Regarding real estate agents….. This has got to be the most outrageously over paid under needed job on the planet. Why so few know they can buy or sell a home WITHOUT an over paid middleman is appalling. The title company does the real work and the legal procedures that protect the process. If you need an extra level of confidence then hire a RE attorney.

I think of RE agents in the same vein as drug dealers. Sounds harsh I know but what other endeavor can get so much cash for so little work, with zero educational requirements (unless you count a 48 hour “course”). What other things can a housewife do to make $30k for a few hours of work? The enticement to lie and cheat is enormous. If a realtors lips are moving……..

CONFUSED, you said it well, it’s a flawed system.

Why would any sensible person intentional pay 6% to have a liar in the middle of their most expensive purchase? I love speaking directly with the buyer/seller, forego a realtor once and you never go back.

Never engage in bidding on houses in a declining RE market (duh). As with previous bubbles in CA, there will come a time in this bubble collapse when house sit and rot on the market, even well priced ones. That is a good sign the bottom is near.

I have bought land that was for sale ridiculously cheap yet had been on the market for 6 years and was littered with fallen, rusting signs of previous realtor efforts to move it. I remind myself of that when I’m tempted to call on a low price teaser in this market. Be patient and never, never listen to a realtor unless it a close friend not trying to score off you.