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Monday, November 4, 2013

Realtors - the Hell of the Haves and the Have Nots

I'm currently getting ready to retire.
And related to that - I am downsizing - dramatically.

During this past year I have learned a lot of crap I never wanted to know about realtors.

With realtors, its all about money and whether you are a Have and a Have Not
I have no problem with people making money - that's what life is all about
its about how you go about making that money.

This past year has shown me what motivates realtors.

You have to realize that to work with a realtor
- you have to sign a contract with them.
Which confines you to all levels of hell.

When it came to selling my big, huge house
the realtor I had at the time
   Was more than willing to take the sale.
   Was more than willing to print up marketing stuff.
   Never showed the house once.
   Was willing to argue with me for three days on what I should accept as an offer.
   Was more than willing to take the commission on a six digit sale.
At that point - I was a six digit "HAVE" - - I owned the house - - I called the shots.

After the house sold
I started looking for a different "much, much smaller" home.
That's when I became a five-digit HAVE NOT

The realtor that sold my house
- like the realtor I have now
- don't have the time to deal with five-digit buyers,
     we're people that aren't going to bring them mucho dinero in commissions.

With both realtors - now I am five digit HAVE NOT
A home - I HAVE NOT  - - even tho I find at least two a week
that I like based on the listing and are in my price range.
   My emails are/were not answered in a timely manner
   I can't get showings in a timely manner
And in a sellers market - that means my offers are -  too late.
It's not unusual for me to have to wait three or four days after I call/email to get a showing.  I betcha their six digit clients aren't waiting 3 days to see a property.
And a home - I HAVE NOT
And thus, I literally remain in the HAVE NOTs of housing

And I have to continue to suck up & be nice or there'll be no showings at all.
  Having to suck up to someone I am eventually paying to help me
     who has made it clear they don't want to help me
      takes every once of acting skill I have.
.

Over the weekend
- I couldn't help thinking that when the housing bubble burst
the people blamed the banks
the people blamed the mortgage brokers
But
no one blamed the realtors. their need for greed (commissions).
And I guess now - I'm ready to place that blame.

Why? Because it has become very, very clear to me
- that if you are buying in the price range,
       you want and choose to afford
- and it's not at least 6 six digits
- realtors don't have the time for you
- realtors don't want to deal with you.
- other higher buck buyers needs come before yours
- you are the last priority.
And in a sellers market - that means your offers are -  too late.
And a home - you  HAVE NOT

By doing this, realtors force you to reconsider your buying decision.
- their inattentiveness increases your stress level
- they inattentiveness increases your hopelessness of finding a place
- their inattentiveness SHAMES YOU
You have no offers to make - or the offers are too late
- which automatically pressures you to think
        you have to up the price you are willing to pay
           (and the commission they will earn)
- just to get them to pay attention to you.

Unfortunately - for me
- I am not willing to up my price  - its staying at five digits
- so I am bunking at a friend's house (living out of suitcases)
- all because the commission that would be earned from my five digit purchase
     is, evidently, not good enough for me to get good realtor service.

So - I sit and wait - and keep on sucking up - - in the circles of realtor hell
for my six month contract with my current realtor to expire
- so I can try to find a new realtor who wants to do the work
    and take a commission on a five digit sale
- but I fear that search is going to, again, a futile one.
I can just imagine the next one will again promise great service on a five digit purchase, to get me to sign another contract and then leave me in five digit purchasers hell that has been my story of 2013.
 
 




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