Separating the "Husk" from the healthy grain.

If you are buying or selling a house, at some point you will encounter a Real Estate Agent.  Most RE Agents are knowledgeable professionals and are bound by a code of ethics.  I have been at both sides of the fence, as a buyer, a seller, and in between, as a RE agent.  While this profession is blessed with many good, honest, hard working and caring agents, like in any other field, there is the husk that needs to be separated from the grain.  For some reason, we tend to generalize –  blaming the entire profession, for the faults of the few (the husk).  Some of the most annoying traits of these children of the corn are:

  1. Not returning your calls in a reasonable amount of time (taking into consideration that you are not the only client).
  2. Scheduling an Open House, and not showing up, canceling without your knowledge, or sending someone else without letting you know.
  3. Assuming that you will reduce your price, just because, without presenting you with the facts.
  4. Assuming that you won’t like that house (in your list) because it doesn’t sound like what you are looking for.
  5. Going away on vacation and not letting you know.  You just found out because you called to let him/her know that your were going to be away for a couple of days.
  6. Sending a cookie cutter letter to solicit your house – you just happened to get the same letter (word by word) from a different agent.
  7. Telling you:  “This house should have sold; I have many clients that would like to see it.”  You can help but thinking:  “Where were you with your clients 6 months ago?”
  8. Appearing forcefully aggressive (personality) to obtain the expired listing while putting down the previous agent.  You can’t help but think:  “What will you say if you can’t sell it either?”
  9. Asking for the listing and not bothering to look at your house after you inform him/her that you have chosen someone else.  You can’t help but think:  Did you want to sell my house or list it?
  10. Touring your home with clients, and not bothering to say thank you and good bye when done.  The clients didn’t like it so why bother being polite?  You can’t help but think:  “I guess I won’t see you again?”  “Was it that bad?”
  11. Insisting that you see a particular house that you know you won’t like.  You want a 3 bedroom, not a four (even if it is the same price).
  12. Insisting on a particular area, because of age or race…  This is against the law and the Code of Ethics.

Just because you have had your share of any of the above (or your friend, your cousin, or the friend of your friend’s cousin), doesn’t mean that the entire profession is Husk.  I say, these are the few; there is plenty of good grain in the field.