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Agree. But you are wasting your time on HN arguing those points. On HN (many) people are curious, think they rise to a challenge, and think they have the time a

by gist 9y ago

Agree. But you are wasting your time on HN arguing those points. On HN (many) people are curious, think they rise to a challenge, and think they have the time and bandwidth to defeat any obstacle or achieve any goal they want. And are additionally willing to DIY it just for sport. The shocking thing is how little they understand how 'normal' folks operate. Wanting simple, easy and not necessarily having either the time, intelligence or desire to cut out a useful middleman. Also I love when people decide that the way someone else earns a living makes them overpaid and not worth what the market is paying them. In the end as I said in another comment most people selling real estate aren't making tremendous money doing it with all the time wasted on people who don't end up buying.

hueving 9y ago
The problem isn't that real estate agents are offering the service, it's that you're pretty much forced into using it.
- gist 9y ago
  You are not 'forced' into using it. You can compile your own information of houses that may be for sale that aren't for sale and approach the owner directly and try to buy it. You can also approach people who had their houses listed that took them off the market and approach them after the listing expired. Think I am making this up? That is exactly what I did with one property that I bought. It was listed one year and never sold. I wrote a letter to the owner saying I wanted to buy it, struck a deal, and bought it. Simple common sense. Let's say you are interested in a condo (as only one example could be houses in a development) in a particular building. Send a postal letter to everyone in the building. Say you are a serious buyer and ask them if they want to sell. In a large enough building you will get people that are thinking about selling and you can strike a deal. Management offices (at condos) often know who might be selling as well. Contact them. I have gotten deals for buying real estate from property management companies as well. They send me leads and I don't have to use a realtor at all. They know I am a buyer because I have communicated that to them. Also helps to buy small gifts for the person that holds that info or at least be super nice.
  - notyourday 9y ago
    > You can compile your own information of houses that may be for sale that aren't for sale and approach the owner directly and try to buy it. You can also approach people who had their houses listed that took them off the market and approach them after the listing expired. In some markets it is not possible due to what is known as "pocket listings".
  - hueving 9y ago
    People that are thinking about selling that don't have a listing will not usually give you a very good deal (e.g. "make me move" offers). If you're not getting market or below market rate, there isn't much point in bypassing the agent.

by gist 9y ago

hueving 9y ago

The problem isn't that real estate agents are offering the service, it's that you're pretty much forced into using it.

gist 9y ago
You are not 'forced' into using it. You can compile your own information of houses that may be for sale that aren't for sale and approach the owner directly and try to buy it. You can also approach people who had their houses listed that took them off the market and approach them after the listing expired. Think I am making this up? That is exactly what I did with one property that I bought. It was listed one year and never sold. I wrote a letter to the owner saying I wanted to buy it, struck a deal, and bought it. Simple common sense. Let's say you are interested in a condo (as only one example could be houses in a development) in a particular building. Send a postal letter to everyone in the building. Say you are a serious buyer and ask them if they want to sell. In a large enough building you will get people that are thinking about selling and you can strike a deal. Management offices (at condos) often know who might be selling as well. Contact them. I have gotten deals for buying real estate from property management companies as well. They send me leads and I don't have to use a realtor at all. They know I am a buyer because I have communicated that to them. Also helps to buy small gifts for the person that holds that info or at least be super nice.
- notyourday 9y ago
  > You can compile your own information of houses that may be for sale that aren't for sale and approach the owner directly and try to buy it. You can also approach people who had their houses listed that took them off the market and approach them after the listing expired. In some markets it is not possible due to what is known as "pocket listings".
- hueving 9y ago
  People that are thinking about selling that don't have a listing will not usually give you a very good deal (e.g. "make me move" offers). If you're not getting market or below market rate, there isn't much point in bypassing the agent.