Also sounds like you had a crappy realtor. If you’re using a realtor, get them to work for you, that’s what they’re for. Give them the specs of the house you’re looking for, sure, but they should be calling you with listings, vetting the homes before they show them to you, handling negotiation relays and inspection setups, etc.
Just general advice, yes you pay them, but if they aren’t working for you, pay someone else.
but if they aren’t working for you, pay someone else
My realtor was never on time to a single showing. He never knew the answer to any question without taking time to look it up himself. He couldn’t remember my specifications and his reading comprehension was non-existent as I had to repeat myself many, many times to get any kind of point across.
If I hadn’t gotten my house when I did, I would have dropped him. If I were any other kind of business owner and one of my employees acted like that people would think I was a fucking moron for keeping them on.
Your realtor is your employee. Don’t be afraid to fire them for shitty performance.
I, personally, used a flat fee realtor and pocketed commission (2.5%) that seller provided (minus flat fee), technically, saving ~2.1% of the home price.
I’m just sick of realtors who are taking in total ~15 BILLION per year in Canada alone - ah how great it is to take % on market where average price is $650,000. It’s fucked up. They are not that helpful to pay so much.
There’s certainly something to be said about the inflated price of homes. It used to be that when houses were $200-250, that 3% was a fairly reasonable fee for all the leg work a realtor should be doing (there’s a lot of backend paperwork done in the office). But I’ll agree now that houses are stupid expensive, it’s excessive. It’s also important to remember that the entire real estate industry is purely commission, no one gets paid unless houses sell (everyone from agents, transaction coordinators, title reps, escrow people, etc). My wife is an agent, and when houses aren’t selling, she isn’t making anything, and she works her ass off.
Also sounds like you had a crappy realtor. If you’re using a realtor, get them to work for you, that’s what they’re for. Give them the specs of the house you’re looking for, sure, but they should be calling you with listings, vetting the homes before they show them to you, handling negotiation relays and inspection setups, etc.
Just general advice, yes you pay them, but if they aren’t working for you, pay someone else.
My realtor was never on time to a single showing. He never knew the answer to any question without taking time to look it up himself. He couldn’t remember my specifications and his reading comprehension was non-existent as I had to repeat myself many, many times to get any kind of point across.
If I hadn’t gotten my house when I did, I would have dropped him. If I were any other kind of business owner and one of my employees acted like that people would think I was a fucking moron for keeping them on.
Your realtor is your employee. Don’t be afraid to fire them for shitty performance.
I, personally, used a flat fee realtor and pocketed commission (2.5%) that seller provided (minus flat fee), technically, saving ~2.1% of the home price. I’m just sick of realtors who are taking in total ~15 BILLION per year in Canada alone - ah how great it is to take % on market where average price is $650,000. It’s fucked up. They are not that helpful to pay so much.
There’s certainly something to be said about the inflated price of homes. It used to be that when houses were $200-250, that 3% was a fairly reasonable fee for all the leg work a realtor should be doing (there’s a lot of backend paperwork done in the office). But I’ll agree now that houses are stupid expensive, it’s excessive. It’s also important to remember that the entire real estate industry is purely commission, no one gets paid unless houses sell (everyone from agents, transaction coordinators, title reps, escrow people, etc). My wife is an agent, and when houses aren’t selling, she isn’t making anything, and she works her ass off.