Whenever the National Association of Realtors ads show on TV, I get upset. My realtor experience in Vegas ranked among the worst complicit decisions I've made where I've voluntarily given over money to someone who obviously didn't care about me. My calamity was heightened by realization that I furnished the means by which I suffered. I hope that my experience is unique, because I had an awful experience with realtors in the Vegas Valley. I signed up with my primary lender's preferred realtor partnerships, and then went through all the things I can imagine going wrong. Despite our "reliance" on realtors, I don't think they consider us as anything other than a paycheck. Throughout the process, I was treated meanly, and I don't think they cared about anything other than the sale itself.
Do they listen? If you've dealt with a realtor, you know they talk. They talk about themselves mostly, how many millions of dollars of real estate they've sold and how they're going to do great things for you. They talk to you like you're a complete moron- even if you know things about real estate, and they talk to you as if it's always your first time, even if you've bought and sold a house before. They talk, and then they don't do much else. In fact, I made most contact with them myself, as I perused the MLS and other options for houses I wanted to see. The automated emails rarely produced anything that fit the criterion I told them, and sometimes when i went to see houses they suggested, I eliminated them immediately because they had things I didn't want. I didn't want a pool, and I had to have a back yard for the dog, and for crying out loud, I said no HOAs. In fact, I live in a house with a HOA, but I didn't know it had one until I was closing at the title company, and I almost walked. "It's only $10/month" he said, but he's not paying it, and it certainly isn't only $10 anymore. Then, when I moved in they brought a housewarming gift- two bottles of wine. I don't drink. Apparently they don't care.
Do they actually respect you? I don't think they listen because they don't respect you. You are a sale to them. You are an idiot to them, even though I have an advanced degree in Biochemistry, and even though I could probably become a realtor if I felt like it Many of them drive expensive cars and live in posh neighborhoods, and I know they all looked down on me when I arrived in my 1995 Saturn. I know when I actually bought this place even the realtor didn't believe I actually had money to make the deal. Then there was the second company representative who swore at me. I fired him that same day. If you try to sell FSBO, they poo-poo the idea and insist you need them. To do what? At closing, my loan agent was more use than the realtor, and I'm actually pretty confident I could have done it with her help and her help alone.
Do they really actually work for you or for themselves? When you sell, they always want you to bargain down. Never mind that they are the ones who do the CMA and then suggest or acquiesce to a starting price. It never seems to sell for that, which means they get your hopes up and then let you down. When I bought this one, they asked for my highest and best offer and then try to negotiate. I had already offered 103% of list, which was the going rate, and I won, which means I would have bid against myself and paid even more. When you sell, they always want you to take an offer because it's not that much money. Well, you lose a $210 commission, but I lose $7000. You can make that up picking up aluminum cans in a year, but I can't. Every single one of them was perturbed by my insistence in buying a house far below my ability to afford, which cuts into their commission. They want you to give away your house for a song to sell quickly and to get into bidding wars. Most of the houses their MLS suggested were outside the price range I quoted. Paradoxically, the house I bought was found by a friend, and it never came up in the listings because Freddy Mac required it to be owner occupied. I think there was one other bidder who probably offered less than list. Back in June, I tried to drop by my maternal grandparents house, but there was an open house, so I didn't stop. The house still hasn't sold, so I know that the open house was to find other buyers and not for the benefit of our family.
Every time I hear the realtor advertisement, I want to puke, because my experience varies widely from the representations impressed and implied. Realtor's make it happen? No, I made it happen, and then I gave them money. I'm not really sure what they did besides fill out paperwork. They didn't find the house I wanted, and when I went to closing, my bank was there looking out for me. I it hadn't been at closing, I would have definitely thrown the book at him over that HOA thing. I get harassed; he doesn't. However, we seem beholden to them now almost. They carved out an empire for themselves and made it so complicated that it's difficult if not impossible to wade through the process without their help. They want you dependent on them, and it chafes me so. My hiking buddy started dating a gal who does realty as her second job, and that gave me a sour taste in my mouth before meeting her. If you are a realtor, I'm sorry to hear that. I have never had a good experience with one, and God willing I will never need one again. I bought a house so I wouldn't have to "upgrade" if family needs changed or "downgrade" if my wage took a hit. I would never recommend my realtors. They were certified idiots.
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