have I seen a “bling bling car.”

“Constantly talking on the phone about loans, property features and what they’re worth, clients’ needs, etc.”

This detailed list of a realtor’s “script” makes me feel that Justin T. may actually be a realtor himself.

“Always interupting a good conversation when the phone beeps, vibrates, or rings with “I gotta take this call…””

If Justin T. hates realtors so much, why would he be having a “good conversation” with them?

“Why do they think they are so cool?”

This objection is humerous because the author is using language associated with teenagers, “cool” as the finishing question of a long line of “serious” objections.

“Anyway, just thought you could shed some light on the matter for me.

Thanks,”

This candidly nice and polite sign off is the cherry on the SATIRE sunday.

When a human is being personally attacked, or feels they are being personally attacked, the satire is lost. I can understand why the editor never picked up on this.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:34:50 +0000

To all those who have had bad experiences with Realtors:Buyers are lyers and sellers are worse..