My first experience as a new agent was horrible. I will tell you about it someday when I can talk in shorthand, it is lengthy.

So, I treat all agents the same. I am glad when they call to show my listings even though that doesn't happen alot. I have had agents that I have to actually tell them what to do next when they seem to be at a standstill.

I treat others the way I want to be treated. Ok, sometimes I pick on you but I am sorry. lol

It was different when we all represented the seller. I truly enjoyed working with new agents and complimented them to no end when they were extremely thorough. It was back when agents were allowed at the presentations and even though, as the listing agent, I had the right to present the offer, I liked to give the newbie a chance to 'show their stuff'. Before the presentation, I usually gave them some tips on what I had found to be successful, such as not disclosing the price until near the end so that the seller continued to be attentive for the entire presentation.

I can remember one young female agent who had everything in order and years later I hired her when I was managing a RE/MAX office. She is still there as one of their top producers and I would like to think that I helped her along on her very first offer and thus made the business exciting to her. Can you imagine what an agent feels if they are degraded on their first few offers? We must keep in mind that we were all new at one time and maybe some of us got better training than others from our brokers. Plus, treating new (and seasoned) agents nice will continue to reap rewards for you as they will show your listings just to do another deal with you!

A little off the subject, but Katie Sojka.  I will always be indebted to Katie Sojka.  Katie was the listing agent of the very first house I sold.  I was absolutely green, not only in experience, but also around the gills.  Something told me it was OK to trust Katie, even though I had heard "never trust another agent" and "don't tell the other agent you're new!"  She guided me through the entire transaction, from how to use the electronic lock box to escrow and closing.  Thank you, Katie.  I shall always be grateful.

As a result of her kindness and showing me that most agents CAN be trusted, I try to take new agents under my wing.  I never look at them as competitors, but rather partners.  We're all in this together and there's plenty of business to share.  

Christine - I had virtually the same experience with my first sale.  I admitted to Cristin that I was new and nervous, especially since we were bumping a contingency.  She calmly assured me that I was doing everything correctly and when I picked up the keys to the house from her office, there was a note that said I had done a great job.

I am the same toward every agent - we're all only human whether we're experience or not.

I think we have had more trouble with seasoned agents then newbies.  The newer agents don't seem to have an ego problem.  They are not afraid to ask questions.  They will ask their broker for help.  I have run into the more experienced agents that try to bully or tell me we don't need a disclosure or they don't do it like that or ... than they usually tell us how many years they have been in the business...  I use to keep a list but seems a lot of those people are missing in action.  No I didn't do it!

J

I am a newbie, but not as new as some of the agents like to think I am.  In our MLS you can tell how long a person has been a member due to your member number.  I have a fairly large (and new) 5 digit number (my mother has a 3 digit number and over 25 years in this MLS), but I served my time as her daughter and in another MLS as an agent before moving here recently.  I can't tell you the times I have been patronized by some older agents (especially men).  They will try to bully me. you wouldn't believe it.  My mother laughs because they won't do it to her, but she says I am tougher than she ever was and they would probably get further with bullying her than me (just kidding, she holds her own).

I hope I never treat others that way!!  

Shelly

I have to agree with Jana.  The seasoned agents are usually the snotty and rude ones.

They've been around for so long that they think they are above others.

If they ever get nasty to me, I tell them:  "You know what?  You put your pants on one leg at a time just like I do, and we both passed the same damn test to get that pretty little license you seem to think makes you better than me."

The newer agents are usually willing to learn and are nice and treat people like people.  They don't know any better.

I agree with everyone on this topic.  I have mentored a lot of new agents in my company over the last 10 years.  Most of them have stepped out of the business for various reasons, but I stay in contact with them & they have turned into a great referral source.

Rob

Becky, The new agents know plenty. The next time an agent (1) claims rookie status and lets you do all the work, (2) tells you she did your open house and never showed up, (3) takes a 4% listing when you quoted the owner 6% (4) takes a "floor call" that should have gone to you etc. etc., "snotty and rude" will be an understatement. That laughter you hear is from the newbies with their license that looks just like everyone else's.

I try to be nice to everyone. I share my limited knowledge with new and old agents. But, it is not my job to train them. The broker and the office manager recruited them with pie in the sky BS. We all know it's a numbers game for them. Hire ten one pays off and four will be a referral source. Now do you really think they would be letting the broker and the relative of the owner know how they really operate? I can point to at least six agents I have set up on the P2A web site. I wouldn't turn my back on any of them. They didn't end up in this profession because they were loved in the last job they had. No, the promise of easy money from the broker and the little prime of the pump the broker uses to get them going, comes from leads that may very well have been mine.

This may not be what Sharron and Steve intended with their query, but Phil R. is correct. The more new agents I meet, the better I like my dog.

I have no problem with new agents in CT. I will even help them through the contract issues if necessary to get to closing.

