3 ms·

Are you speaking from experience in the real estate industry? I'll agree that RE agents ("Realtor" is a trademarked term) are essentially unnecessary for the h

Are you speaking from experience in the real estate industry? I'll agree that RE agents ("Realtor" is a trademarked term) are essentially unnecessary for the happy path when a property sale goes smoothly. In that case, they are overpaid secretaries. But the reason RE agents are their own profession is because when a sale starts to wander off the happy path, there can suddenly be a LOT to know, discuss, and do. A good RE agent will be honest with you if the asking price is ridiculous in either direction. They know all the little local details and laws that are easy for a layperson to miss. They'll help you deal with a difficult buyer/seller. They know where the flood plains are. They know about zoning. They know who to call when the weirdest shit pops up. There are few other areas in life where ignoring (or not seeing) non-obvious red flags can ruin a person or family so completely. I have had bad RE agents that were uncooperative paper-pushers who kept dropping the ball, and I have had good RE agents that were worth every single penny they earned. If you want to be mad at something, I suggest looking into the National Association of Realtors. It is essentially the union that all RE agents are a part of, whether they want to be or not. NAR essentially owns the bulk of property listings in the US and heavily gatekeep access to it.

greenfish6 2y ago
Yes, if every deal went according to plan, you could just use half an hour of attorney time. For our value add compared to the regular realtor when things go wrong. Our thesis is that because 65% of home buyers use the first realtor they meet, most individuals are getting this "uncooperative paper-pusher who keeps dropping the ball". We can outcompete this average realtor on the quality front. Our end-game plan is to own our own MLS.
the_gorilla 2y ago
Thanks for the reminder, I did get surprised by several local laws despite having a realtor familiar with the area. I speak from experience as a buyer who did all the work and indirectly paid a parasite a lot of money to cost me even more money. I need to emphasis that the issue is that I don't have a choice in the matter. In cases where I don't need them, it doesn't matter if they're good or not, they're purely parasitic. I don't want them. They've inserted themselves in the process against my will.

greenfish6 2y ago

Yes, if every deal went according to plan, you could just use half an hour of attorney time. For our value add compared to the regular realtor when things go wrong. Our thesis is that because 65% of home buyers use the first realtor they meet, most individuals are getting this "uncooperative paper-pusher who keeps dropping the ball". We can outcompete this average realtor on the quality front. Our end-game plan is to own our own MLS.

the_gorilla 2y ago

Thanks for the reminder, I did get surprised by several local laws despite having a realtor familiar with the area. I speak from experience as a buyer who did all the work and indirectly paid a parasite a lot of money to cost me even more money. I need to emphasis that the issue is that I don't have a choice in the matter. In cases where I don't need them, it doesn't matter if they're good or not, they're purely parasitic. I don't want them. They've inserted themselves in the process against my will.