Powayseller, since you are friends with Bob maybe you could do us a favor? (…and I’m 100% serious when I say this….and I’m through discussing how many properties Bob does or doesn’t sell.) Obviously Bob is very smart and very thorough. Maybe you could ask him to make an itemized list of what he does from start to finish with a client to help him or her buy or sell a home that you could post here? The point I think this would make is…if he got really specific with it…it would probably be 100 items long. Realtors (and not just Bob C.) do a ton of work that people either don’t know about or don’t understand. The time and effort involved in a typical transaction is quite extensive…. Plus, we’re not counting the time and effort put in with people who are just looky-loo’s who never buy anything. It’s so easy for people to bash Realtors as car salesmen on this site when I really don’t think that’s very accurate.
Most Realtor’s also don’t get paid just for going to the office. (Unlike many cushy salaried jobs where daily production doesn’t really matter.) They are Independent Contractors…with no salary and no benefits…and typically a higher tax liability from the “Self-Employment” tax….Also, the actual amount of money that goes to the Realtor is much different than the total commission amount, (taking into account broker split and other expenses)..By the time it gets to the agent it’s been sliced and diced like a Benihana dinner…
Plus…..I’m sure some people take Bob’s (or any other good Realtor’s) sales and market data that he gives them…Then when they’re realy to finally do the deal…They list with Help-U-Sell because it’s cheaper….or buy through the place that gives a 75% rebate….
Other tid-bits:
-Just because a Realtor may sell a lot of homes does not make him/her a car salesman. It probably means he/she is good at their job…and their past clients come back to them.
-Someone said “If I had a choice I wouldn’t use a buyer’s agent”. Well, you do have a choice. You can always pick your own agent or choose not to use one at all. If something goes wrong during or after the transaction you have no one to blame but yourself.
– If being a Realtor is such an easy and profitable job then I challenge any of you to quit your job…and become a Realtor. 80% of agents don’t make it through their first 18 months.
-Discount brokerages have been around for a long time….They’ll get their chunk of the business. But so will the large, traditional companies. Plus, if you list your home with a discount brokerage..and it sells…Did you net more money over a higher fee listing agent? The answer is…you’ll never know. Because the other listing agent may have negotiated a higher selling price..All you’ll know for sure is you paid less to sell it…
