I’ve been hearing a lot of stories lately, and I’ll tell you they aren’t very good.
“If I get one more low ball offer…”
“When will these ‘agents’ realize that they need to get serious with their offers.”
“Who do these people think they are? Trying to steal my seller’s house?”
Funny isn’t it how quickly we turn on each other in an attempt to make a buck? Well not funny – ha-ha, but funny, you know ironic.
When things were going well and we were tripping over the money – well other agents, I was still in that salaried job – things flowed like wine. Now the market is slow, and it is flowing like day-old concrete in the Texas sun. So what happened?
Is it really that the market slowed down?
I understand that making ends meet is harder than ever for real estate agents, but why is the first thing we abandon our ethics and morals? Unless of course we never had them to begin with.
“I refuse to change the way I operate,” an experienced and dear agent friend said to me this morning. “I’m not going to change me.”
Don’t think that means she isn’t doing well, in fact, she’s kicking some major butt in this market. Why? Because she’s true to herself and people respond to that.
So, keep in mind it might not be the market that’s so bad — it might just be you.
Photograph by Steve Woods and used via license of Stock.xchng
Benn Rosales
March 19, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Negativity breeds negativity.
Toby Boyce
March 19, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Amen Benn. You believe what you hear.
Bill Lublin
March 20, 2008 at 4:58 am
Toby – Having been in the business through outher tough times I can only say you’re right on the money – and the most ironic part of this is that the good guys win over the long term – you don;t make more money doing the wrong thing, you make less over the long term – And people who have done this is tough times know that when you say you can’t do something you’re always right!
Good Post!
Daytona Beach Florida Rentals
March 20, 2008 at 5:13 am
Great Post and your right and this is what I like to call the seasoned realtor they know it’s part of the job ups and downs and have learned to do what it takes in any market to get the job done. People flock to them in any market because they are like the wise old owl for there wisdom.
Real Estate Ponte Vedra
March 20, 2008 at 6:24 am
You have to believe in the ‘Law of Attraction’ and keep on going. Negativity breeds negativity and positivity breeds sales!
Aria Schoenfelt
March 20, 2008 at 8:49 am
Well put. Times are indeed challenging, but I have a positive outlook on things because I really hope that those agents who are out to make a quick buck will move on to other ventures (leaving only the truly good, ethical agents in the business). Then the business has a chance to redeem itself with honest agents providing good services. However, only the ones willing to adapt to changing times will stay at the top (where they belong). I am realistic, and I know that some will never leave the business for fear of trying new things. But I do think that there is a dying class of agents in a technologically evolving industry.
Adrian Salgado
March 20, 2008 at 10:34 am
Amen, Real Estate Ponte Vedra.
The law of attraction is very real.
Heath Coker
March 20, 2008 at 10:45 am
Agents need to relax and not feel guilty about values. There is no one reason for the economy – except maybe the press’ decision to only report the gloomiest and doomiest. Agents who know their market use numbers to indicate value, not emotions. If they are up they are up, or if they are down they are down. Offers by buyers that are lower than expected are only offers and can be accepted or not. They aren’t personla attacks. And when someone who is caught with less value than they owe, Americans have been taught that there is someONE to blame when it is soMANY that affected it.
Agents can still be “tripping over the money,” but there isn’t as much in each transaction as there was, and the deals aren’t as “easy” to put together.
houses for sale in Toronto
March 20, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Sometimes real estate agents are hurry to sell more houses. I agree with posted comment #8. It is not easy to be successful in house selling. But if you work hard and effectively, you may become lucky home realtor. The success comes with many years of experience. Lucrative houses for sale in Toronto is easy to sell because there is nice place to live in Canada. But real estate agents do not offer just lucrative houses to rich people. I think, the key to increase sold houses is to make good deals with your clients.
Toby Boyce
March 21, 2008 at 6:27 am
Heath – I’m a little confused by your “not to worry about values” comment. Are you talking about housing values or moral values?
Thomas Johnson
March 21, 2008 at 8:35 am
There are always homes selling. People need to move for various reasons. If you select clients that need your services as opposed to the house daytraders, there is business to be had. We have no control over the ultimate offer price and we have no control over listing price-that is what the client chooses with our counsel.
If a buyer’s agent brings an offer, that is what their client hired them to do. We just need to do our job-represent our client, abide by the Code of Ethics, and do what they hired us to do. If the buyer/seller client doesn’t like the price, they are allowed to say no. Every body shakes hands and moves on. Thank you for considering this listing/offer.
This is how we add value to the transaction. As Russell Shaw so eloquently puts it, people don’t hire agents-they want to buy or sell a house.