I'm sure you all have had a nightmare of a real estate transaction. This is not my first nightmare but wow what a learning experience. If I had to pay for the lessons I learned, the cost would be major. My motive for continuing, my client had no money and was trying to go from an apartment to a condo with little to no money for anything.

Okay you say, doable but factor in an uncooperative seller and new listing agent and amortgage broker that says he can deliver but he does not know when. Holy mackeral can you believe a mortgage broker pasted not 1 but 2 closings only to tell us the loan is coming, I just don't know when,LOL.

The new agents seller was not coming to closing and the new agent said she wasn't either,lol. The closing attorney had to call the agent and tell her, you have to come to sign the hud,LOL.

Though I made very little commission when all was said and done the transaction closed and my client is now a homeowner and there is a lot of gratification in that fact.

I am thrilled for my client and now I move on to the next transaction.

I have hemmed and hawwed over whether to post my experience with a SEO company that Point2 has endorsed. What aggravation! I have saved the correspondence as I really find it hard to believe that any professional would behave the way this person has.

I am not familiar with SEO but I know real estate. The owner of the SEO company tells me ignorance is bliss, read my booklet. I am very offended. Never have I told anyone asking me a question about real estate, ignorance is bliss. I realize that people don't always know the ins and outs of real estate and I do my best to answer their question in an informative way, definitely not an offensive way. Apparently, he doesn't realize that people generally look to a SEO company because they are not familiar with the process themselves.

I gave this owner some feed back about his SEO attempt and he came back on the defensive. I said I had dropped from 30 something at Yahoo to 50 something. I just didn't understand why I dropped so much.

Wow, did he send me an unprofessional response. I happen to look for feed back from other agents about my listings as well as feedback from my clients and I utilize it. I received an insulting letter and was told to put it back the way it was if I wanted to. How outrageous is that! I am now through his SEO assistance, aggravated and in the 80's at Yahoo from the 30's. Call me silly but I really didn't need that type of SEO,LOL.

I planned on doing business in the future with his company but now would not even consider it. Beware my fellow agents of who you are doing business with. We receive so many offers, if you are unsure of someone to use for a service, ask other realtors because they know best about results. Most others are interested only in the financial side of their business.

I quess I had to vent and I hope this saves other agents the aggravation.

 

I just don't believe how some shows and agencies make us look and sound like we hardly do anything. The reality is there are caring, professional, and attentive agents that work very hard to make these happen and happen smoothly. I will be the first to agree that like every other field there are not all good agents but the good agents dislike them as much as the buying and selling public.

Raleigh NC real estate is flourishing... We have a really good market, demand is high. The only thing slowing down the growth is that people are having a difficult time selling their home out of state. How is your market?

I have strong opinions about discount brokers and they are knowledge based. The only one that wins in the listing being discounted is the discount broker not the seller. Why? He or she takes 10 discounted listings because he can get them by offering a discount. Discount brokers put it on the MLS and hope it sells.

A discount broker makes money by volume listings. The numbers game are in favor of the discount broker selling at least 1 out of 10 but will it be your home is what you should ask yourself, or will it be one of the other 9.

The discounters that don't market but just throw it on the MLS, do hard working realtors a disservice. People are led to believe that they sell themselves. Wrong.......This thinking also belongs to FSBO.

I recently brought a buyer to a FSBO that turned away my deal which was to pay the buyer agency fee, I had a pre qualified buyer. First he tried to deal with my client without me and that didn't work. Then he decided he would take another buyers deal. Well he took it alright, but I received an email saying Cathy my deal fell through because the buyer could not got financing, maybe you have another buyer.

I urge people to not be penny wise and dollar foolish. If you find a hardworking, caring real estate agent....pay the commission and get the results you want. In the real estate industry, we know that we don't get rich off one transaction. The real estate agents that are successful year in and year out are successful because they do the right thing where their clients are concerned.

Some bad real estate agents make it so much harder for the agents that work hard to do their job professionally. It is so frustrating to see that some agents take their responsibilities so mildly. They dabble in real estate so they have to fit transactions into their schedules. They say call me in the morning I will talk then it is too late now, so you call in the morning, only for them to return contact after 5:00. If you miss there call, just try to get to talk to them again, thats another day. So transactions are strung out over days, instead of accomplishing what a full time professional would accomplish in one day.

I am just frustrated because I know I work hard and so do many other agents in the best interest of the client. We are customer service oriented and we work real estate full time, therefore, if we are not good, we do not earn. While others work part time and earn regardless. Don't misunderstand, if you have to work part time I understand but please do real estate correctly or not at all. It is not fair to the rest of the profession to tie up transactions around your other income.

I feel better now, lol,I had to vent....I am in the middle of just a mess because of an agent and her client dragging things out.

Real Estate activity has increased in the Raleigh North Carolina area but I am wondering about other areas. When our market has slowed down ,other than at holiday time, it has been due to buyers having a difficult time selling their home in another state. I like to hear about other markets because it does tend to influence sales here and I thought some of you may feel the same way. So if you have a minute, let me know how the real estate market is in your location.

What do you find to work the best way in getting listings. I have heard about people using the telephone and others say no. Some also say mailings, other say not so much. Will you share the way that works best for you?