The problem I have is with agents in CT who don't handle their part of the transaction or are Part Timers and are no accessible.

Send your referrals to CT to http://realestatetorrington.com

My first week I was offered a chance to do an open house for an agent. She didn't want a referral just if I can help someone else to do so and "pay it forward", so to speak. I try to help new and old agents when I can. Sometimes they just need someone to talk with about how RE is going. Older agents can still learn from the newbies. They may have a better or different idea that works. If someone is trying to "bully" me I just say "BYE BYE" and go on my merry way.

Sharron-I watched Hitch last night and I thought it was funny. The Benedryl scene had me rofl...

I'm with Phil R too . . .

and I don't know what's worse . . .

a newbie who watched "The Apprentice" too many times and wants to try to tell me 'how it's gonna be' . . . OR

an oldie who says, "I don't know how long YOU've had your license, but I've had mine 27 years" and it becomes apparent that it was the same year  repeated 27 times when they want to use that to justify not following a contract or covering their client's butt ineffectively. . .

I've had great mentors, some old agents, some new ones . . . AND some of my best teachers were and are CLIENTS.

Many I have the pleasure of working with on occasion still.

I try to be accommodating with agents I know need help . . . but

First question is always, "Where's your broker?". I don't want to step on toes.

We were all new once.  I help where ever I can.  With new information and technology out there, we are all learning all of the time.

Sure, you don't have to train the newbies, but if they are in the transaction with you, wouldn't you want it to go smoothly?

I make fun of their clothes.

I ask them things like - is intestate a legal term or a rectal exam?

you bad.

LOL -- I thought that was an innastate.

Gads I am surprised I passed the test?!!

I've seen the movie Hitch and it's not as funny as this.

"No, silly, an innastate is when a person is all riled up and upset! They are in (quite) a state!"

In my younger days, I woke up one morning in the state of Louisiana and didn't remember how I got there. I was upset, and in quite a state.

Which proves that UFO's are real.

See, if I hang around here long enough - my mood swings back to happy! thanks and good night.

See how it goes - I actually go to work on a Sunday, show 3 townhomes and write an offer and GREG gets in a happy mood!  I need to write more deals! You're welcome, Gregory.

I treat new agents the same way I treat seasoned agents ...well, maybe with a little more patience. I actually like to work with new agents on the "other side" ... a lot of times they seem to follow all the rules more closely and it makes our lives much easier.

When I was brand new, I tried to hide very carefully the fact that I was new ... didn't want anyone take advantage of it and therefore potentially hurt my clients. And I was very lucky to be with a great office at that time ... learning from the best we had.

I do have to complain a little about some of the big name agents in our area, who have no problems showing themselves off and being rude. Just a few months ago, I was a buyer's agent in a transaction where the listing agent was also the seller ... from the very beginning of the negotiations, I was treated like a complete newbie who needed to be told how to do real estate. I had to bite my tongue many many times dealing with this agent, the only thing that kept me from telling her what I really thought was the fact that I wanted for the transaction to go through ... I tried really hard to have my client's interest in my mind at all times. Now, don't take me wrong ... I have no problem accepting advice from others or even asking for advice ... but I do have a big problem with being treated without any respect (I thought many times about having a little one-on-one broker to broker conversation with this agent's broker but decided to just shake it off) ... those 4 or 5 weeks from signing the contract to closing drained a lot of energy out of me ... but it worked out and my clients were happy with their home and that's what counts. For me, it was quite an experience.

Whether in real estate or real life, I try to treat everyone the same way I wish to be treated.

In reading everyone's comments, I think the bigger issue than new or seasoned is personal attitude.  You do have the newbies who come in with big egos and think they can outdo everyone.  They have heard that real estate is a cut-throat business and they show up with a gimme gimme attitude ready to take whatever they can.  And they end up being the hateful "I've been the business three million years" types that we have to deal with down the road.  

And, you also have Realtors who have been in the business 10, 15, 20 plus years who are still very courteous, gracious, and easy to work with.  So, for me, it is more about personality type than years of experience.  I have found that there are Realtors who will pull up their sleeves and we all work together to get the deal done.  And there are Realtors that I just want to run from the minute I hear their name.  I just hope those Realtors have nice assistants I can deal with instead.  :)  Or I rely on email whenever possible for correspondence.  

Fortunately for me, I have run into very few of the hateful, arrogant Realtors and most of my cross sales have involved wonderful Realtors who I would love to do many more sales with!  (I just hope they say the same about me!)

Marcia

I SPOIL the heck out of them..... I was a rookie once (and maybe still am?).  Sure, that means doing 90% of the work for them but remember when you were a newbie and how scared you were?.  I remember that vividly !!  My first closing was like a major stress thing or something.

Clientwise, it can be a little frustrating but that's just a part of the real estate "journey"......

Cheers !

Radley / Atlanta