When I first got my real estate license, I was surprised to learn how many people heavily dislike real estate agents; Some would even say HATE. Why the haters? We are just trying to do our jobs and make a living so why do we often get a bad rap? There are a few reasons, and many of them justified. Trust me, I have met some Realtors that I REALLY dislike.
1. Ease of Entry Into The Field
It's not very hard to obtain a real estate license. Take a few classes, tests and BAM, you're a Realtor. That translates into MANY, MANY people out there who just don't know what the hell they are doing. In this job, you learn as you go. You actually have to go through many transactions until you know what the heck your doing.
2. Slick Salespeople
Who likes salespeople? I have NEVER heard anyone say, "I LOVED my used car salesperson". Salespeople in general have bad raps and real estate is no different. Just ask any home seller that has a canceled or expired listing and they will tell you how many calls they receive from hungry real estate agents fishing for new business in the expired listing lake.
3. Unethical Agents
Hey, let's be honest, there are unethical people in every field of work. Not all agents are liars and cheats but if you've had a bad experience, you know they are out there.
4. Real Estate is Easy
On the surface, selling your home should be easy. Slap a fresh coat of paint on, plant some flowers, put out a sign, easy peasy! Why should a home seller pay thousands of dollars to hire a professional? Sometimes they are right. Some transactions are super easy. But often, VERY OFTEN, things go wrong and people get sued. Agents to more than list your home. We are transaction managers there to get you from point A (listing your home) to point B (THE CLOSING). And if something can go wrong in the middle, it most likely will.
The bottom line is, yes, there are scumbags in the real estate industry. The stories I could tell!!!! The takeaway here is that you MUST research the agent you are going to hire. There are plenty of wonderful, professional real estate agents out there, you just need to do your homework.
