VENT - Real Estate Agents....

I'm about to loose it today!! I can't believe how many agents in my company have NO IDEA what forms are required by C.A.R. (CA Assoc. of Real Estate)! They come to me expecting me to hand over their commission check and the file is half complete! I try to be nice by giving them a helpful checklist to guide them through the transaction process, and does it do any good??? NO! They bring back the checklist, stick it in my face and give me this confused/'I shouldn't have to do this' look on their face! They are so spoiled!
You would think that if you have a 30K commission check coming you would get on the ball and DO YOUR JOB. Ha! They amaze me everyday. Today it's an agent who is claiming she never knew a certain form existed...even though it was released this last January!! And she even has escrow involved! Escrow hasn't a clue as to what forms are required for R.E. Comapanys! WTF! I'm so annoyed right now.....
Maybe this only happens at my company...just my luck! LOL :rolleyes: :p

there is a saying until you walk a mile in someone's shoes you really dont know how they feel or who they are.

6% commission is split two ways, the listing agent gets 3% of which is split again with the broker.

real estate agents save more deals than is really publically known, i am horrible with forms and i have been an agent and broker since 1989, i do however understand the law and keep myself educated thru classes to protect my clients biggest investment, their home.

when we negotiate we negotiate in favor of the client, it is much easier and efficient to have two emotionally removed realtors hash out deals, believe me we know how the get the most for you.

i would like to also take the time to really ask if either of you have attained these licenses and maintained them? getting a brokers license was absolutely no small feat and amount of studying i had to accomplish was mind boggling, there is more than knowing which form does what to this business, mind you having a wonderful support staff to give us these little comforts is appreciated in my office and we adored our support staff.

i did not have a weekend to myself for over 10 years, i had to put clients interests ahead of my own and many times my family came second, i have been screamed at and blamed for things that i had no part in, all in all still looking out for the best interest of the client even and saving them from forclosure.

i have driven clients around for weeks, payed for meals and been dropped when i showed signs of exhaustion. if i was not available when a client called, i had to take the risk that they would find someone else to find a home for them

every one of my expenses comes out of pocket, there is no 401K, (mind you some companies do have it but they are the rarity) there is no health insurance and you are responsible to pay your own taxes.

i worked for an elite real estate company owned by the second richest man in America, my office was lovely, but unless i produced, i was history.

i had to put every once of energy into a deal and if it did not close, that was the risk of doing business, real estate agents work alot of time for free.

being a realtor is actually one of the hardest jobs i have ever encountered, i loved it because i did improve peoples lives, i did make them money and found them homes, you cant beat that feeling.

like i said, walk a mile in my shoes and then we will talk.

Kittylane I wasn't trying to put down R.E. Agents in any way. I hope that didn't come across. I am the Transaction Coordinator a.k.a. pre-auditor and I have to make sure all our files are PERFECT. I love our agents, but I swear a few of them take advantage of me and try to play mind games with me....and all I'm trying to do is cover their/and the companies booties if they get sent to court. I am so helpful and assist the agents as much as I can. My checklist is practically 'dummy-proof' and still I get the same arguements. I'm fine with agents who don't know all the forms, that is why I help them out with my world famous checklist. But if they still don't get it afterwards then that's when my nerves start to go heywire. LOL
I know how exhausting & stressfull it can be for agents, I see it everyday and one of my best friends is an agent. I have my license, but I picked this position instead. I think sometimes I just loose it because all the interuptions and arguements are SO unnecessary! :o

i hear ya, i will tell you about the agents that get on my nerves, those who get in when the market is hot and dont want to do the groundwork it truly takes, i mean education of what it means to represent a buyer or seller, if you do it for the commission check and dont love what you are doing...you are gonna last just one hot season, to be a realtor you gotta know how to "roll" with the punches, punches in the economy, personalities of the clients, bank criteria, inspections and repairs and many other cog's in the wheel.

no other job i know of do you have to state licensed for, work many hours for free if a client changes his/her mind and there is no recourse for payment of services rendered and a deal falls thru. yet with this we have to constantly keep abreast of state law for the benefit of the client.

if it really was that easy to pick up the 30,000 paycheck, EVERYONE would be doing it, sure there are some with a golden spoon or a "in" with the business but most of good realtors are like me, doing the next right thing and getting paid when i have given 200%. its true there are some sleeze out there but that goes for every profession.

as for the national monopolly on the MLS, it is a free country, for sale by owner is a business why has that not taken over where the MLS has been? i will tell you exactly why, it takes skill to negotiate as noted in my first post, it takes skill to understand the real estate law and it takes a person who is willing to negotiate with hot heads or emotional clients and still get the best deal for them.

the NAR exists because realtors cannot be replaced by computers or even those paid a salary, i guarantee you the salary for a person to do this job would be at least 6 figures, if they know what they are doing.

sorry for the rant, but i have GIVEN more than taken and have EARNED every commission i have ever made, again, walk a mile in my shoes.

bellalove....we all have our moments to rant, i deeply respect what you do, we are lost without people like you to make our lives a bit easier. thank you.

Bella, is your Broker behind you on insuring that all the forms are turned in? Maybe you could memo the individuals that are lacking the forms (telling them which ones are needed) and 'cc:' him a copy?

Just an idea. I can see how frustrating that would be.

Oh ya! That is my favorite thing to do Yellowrose! :D The owners of the company have my back 100%. The situation I am in right now is with an agent who is playing games with me. She was told in an e-mail by our Broker that she NEEDS to get a certain form completed and signed, (the broker secretly CC'd me on the e-mail) so the agent turns around and is still giving me a hard time because she has no idea that I know about the e-mail!! LOL And today is when escrow closes and I can't wait for our confrontation!!:D The funny thing is she is representing both sides of the deal so it shouldn't be a hassel for her to get a form completed by both clients.
.....as the world turns.....

