Zillow Advice: Buying Process - I hate Real Estate Agents

There are great real estate ...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:19:00 GMT

There are great real estate agents. I know, I read it, ha ha.
The postings by Sunnyview are correct and insightful.
wetdawgs is right.
The time and effort you spend locating a best agent is probably the most important part of your transaction(s). I'm sorry you've had a sequence of bad experiences. Do you remember what a hassle it is to find a good mechanic?

Don't give up.

If you have a problem with ...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:43:00 GMT

If you have a problem with a specific real estate agent drect your issues at that person not real estate agents in general. Every person is an individual there are good and bad in every bunch. I understand your frustration I have been there also. I would suggest your first line of complaint be to the broker in charge of the agent that gave you hell. His broker has over 100 salespeople in his fold he may be unable to supervise them the way this one needs to be supervised.Second you have to be proactive in this environment and hold those you are working with accountable. If your calls are not returned in 48 hours I would no longer be doing business with that person. Good Luck

Thumbs up for listening to ...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:40:00 GMT

Thumbs up for listening to your gut. As a first time buyer, you are still the buyer. You deserve an agent that is good. Dump the zero agent and get yourself a hero agent. No matter what you have to be willing to trust yourself more than you trust any professional. That can be scary, but at the core you know what is best for you if you are honest with yourself. I completely agree that if an agent or a decision about a house feels wrong it is. When I don't listen to my gut, I get into trouble.

Like every industry and every ...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:32:00 GMT

Like every industry and every group of people there are good ones and there are bad ones. The problem here is that we are dealing with a very emotional and scary time in peoples lives. It can be fun and exciting or it can, quite frankly, suck.

I have been on both ends as a consumer, lender and agent. I grew up in the industry from the age of 7 with family businesses and have a college degree and alot of experience, but what does it take to get a real estate license? In the most basic terms the answer is...a week and a half of class and a state exam.

I'm sorry, but that does not constitute the ability to write and negotiate contracts, be a marketing expert, a lending expert, an appraising expert, etc, etc. You get the point

All consumers need to listen to their gut...if it feels funny it is. Find an agent you can trust. Interview them about their experience. They don't have to have a long list of sales to be good. They have to understand the process, have experience, have common sense and genuinely care about you.

Don't be a victim. Take control and demand answers. If they don't return your phone call, run. That's NEVER a good sign.

Not all agents are good or ...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:02:00 GMT

Not all agents are good or do the right thing while others are terrific. I would tell you to complain about the bad ones, but truthfully it usually isn't worth your time or energy. Complaints against agents/realtors have to almost rise to the level being high on drugs or physically abusive to their own clients to have their license infringed upon. As a first time buyer, some agents will not trust you to make your own decision and others will want to lead you to what they feel is the "right decision" in their mind. A good agent will not do that. They should want what you want and do their best to inform you of things that might help you that you might not know to ask, make suggestions about what types of houses might have the best potential to fit your needs within your range and give you all the information that you want or need to make a solid decision for yourself. If your agent is not doing this or is treating you like they know best over what you want, dump them. There are good agents out there, but there are a lot of marginal ones too. Zillow is great place to meet agents in your area and watch them on the board over time. I like open houses too. If I don't like them agent, I never call them and never leave my info on their sign in list so they can't call me.

You can always post questions here and read other posters perspectives/information. It can expand your knowledge in a place where no one one is pushing you towards anything before you decide what you want. An educated buyer first time is the best kind of buyer in my opinion. If you find an agent that doesn't agree with that, find an agent who will appreciate you as a smart first time buyer. Get as much information about buying as possible and find an agent that will work honestly and hard for you.

FYI...public information ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:32:00 GMT

FYI...public information regarding the status of a listing is not always accurate...only in delving further with an agent that you are loyal to and who is helping you who also has the special tools will be able to see what is the exact status of the property and should share this information with you so that no one is wasting their time.

my favorite trick is the ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:06:00 GMT

my favorite trick is the "trust me to advise you" first time buyer's agent who wants all of your info like your preapproval letters, down payment info etc, and then when he gets that, insists on showing you things that are either barely inside your price range (or barely outside your price range) or comparing it with things that simply don't fufill your needs to push you into a nicer home.

of course you always have time and can always fire them and get a new one. your the boss, and there are of course good agents... i think that they are closer to 5% of agents whereas agents i think believe them to be closer to 50% or 80%... there is a saying 99% of agents believe that they are above average.

To specifically answer the ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:21:00 GMT

To specifically answer the person's question on the post, it is possible for you to make a complaint against an agent but you need to be clear on what it is that you're complaining about. Is it that you had an offer that didn't get presented? Then that is a different complaint than if you weren't getting information back in a timely manner about a house you were interested in. Presentation of offers is a big deal, getting information, less of an offense but still worth getting someone's attention about.

Obviously, you need to find a new agent. Be more picky when calling around and be sure to tell anyone you interview that you will be holding them to a standard of communication. Ask if they work in real estate full time or if they do it as a sideline to another job (many do).

With regard to a complaint, the first level should be to write a letter (or email) to the agent and copy their broker. Brokers are legally responsible for the agents who hang their licenses with them and a good broker will be looking out for good and bad feedback on their agents as it impacts their reputation too.

If there is an ethical violation, then if the agent is a REALTOR (requires membership, not just being a licensed agent) then a complaint can be made to the local REALTOR association in your area. They do investigate these issues as members are held to a code of ethics that goes beyond licensing laws. Other ways you can notify industry oversight is to go to the local MLS and see if the agent has violated a membership rule, and then there are also the licensing departments of the state where you live.

These suggestions should be true generally across the USA.

Good luck to you and I hope you find someone fabulous to work with who will be a strong advocate for you!

There are PROS and CONS, ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:05:00 GMT

There are PROS and CONS, if you hired the experienced agents, which meant, they had too much customers in their hand, and therefore they may have not times for you.
And the inexperienced agents otherwise, you may need a little more patience.

There are indeed a lot of ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:39:00 GMT

There are indeed a lot of lousy agents out there, and there are good agents.

The best thing a buyer can do is to realize that they are hiring an individual to work for them and interview them as one would interview them if hiring them into the work place. Check out their style, check out their responsiveness, communication skills, knowledge, etc etc. Is this a person you'd like to work with intensively?