And there she was, in the midst of an open house, falling all akimbo down the stairs, yelping in surprise and fear on her way down. At the bottom, the real estate agent, who’d been busy the entire time glancing admiringly in the home’s many reflective surfaces, peered down at Kathy where she lay sprawled upon the floor, and rather than offering her a hand,looked at her as though she were a dog that had just come in from the rain. Well, Kathy could have bought that house if she’d wanted it, impractical stairs and all. But who would want to work with an agent like that?
A good real estate agent is sort of like a good neighborhood restaurant. You don’t want to tell too many people, for fear that once the word gets around, you won’t ever be able to get in the door.
Is it really that bad out there? It’s true we’ve seen our share of arrogant (a-hole) Realtors, so why can’t we weed out the douche bags? How is it that they keep getting business? The short answer is that like minds think alike…the sellers are likely douche bags too! Did you ever think of that! These people are getting hired by someone that thinks they’re good. Just because they rub us wrong, doesn’t mean they rub the seller wrong. In fact, maybe the seller likes that trait!
Something tells me we didn’t get the full story here. Maybe the argument should focus more on the buyer (stranger walking into someone’s home in soaking wet shoes and slipping down the stairs on a rainy day….did you think to take your shoes off!?) and less on the agent. Just a thought. Or maybe the title should be, “How to advertise your home for sale on SF Gate (without really paying)” instead, because the Realtors are lame, idiotic, worse than car salesman argument has been played out. That horse is good and dead. But that was one helluva good plug (including two photos) of your soon-to-be-for sale home.
So what else can we talk about?
How about, sometimes Open Houses are sooooo incredibly boring and a monumental waste of time that any person that walks through the door is likely only to briefly snap the agent out of their state of disbelief (you know the feeling when you first wake up in the morning or you just get hit by a truck…there is a time delay before your senses work again) that they’re spending yet another Sunday sitting at an Open House that is nowhere near the right price it should be and if the seller would just snap out of their denial the price could be dropped, people would show up, the phone would ring, the home would be sold, the agent could again spend quality time with her family, she could get some shopping done, perhaps go on vacation (leaving mobile phone behind), perhaps enjoy Sunday brunch, or maybe just have a “normal” life? Or maybe….
We haven’t done a Battle Royale in a while, but we thought this recent email could not only shed some light on the steals and deals being thrown out by The Infinity to get their Towers sold, but also a bit of debate as to whether it’s better to put your money in San Francisco, or Peninsula real estate.
From the reader (edited slightly for syntax):
Hi,
Love your blog!
I would like your opinion…
I’m looking to purchase either a new 2 bedroom townhouse in the peninsula or else a 1-2 bedroom condo at The Infinity. I will be purchasing with 4-6 other people for The Infinity (volume discount, we each get our own place, 3 people will be in the $800K -1.4mil range so i think we will have a lot of bargaining power), or trying to find a good discount for a new townhouse in the peninsula. Which would be the better investment?
I’m [f*cking young!], make $110K a year, first time home buyer, would probably rent out a room at either the condo or the townhouse, and prefer not to do any remodeling.
Thanks!
Go Giants or go home! San Francisco all the way. Way better investment in our eyes (we are biased), way better location, and at your age, you’ll likely have a helluva lot more fun. Just make sure we get an invite to the housewarming party (have you heard about our fresh lime margaritas), and there is no lifeguard on duty when we cause a ruckus in the pool! Marco…Polo…Fish Outta Water!.
Thanks for the email, glad you like the blog. We like you.
Having recently done a post on a property that is “in the heart of Noe Valley“, we not only saw a few comments questioning the accuracy of that statement, but received a great email quote from a reader saying, “I think it is closer to the kidney than ‘in the heart’ of Noe.” So we got to wondering…if we can’t even come to a conclusion as to where the heart of Noe Valley lies, can we, the residents of San Francisco, definitively say where is the heart of San Francisco?
From what geographical location does the life and blood of this city pump? If someone were to travel to this great city and say, “I want to go to the heart of San Francisco”, where would you send them?
Feel free to comment, discuss, debate all you want, and we’ll even throw in a little poll to get you thinking: (To fill in your own answer click “other” and write it in the green rectangle directly below.)
--------------------------- 45 Van Buren, Glen Park Condo $729,000
Top Floor 2 bed, 1 bath, 1 pk, views, decks, hot tub, remodeled kitchen, fireplace, Hardwood, W&D, feels like Single Family Home
Recent Transactions
Below is a PARTIAL list of my recent transactions:
-------------------------- 1119 Hopkins Ave in Palo Alto!
Buyer Representation
5 bed, 3.5 bath, 3626 sqft, Single Family Home
New Construction
Original Asking $3,475,000 (Purchased for much less) Contact Alex Clark for details
-------------------------- 195 Beacon
Buyer representation:
4 bed, 3 bath, Mid Century Modern "Green" Home
Asking $1,650,000 Contact Alex Clark for details
--------------------------- 2185 Bush #307
SOLD $790,000,
3bd,2ba,1pk condo
Lower Pacific Heights
Top Floor, High Ceilings, Living/Dining Combo, Fireplace, bright, patio & balcony, views, Earthquake Insurance, A+location
Represented Seller Email Alex Clark for details.
--------------------------- 62 Buena Vista Terrace
Buyer Representation
2 bed, 1 bath Top Floor Condo
$885,000 Contact Alex Clark for details
--------------------- 2186 33rd Avenue
Buyer Representation
3 bed, 2 bath Center Patio Home
$815,000 Contact Alex Clark for details
--------------------- 442 41st Ave (SOLD $1M) $1,049,000
3 bed, 1 bath up
1 bed, 1 bath down (unwarranted)
2 Pk, Outer Richmond Single Family
Represented Seller Email Alex Clark for details
--------------------------- 613 Peralta (SOLD Cash $520,000) 2bd, 1 ba, 1pk, $539,000
Bernal Heights Condo
Represented Seller Email Alex Clark for details
------------------------ 241 7th Ave (SOLD-$950,000 cash) PRICE REDUCED $1,129,550 $999,000!
2bd, 1.5 bath, 2pk, Inner Richmond Single Family
Represented Seller Email Alex Clark for Details