I have no problem in paying a real estate agent to do the work. I'd rather pay them than try to sell my house myself (this is from experience as I have done it both ways -- much easier and smoother with an agent). I would never do a deal where one agent represents both sides. That would be the same as having one lawyer represent both sides in a suit. Very unethical -- especially if a conflict arises like it did with the sale of my last house.

BellaLove -- as far as people doing their work . . . unfortunately that is not only in the real estate field . . . it is everywhere!! People want the money and the glory, but they don't want to do the work. I am forever amazed at the people out there that think that just by virtue of showing up for work they should be rewarded. I have worked with some of the most proficient paper shufflers you can imagine who always look busy and do absolutely NOTHING!! It's frustrating for everyone.

thank you peachy and wise advice regarding representation, i have represented both sides rarely, but i totally agree with what you are saying.

many true agents i have found to be a little ADD, thats precisely why real estate works for them, to do the same thing every day is really testing their very nature, they need the up's down's sideway's of real estate and it always is changing for their concentration to be razor sharp. this is just my observation, it is not to slight my profession.

now come to the forms bit..... i am always so humble when i ask staff for help, i know i have asked them the same question before and i worked one place for 7 years and the other for 6 years before going solo.

it was only when i noticed other people i truly respected as GREAT agents doing the same thing that i did not feel so stupid.

there are SO many aspects to a deal before it gets to paperwork, that is precisely why staff are so needed, sometimes we can be a little fryed from negotiation or our clients emotions, we are dealing with keeping a lid on emotions or fears or anxiety, it is a very big deal for a person to sell a home.

everytime i close a sale, i feel major accomplishment, we would be lost however without the bellaloves in our lifes.

Thanks!

I think the main thing that ticks me off is when I'm argued with. Then it's reached a whole other level and I start to feel offended that they are implying that I don't know how to do MY job. This is what i have been dealing with all week. :mad: This one individual throws so much attitude at me, and then turns around and refuses to listen to the facts. She is basically IN court right now with her Sellers.....and that gives me even MORE reason to make sure the file is complete. I'm trying to cover everyone's behinds.

Hey Kittylane! Have you ever heard of it being illegal to hold an agents check for more than 24 hours if a file is not complete??!! She just threw that at me this morning......but she works for a broker, and it the file isn't complete there is no way I'm handing her her check. I think she's just blowing hot air because of the situation and she hates the fact that I'm in charge of paying her.

I am relatively new to the real estate field (am a mortgage broker as well), but love helping people and the many varied opportunities of the field wherein we can make money.

I just wanted to back Kittylane up and say it is truly one of the hardest jobs I've ever done, but it is rewarding ...

I can see all points in this discussion ... well done.

Princessdy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The median price of a new home plunged in September the largest amount in more than 35 years, even as the pace of sales rose for a second month.
The Commerce Department said the median price for a new home sold in September was $217,100, down 9.7% from September 2005.

That was the lowest median price for a new home since September 2004 and the sharpest year-over-year decline since December 1970. The weakness in new-home prices was even sharper than a 2.5% fall in the price of existing homes last month, which had been the biggest drop on record.

BUYERS' MARKET: Sellers sing the blues as price drop sets record

The price decline for new homes came while the sales pace picked up, rising 5.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.075 million homes. It was the second consecutive increase in sales, after three months of declines.

Still, September sales were down 14.2% from September 2005.

The supply of homes available for sale at the current sales pace fell to 6.4 months' worth from 6.8 months in August. There were 557,000 homes available for sale at the end of September, down 1.9% from 568,000 in August.

New-home sales rose 23.9% in the West in September and 6.9% in the South. They fell 34.5% in the Northeast and 6.3% in the Midwest.

The rise in sales last month was led by a 23.9% jump in the West. Sales were also up 6.9% in the South. Sales fell by 34.5% in the Northeast and were down 6.3% in the Midwest.

The Commerce Department's report on new-home sales in September came a day after a real estate trade group said existing home sales slipped in September for a sixth straight month. The National Association of Realtors said home resales slowed to an annual rate of 6.18 million from a 6.30 million pace in August.

i can tell you that i have been an agent since 1989 and have known hundreds of agents, i have never known one to sue a client. i have worked with some of the highest producers in my area. in both companies that i worked for, reputation was a high consideration. there have times i have wanted to beat clients with a stick, but i have never, THANK GOD, been in any side of a lawsuit.

i am assuming that the agent is on the other side of the transaction and not from your office, since she reallly is not working under your broker i would check with your broker about her claim that it is illegal to hold her check, i really would check it out with a real estate attorney more so than a broker.

she has procured the sale and obviously it has closed, if the forms missing are state regulated, it is true that she should give them to you but again this is a good question and since you have an agent that is SUE happy i would want it very clear from an attorney that her statement is valid or not.

unfortunately you have a "winner" there, i would get her out of my hair as soon as possible, people like this are suck out your energy and if possible need to be avoided, they end up being their own worst enemy.

best wishes that next week is easier. :)

Ya, she's definitally wore me out this week. She represented BOTH sides of the transaction. The buyer is not happy with the seller and they are dealing with attorneys at the moment. My broker laughed when I told him about the illegal check holding.......it's now been 3 days and I still have her check. I told her to either turn in the paperwork or call the broker and deal with him directly. She's trying to mess with my head and I'm not having it anymore! I'm not putting my job in jeopordy just to make her happy...h*ll no! LOL

Thank God its Fridayyyyyy!!!!!!!:p

so i suppose she had transactional agent relationship, in florida it is illegal for dual agency, meaning representing both parties, we have a no-relationship brokerage called transactural brokerage, hopefully she at least treated both parties fairly.

i feel your frustration.... TGIF!