patrick.net

I brought up this idea before.
the trouble is any reviews site can be huge liability; some realtors can sue for 'damage of reputation'. I am sure Patrick doesn't need that distraction. Then again, Angies List and Yelp do this too.

One happy ground would be, readers post the details of REAgent / professional they used and ARE HAPPY WITH. This way, we can build a list of 'good ones'

Though it would be possible for realtors to ask clients for a positive post. People in other businesses do this with yelp, and I think it does skew the data a bit. It can be difficult to tell whether someone is good at what they do, or just very web/marketing savvy. Not a dealbreaker, just something to be aware of.

I dont think you will find any liability issues if you post a negative comment on yelp.
But as you point out, the posts are from realtors patting themselves on the back
or even sellers calling REA as 'family'.... LOL! wow!
With Phantom bids, many buyers don't even realize, or never realize they were taken to the cleaners.

Tech cannot depended to provide real honesty without someone fudging the comments or results.

Lets save everyone lots of time with an accurate blanket statement - 99.9% of Realtards(R) suck.

cashmonger says

Lets save everyone lots of time with an accurate blanket statement - 99.9% of Realtards(R) suck.

You're giving too much credit to the other 0.1%.
A house in my neighborhood was just listed - the realwhore was walking the neighborhood telling everyone he just listed and that he could list our homes too. I asked him how many sales he'd made in the past month, six months, year... he just walked off, saying that his job was too hard to have to deal with people like us.

He's a renter, by the way. But now is the time to buy...

I know of an agent that missed her own open house because "...they forgot to tell me about it." ????

I asked him how many sales he’d made in the past month, six months, year… he just walked off, saying that his job was too hard to have to deal with people like us.

"People like us?" Meaning skeptics? Realists?

Austinhousingbubble says

I asked him how many sales he’d made in the past month, six months, year… he just walked off, saying that his job was too hard to have to deal with people like us.

“People like us?” Meaning skeptics? Realists?

People with real jobs? People with ethics & morals? People who don't wrap their cars in tacky advertisements? People with lives?

check, check, check*, and check.

*- some lettering can be found on my pick-up. lol

Bap33 says

check, check, check*, and check.
*- some lettering can be found on my pick-up. lol

Not talking lettering - talking full-on wrap with enough logos and real estate bullshitclaims ("I can sell your home!") to make one sick.

one dude in Atwater Ca. has a plumbing truck with a full-sized profile of a man on the potty placed on the doors, in just the right way as to make the driver's head match-up with the picture. The full side view of buttock and dropped britches are in the picture in this wrap. I find it kinda yucky vs funny.

I see lot of people here are really pissed off with realtors. i was one of them ( realtor hater). now i have accepted the truth and just live with it. the truth is that you cannot expect anybody else to tell you what is good for you , you have to take care of yourself...period.
Did you ever get angry when the billion dollar industry is promoting wieght loss in all the ways possible ( including surgery) to make money and not one AD in TV which says EAT LESS and EXERCISE fat asses ( the only real way)?
Do you get angry when you see late night commercials selling get rich schemes, medical Ads on restless leg syndrome ..etc

the list is endless...
When a country runs on an assumption that consumers know what is good for them, what else can you expect ?
In a free market, Sellers lure the consumers in all possible way's and consumers have to be smart enough to know what is good for them. Do you want the Govt telling you what to do ?
The only thing Govt can do is to have regulation and have consumer protection against scams and frauds.
A realtor or a TV Ad is not commiting a fraud by pitching a product to you as long as its legal. Its your F****ing job to make a wise decision.Do you want the govt to make an annoucement every week whether its a good time to buy ? or do you want a school_drop_out-realtor to tell you whether its a bottom. The realtor probably thinks macro economics is a birds name.
When will people take responsibility for thier actions ?

I see lot of people here are really pissed off with realtors. i was one of them ( realtor hater). now i have accepted the truth and just live with it. the truth is that you cannot expect anybody else to tell you what is good for you , you have to take care of yourself…period

Assuming that one is enlightened enough on all matters that effect his welfare/well-being, (unlikely), and those that he loves, I think its then important, if not one's duty, to proselytize as loudly as possible in anyway that he can in order to debunk whatever misinformation, pseudo science or propaganda to which he is wise. Furthermore, just because you know better, does not vindicate or diminish the harm that the NAR has caused.

