it is my opinion that real estate agents in genral need a good kick up the …..
there tactics are so boring, minddumbingly tedious and that i dont reckon their is any difference between most agents and the worst used car salesman.
i dont know about others but i can pretty much predict the actions, words, tactics etc from the moment you ask abt a property.
on friday i rang up an agent about a unit on behalf of my mother. i said to the agent ‘hi there im ringing on behalf of my mother and was wondering if the unit on the internet is 1 off 2 or is there more than 2 units…
his first question to me was ‘how old is your mother???’
i was shocked – so i then asked him how old his mother was!!!!
when he told me i then asked him if she had any hobbies!!!
ridiculous…
I agree Aussierogue !
The other day in my letter box, I pulled out a typed letter from “Anna and Paul”, addressed to The HomeOwner c/o my address. It said “sorry to contact you like this, but we are looking to buy a house in your area, and if you are interested in selling, then please contact this particular agent at this particular agency and here are all the agents contact details, because we only want to buy from this agent….” !!
I was actually amazed that an agent would even try this, given the new laws about full disclosure, accurate quoting, dummy bids, etc. I have no problem with “official” glossy junk mail from an agency offering a “free market appraisal” and a ‘fridge magnet or whatever, but this obvious attempt at bulls**ting “The Home Owner” I felt was actually an insult to my intelligence.
For anyone interested, the agency was Cooper Newman in Burwood ( Melbourne ) who supposedly subscribe very heavily to the Jenman concept judging from the content on their web site, and the agents name was Carol.
I am actually going to respond to this agency and tell them what I think…
BDM
bdm – amazing – cooper newman were the ones who sold my mothers house. they were very unproffessional. i have had long discussions with mr cooper abt his methods and infact contacted jenman to air my grievances. i think we shld have a new part of the forum called ‘dob in an agent’ …
although steve cld get sued but maybe it can work similarly to crikey.com
infact that is a great biz ideas – who do i call to register http://www.dobinanagent.com.au…..
anyone want to go in partnership>???
I thought that recently a new law had been brought in existence where an agent could be penalised if they give inflated opinions of value to the vendor.
Does anyone know anything about that particular new bit of legislation?
Check out the FairTrading act or go to their website. it mentions it in their where the agent must sell your property at the price they have set to sell. the agent must make up the difference if your house sells below the agents price.
Hi everyone
Some very good points made on this thread.
One mechanism often forgotten is to always direct your complaint to the RE Office in the first instance.If you are unsatisfied from this, then contact the body who regulates the industry/provides the licensing in your respective state.
I have always thought that a simple audit of an Agency Sales from list price to eventual sale price would clearly show “over priced listings”. (Sticks out in a rising market) !!
]Regards
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Originally posted by BDM:The other day in my letter box, I pulled out a typed letter from “Anna and Paul”, addressed to The HomeOwner c/o my address. It said “sorry to contact you like this, but we are looking to buy a house in your area, and if you are interested in selling, then please contact this particular agent at this particular agency and here are all the agents contact details, because we only want to buy from this agent….” !!
I attended the Reno Kings seminar recently and doing a letter drop like this was one of the methods they suggested to try to find a deal (although they were talking about doing it as an individual, not as an agency. [
] )Shushar
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
First things first….of course the agents are legally obliged to submit all offers to the vendor.
But whilst we’re generalising about the agents lets add the fact that like the used car salesmen, politicians & journo’s their behaviour is a reaction to what is rewarded in their daily experiences.
Not wanting to get into nature vs. nurture but having spent considerable time on both sides of the RE fence I think that a few of the responses in this thread have been a little narrow minded.
In my youger days as a eager real estate recruit I vividly remember a discussion I had with a buyer who had missed out on a house I was selling because he thought I was b*******ing him (his words) about another buyer making an offer. This was a guy who, with his wife I had come to know and like. He was nice enough to inform me that I was “just another ****ing agent” and that it was my fault that he hadn’t got the property. He’d even signed an offer stating that it was his absolute maximum.
Anyway if i ever got the appraisal wrong we didn’t charge a comission and tried to do the right thing along the way. Unfortunately I found that the agents who bought the listings got the business, conditioned the owners and got the fee.
So needless to say I left residential sales to the overquoting agents that the public rewards.If I buy an investment property and rent it out for a year and then move in does anyone know how that effects negative gearing and capital gains tax.
Can I claim the full cost of stamp duty, what happens if you move in after six months ? And if you move in after the first year what are the capital gains implications if it then becomes principle place or residence.
G’day Shushar,
Yes, I agree that if an individual actually does want to buy property in a particular area, then a letter drop to the residents in that area is a great way to go. I have actually done it myself on one particular house that I wanted to buy – the owner actually got back to me and said “thanks, but no thanks.” Fair enough.
It was the fact that an agent, pretending to be a buyer, simply to get listings by deception I felt was most unethical.
Have a good one,
BDM
BDM,
As much as the agent you refer to may be inventing the buyer I thought it’s worth noting that whilst it may defy popular logic they could be real.
I once had a buyer come to the agency who was a mad keen sailor and desperately wanted to find a property in Parriwi Rd in Mosman so he could overlook the afternoon regattas at the Spit and Middle Harbour.
The “Charlie” letter elicited a single sceptical response from an owner of a unit with magical views and the sale was concluded shortly thereafter for a great price.
If you want to know for sure give the agent a call and have a chat about the specifics of the buyer…….you may be suprised.
Everyone hates junk mail but why let your blood pressure pay for it.
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