Fat, Lazy Realtors - Posted by Thom

Posted by JohnG on December 13, 1999 at 07:29:24:

I agree 100%.
Whenever we point the finger at someone else, it might be appropriate to bend the index finger back a little and voila - it points right back to where the real problem lies.
We are all responsible for our own business - no one else - especially lazy fat realtors !!!They never hindered me from making money on a property is my life.

Fat, Lazy Realtors - Posted by Thom

Posted by Thom on December 12, 1999 at 20:59:14:

I was just sitting here this morning, drinking coffee, doing my daily reading, e-mail and other web sites of interest, when, after reading a couple of posts on this site, it dawned on me how truly worthless and lazy Realtors(R) and other real estate agents are.

This afternoon, when most people are Christmas shopping or watching football, I will be in someone else?s house (for the third time this month) eating bon bons, setting on my fat lazy a__, hoping some sucker will come in and buy it.

After that I will go home and make sure that all the paper work is in order for the closing that I have tomorrow, on a house that I sold to the another sucker, who actually had to put up a down payment and have credit to buy his new home.

OK, so maybe I?m a little sarcastic, I read this site almost daily, much better than TV, there?s always a lot of questions like; “How do I find a real estate agent that will work for me?” I know that most of you will not agree, but here is my prospective.

If you called my office and asked me to show you houses, or asked me to help you locate a house, this is what would happen:

1.I would ask you to come in and meet with me at my office.
·At our meeting we would discuss:
·What type property you?re looking for (owner occupied, investment, SF, MF, etc)
·What you expect from me as your agent, because if I worked for you, you would sign an agency agreement.
·And, finally, what you?re financial situation is. You see if you have no money and no credit the chances are very good that we are not going to buy anything, and I?m not going to get paid.

You see, just like buying a house, if you can?t get the deal you like, you move on to the next.

If you brought me a contract on a house that I have listed, this is the way it would be handled:

  1. I would take the offer to my sellers, no matter what I thought of it.
  2. We, the sellers and I would discuss the positives and the negatives of the offer. If you were to offer a l/o, the sellers would understand the risk involved.
  3. If you did not supply a letter of credit or a pre-approval letter from your leader your chances of having a contract accepted are nil.
  4. Escape causes would be very tight, one week for inspection, no partnership approval. (If you can?t make the decision, don?t make the offer.)

You see as a listing agent I have the duty to promote the interest of the seller with the utmost good faith, loyalty, and fidelity. I also live in an area were most houses sell for the listed price or more, within days of listing.

Having said that, does that mean all agents are competent? NO. Are all agents lazy? NO.

Should you work with an agent? Maybe, maybe not, it really depends on what you expect from them. Remember, the only why they make money is by selling something. If you waste their time and never close a deal, don?t expect to much service.

Just like any other profession the 80/20 rule applies. Eighty percent of the business is going to be controlled by Twenty percent of the agents. (same rule applies to investing, about 80% of the deals are going to be made by 20% of you). Chances are the agents in the top 20% won?t work with you on creative real estate, (to busy doing the real thing) and the other 80% are too lazy or won?t understand it.

Sorry this is so long, but here my last thought. Zig Ziglar said:

?YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING IN LIFE YOU WANT IF YOU WILL JUST HELP ENOUGH OTHER PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT?

Point is, stop thinking about yourself and start listening to those you profess you want to help, as long as you help other people solve their problems, you can be successful.

In Self Defense… - Posted by Hugh James

Posted by Hugh James on December 13, 1999 at 10:10:29:

I’d like to point out that there are just as many SKINNY, lazy Realtors out there as fat ones. We fat, lazy, middle aged real estate agents like myself are tired of being singled out for persecution. LOL. You forgot “greedy” Thom. One Carleton student who wanted me to help him write offers on Sheets’ forms instead of our usual board contracts said it was just because I was “greedy.” Well, OK, I can live with greedy.

Now I’ve got to go rest. I just had to order another yard sign for a new listing and I’m exhausted.

Re:|Another prospective. - Posted by Ed Garcia

Posted by Ed Garcia on December 13, 1999 at 24:39:46:

Thom:

I think your post was interesting.

I never considered Realtors as a whole, to be fat and lazy. As a matter of fact, I have come across some
Realtors who hustle and work hard.

I notice a major difference between residential and commercial realtors. The first difference I notice,
is education. Commercial realtors seem to be more astute and knowledgeable in regard to their product.

On the commercial scene, it’s easier to find a realtor who will work for an investor. I think the main reason
is, that it’s actually harder to know the financial strength of your investor when they are talking in high
dollar increments. Also investors in that arena are more knowledgeable themselves, so they know how to
talk the talk.

Also, commercial brokerages such as Coldwell Banker, Marcus & Millichap, Grubb & Ellis, require a realtor with a college degree to work full time. Unlike many residential realtors who will allow house wives
to work part time to supplement their husbands income. Again, I’m not trying to be judgmental, just point
out some interesting points to show the difference in the professionalism.

But regardless of the arena, in most cases, I consider realtors, ORDER TAKERS.

It’s not meant as a put down, just an observation. You have to realize that their mentality is geared toward
retail sales. That’s the only market they truly understand. If they saw the market as we do, they would be
investors themselves. The ones that do see the market as we do, are investors.

There is a lot to be said about realtors, both good and bad. But I think our main objective is to get them to
find deals for us, and in order to do that we need to learn how to build a working relationship with them.

We need to establish a trust, professional respect, and educate them to our needs. If you really want to get
them to work for you, make them your friend. That’s what this business is all about.

We have another word for that, we call it NETWORKING.

Ed Garcia

Re: Fat, Lazy Realtors - Posted by SCook85

Posted by SCook85 on December 12, 1999 at 23:15:07:

As I always preach- Realtors are people too. Most of them are good at what they do and that is selling pretty homes to qualified homeowners. Asking a realtor to do creative deals, print off all the foreclosures and handymans, present dozens of offers, run around town showing homes, and not getting paid for it is uncalled for. If investors want realtors to produce, Investors have to produce!!!

Steve

Re: In Self Defense… - Posted by Thom

Posted by Thom on December 13, 1999 at 18:55:44:

I am sorry, you’re right,I thought those skinny guys and gals weren’t making enongh money to eat.

Re:|Another prospective. - Posted by Thom

Posted by Thom on December 13, 1999 at 09:20:05:

Ed
I always read your posts and like you’re prospectives.

I couldn’t agree with your more than this post, with most brokerages it’s a numbers game, the more part timers and house wifes you have on staff, the more sales you get.

The reason that the commercial realtors are better is because they are professionals. But so are the investors that they deal with.

I was an investor (and still am) before I was a Realtor and I know what I expected from my agent, it wasn’t always in his best interest.

As with any area in life there are the professionals and the amateurs. The problem is in this business people can get hurt by dealing with amateurs. (both with amateur investors and real estate agents.)