When will people take responsibility for thier actions ?

It sounds like you're pissed that common sense is not the guiding light of all mankind. Well...yeah! When was it ever? This country is run on protecting people from the epidemic of their own willing ignorance.

"""This country is run on protecting people from the epidemic of their own willing ignorance."""
That is one of the best lines ever. Awesome.

"I think its then important, if not one’s duty, to proselytize as loudly as possible in anyway that he can in order to debunk whatever misinformation, pseudo science or propaganda to which he is wise"

I agree but why is Govt not doing this.There is nothing wrong if govt spends some money on informing the right things (using prime time , ADs ..etc)
I would be more than happy to see a govt AD every day after the fast food ad's which says "Stop eating the junk food...its the only way to stay healthy" or "The only way to lose wieght is to stop over eating and moving your ass...every other method is bogus"
how about "the best way to raise a kid is by having an intact family" Or "Don't have kids if you plan to have divorce"
Or "every drug has a side effect" OR "watchout ..every broker has a conflict of interest"
"save money for rainy day"

excessive Govt regulation might choke free markets or increase govt power but whats wrong in govt raising awareness when the population is getting bombarded with false information from the other side of the money making corps and lobbies.

homeowner_for ever_san jose says

whats wrong in govt raising awareness when the population is getting bombarded with false information from the other side of the money making corps and lobbies.

Sometimes the info doesn't even have to be false.

The gov does a pretty thorough job of notifying the public about the dangers of smoking, including a statement on every cigarette pack and in every smoking ad. The cigarette makers do not refute the health risks, their ads just basically say "Screw the cancer risk, smoking makes you cool." And new young people light up every day.

A few years back, when Brooke Shields was young and popular among teens, she put out a poster with cigarettes hanging from her nose and ears. The caption said "This is what I think of people who smoke." The cigarrete companies were up in arms. They complained that the poster was "indecent," as Brooke was wearing a tight blouse and jeans. The real problem was that the ad was an effective counter to the cigarette companies' use of ads featuring youth and beauty to sell death and disease.

RE: cigs and ads.
I am pretty sure new smokers, or users, or drinkers (many are all-in-one) come from good old fashioned peer pressure. The ads, or Joe Camel, or The Winston Cup, do not get kids to start smoking, they just hope to help change brand selection. Since there are no ads for doing drugs, and since doing drugs is much more popular than smoking cigs, I can't see where advertizing can be pointed to as promoting the starting of the habit. Brooke's ad is peer pressure and would be effective. Snoop Dogg is peer pressure too, and very effective.

Young illegals have unprotected sex as shown by their birth rate, even though that sect of the population (in Cal) is listed as a "1 in 3 have STD's" group. People are crazy.

Good points, Bap

And I must say, the quality of you spelling and grammer has noticeably improved.

If Ads/promotions/spin are ineffective why are you so worried about NAR propoganda ?
Also the fact that the corporation spens BILLIONS on Ads means something

my post did not say ads are ineffective. my post said that (most) new smokers do not come from advertizing of vice products. my posts don't mention liars in the RE ad business - none that I can recall, anyways. my only worry (housing) is more gov intervention that will just F-up the needed correction.

there is no doubt that ads work. They probably work for the same reasons we have biased media reporting and lobby groups that spend millions tilting the media/political favor (either way). What do you think?

Ads work because weak people who can't think need to believe lies.

I like this idea. Is is still possible or would it cause more trouble than it would be worth for Patrick?

@ptiemann

Thanks for the comment. I have not seen the Redfin site yet.
Hopefully their ratings will help clean up he profession.

cheers.

I recently walked through a house with a broker I found on redfin. I had my anti-BS suit zipped up to my chin, and a full face mask, and was pleasantly surprised to find I didn't need them. The guy actually said something like "nobody knows whether the market will go up or down 20%", then a few weeks later he brought up Larry Yun and we had a chuckle about what a joke he was- as we were walking through another fresh (read trashed) foreclosure. Now, I'm sure he would love to see us buy something, and he'd happily collect his commission, but at least he's not been all smiley and "everything-is-great-nothing-to-worry-about" as some other agents I've met.

BD

APOCALYPSEFUCK says

How can you rate anyone within a profession that is populated with people less trustworthy than your average arsonist or child rapist?

