Real Estate Agents Aren't To Blame
Recently a friend introduced me to one of his "golfing" buddies. As usual I was introduced as a real estate agent.
Have you ever heard the term "black with rage" to describe how angry somebody can get? As soon as I was introduced as a real estate agent this fellow's face certainly made it to purple, which is pretty close to black -- mostly it's a mixture of black tinged with red for rage. In other words, this man did not receive my introduction in a graceful, gracious manner.
Right on the spot he exploded into a tirade about how real estate agents -- dirty, lazy, egg-sucking dogs that they are -- are solely responsible for the current high price of real estate. If it wasn't for those greedy, scummy, low-life agents, he'd be able to sell that house he bought last year and buy a new house. Real estate agents screwed up the entire system because they pushed the prices up too high too fast. Now, all the buyers are gone. As a result he's stuck with his current house and can't move up to what he really wants.
I'm leaving out all the foul language. Let's just say that this man used four letter words as descriptive adjectives -- and he was very descriptive in his opinion of real estate agents.
Somehow I felt that there would be no reasoning with this man, so I merely held out my hand, made my excuses and left. I felt that trying to defend my industry and explain current pricing would be useless in this case.
If I had stayed around, I would have pointed out that the pricing structure for real estate has nothing to do with real estate brokers or their agents. It has everything to do with the interaction between sellers -- the people who set the initial asking price on property -- and buyers -- the people who decide how much to offer against the asking price. The real estate agent simply supplies information to both parties regarding current asking and sold prices for similar properties. This is to be used as a financial guide by both parties during the negotiation. So, real estate prices are the direct reflection of activitiy between buyers and sellers, not the activities of real estate brokers.
Actually, there are a whole lot of things that influence the price of real estate but such a discussion would have been impossible with our angry friend. Mortgage rates, taxation policy, insurance, availability of mortgage funds, supply and demand, property condition, employment and income, why, the list is virually endless. Can you imagine me trying to discuss those items in a reasonable tone of voice with this man? Forget it. Life ain't that long and I don't have that kind of patience! The real estate agent acts simply as an advisor and strategist, then works to make the transaction close.
I'll tell you one thing, I'll bet my friend never introduces me as a real estate agent again! Future introductions will probably go something like this, "This is Terry Ward. He's in the uh ... errrrr ... mmmm ... the blogging business." Hmm, that may not be safe either.
If you'd like more information about current real estate conditions, visit my website at www.thestpeterealestatesite.com.
Have you ever heard the term "black with rage" to describe how angry somebody can get? As soon as I was introduced as a real estate agent this fellow's face certainly made it to purple, which is pretty close to black -- mostly it's a mixture of black tinged with red for rage. In other words, this man did not receive my introduction in a graceful, gracious manner.
Right on the spot he exploded into a tirade about how real estate agents -- dirty, lazy, egg-sucking dogs that they are -- are solely responsible for the current high price of real estate. If it wasn't for those greedy, scummy, low-life agents, he'd be able to sell that house he bought last year and buy a new house. Real estate agents screwed up the entire system because they pushed the prices up too high too fast. Now, all the buyers are gone. As a result he's stuck with his current house and can't move up to what he really wants.
I'm leaving out all the foul language. Let's just say that this man used four letter words as descriptive adjectives -- and he was very descriptive in his opinion of real estate agents.
Somehow I felt that there would be no reasoning with this man, so I merely held out my hand, made my excuses and left. I felt that trying to defend my industry and explain current pricing would be useless in this case.
If I had stayed around, I would have pointed out that the pricing structure for real estate has nothing to do with real estate brokers or their agents. It has everything to do with the interaction between sellers -- the people who set the initial asking price on property -- and buyers -- the people who decide how much to offer against the asking price. The real estate agent simply supplies information to both parties regarding current asking and sold prices for similar properties. This is to be used as a financial guide by both parties during the negotiation. So, real estate prices are the direct reflection of activitiy between buyers and sellers, not the activities of real estate brokers.
Actually, there are a whole lot of things that influence the price of real estate but such a discussion would have been impossible with our angry friend. Mortgage rates, taxation policy, insurance, availability of mortgage funds, supply and demand, property condition, employment and income, why, the list is virually endless. Can you imagine me trying to discuss those items in a reasonable tone of voice with this man? Forget it. Life ain't that long and I don't have that kind of patience! The real estate agent acts simply as an advisor and strategist, then works to make the transaction close.
I'll tell you one thing, I'll bet my friend never introduces me as a real estate agent again! Future introductions will probably go something like this, "This is Terry Ward. He's in the uh ... errrrr ... mmmm ... the blogging business." Hmm, that may not be safe either.
If you'd like more information about current real estate conditions, visit my website at www.thestpeterealestatesite.com.
-30-
posted by Terry Ward at 3:21 AM
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