I have to agree there. Not to mention, how do you prevent people from self promoting... I guess you can send text messages for confirmation the way craigslist does it now... but I'm not sure how pricey that is.

And lastly who needs a real estate agent when all stuff can be simply listed online in this day and age?

I was watching the Holmes on Homes show on HGTV (where he helps troubled homeowners who bought a lemon of a place due to poor inspections) and I thought they should come up a worst-real-estate-agent-experience-ever show, although that's sort of how I see House Hunters. They would simply need to change the narration.

Speaking of House Hunters, yesterday I saw ten minutes of the show where an agent pointed out a wood stove and said that it would save on energy bills. It was freestanding with no chimney and had an electric cord going to the wall.

bulletdodger says

Now, I’m sure he would love to see us buy something, and he’d happily collect his commission, but at least he’s not been all smiley and “everything-is-great-nothing-to-worry-about” as some other agents I’ve met.

redfin agents don't get paid commission.
they get paid based on the level of their customer's satisfaction.

bulletdodger says

I had my anti-BS suit zipped up to my chin, and a full face mask

lmao .... excellant post

homeowner_for ever_san jose says

I see lot of people here are really pissed off with realtors. i was one of them ( realtor hater).

Sorry to hear that you lost your sanity.

You're right though, it's the little guy's fault for not outsmarting a multi-billion-dollar monopolistic conglomerate, one of the biggest lobbies in the country. Don't use the term "free market" if you don't know what it really means.

Exactly Klarek. I don't get mad when I see Ronnie from Jersey Shore promoting xenadrine, because I know it's a BS ad and you'd have to be a moron to buy that crap. If you do, I have no sympathy for you, but I don't hold it against the advertizers for trying to make some money. However, I do get very angry at ads for celebrex, or cialis, or any other drug made by multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical cartels who have a strangle-hold on congress through lobbying (and they aren't even as powerful as NAR) and who knowingly manipulate US lawmakers to promote legislation which is not only solely in their best interests, but is directly harmful to the public at large.

The company that sells xenadrine cannot be linked to lobbying which unquestionably contributed to one of the biggest global finacial meltdowns in history. At least when Merck promotes a drug they forced through the FDA approval process when they know it causes heart attacks...I can protect myself from it by simply not taking the drug. I am however, absolutely powerless to insultate myself against the dire financial consequences wrought by NAR and their cronies though their manipulation of the government. They are truly a different shade of evil.

speaking of Realtors. Does anyone else find those couple realtor signs so F%^king Hilarious? It's just so funny! seems every couples Real turd Tag team I've dealt with the Husband is more Like the lackey running around in his yellow corvette with a useless computer doing BPOs and thinking he is helping,..... and checking with his wife on everything.

Those signs are so Cheesy IMO "we're a team! yeah!" . we'll double tag team F you! yeah! one of them The Man even Had a closed fist hand gesture sort of saying " Yes we did it." Cheesy cheesy cheesy!

Katy Perry says

Does anyone else find those couple realtor signs so F%^king Hilarious?

There is one in my area that says - no joke - "NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!". I just want to slap the shit out of these dishonest, stupid, selfish miscreants.

realtorratings.com?

There are so many bad real estate agents out there, that if one is just decently honest and fair, he or she should stick out like gold!

Also in terms of faked/induced positive comments put out there, if there were dozens of negative ones with a handful of good ones, the overall impression would be suspicious at best.

I just don't see the need for realtors any more. Unless you don't know the area and need to be driven around, they don't contribute to the sale. They have a code of ethics, but I've yet to have someone tell me what they do.

I can call in an inspector on my own; found my own mortgage company and prequal'd myself, already had a title company in mind. They don't know shit about zoning laws (I looked them up myself) and the one I was forced to use when I bought my house was wrong about pretty much everything.

Leeches on society. The "team" approach to selling a house is laughable.

I wish they could at least lower the real estate agent fee to $1000 plus 2% of the first $100,000 of the house plus 1% of the value of the house above $100,000. So if they "sell" a house for $500,000, instead of a $15,000 commission, they only get $7,000.

I wish they would get busted for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act and have their cartel broken up. Only then when their services become unilaterally a la carte will we know what they're actually worth. The current system prohibits any sort of market-established equilibrium where they would be charging what they're worth.