patrick.net

We've got some impressively trained dogs as well. One was much easier than the other. They seem to teach you what tricks they want to do as much as the other way around.

As for the Realtor salaries, NAR claims $50K. For agents in general, $30K may be right. That really isn't the problem. If my car mechanic makes $80K, I don't really care. My mechanics are good guys & do good work. I just want a good value for my money, and they provide it.

A buyers agent seems to be there to play good cop and help the sellers agent get you to buy. Our buyers agent just got in the way. To make matters worse, many are basically working off of a selling script that is aimed at the lowest common denominator. We bought below what we were qualified for, so maybe they assumed we were morons.

We tried calling selling agents directly, and the realtors switchboards would just pass us off to another agent in the firm. I think that the firm owners know that the good cop / bad cop routine will work better for them, and the secretaries are trained accordingly.

There are many intelligent Realtors and RE investors posting thoughtful stuff on this board, and I appreciate them. I'm sure that knowing a good Realtor would be useful, but the vast majority seem to be awful moronic wretches to me. The ones repeating NAR garbage should be called out on their bullshit.

Honest Abe says

That I rescue dogs - 7 in the last 2 years.

Well then Abe, here's a government program - in SF no less - that you're sure to appreciate:

WOOF

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/13/MNAR1P0P93.DTL

Realtors are commissioned sales people.
To hell with ALL commissioned sales people.

I like to be all inclusive.

HEY YOU says

Realtors are commissioned sales people.

To hell with ALL commissioned sales people.

I like to be all inclusive.

My father was a commissioned salesperson for forty years, as a part time real estate salesperson, and then full time a staff sales guy and later on a manager in the insurance business. It's a TOUGH life.

Honest Abe says

I see you can't control your liberal tendency of insults and name calling. Is that all you got?

It's always been my experience that the best way to control liberals when they start spouting is to simply pick them up and throw them against a wall until they shut up or choke on their own blood. They're never gonna listen anyway so you might as well have a little fun with them in the meantime.

rootvg says

It's always been my experience that the best way to control liberals when they start spouting is to simply pick them up and throw them against a wall until they shut up or choke on their own blood. They're never gonna listen anyway so you might as well have a little fun with them in the meantime.

Is that before or after you put on your incredible hulk suit and throw Styrofoam blocks around.

YesYNot says

rootvg says

It's always been my experience that the best way to control liberals when they start spouting is to simply pick them up and throw them against a wall until they shut up or choke on their own blood. They're never gonna listen anyway so you might as well have a little fun with them in the meantime.

Is that before or after you put on your incredible hulk suit and throw Styrofoam blocks around.

No suit necessary. I'm comfortable without it.

rootvg says

It's always been my experience that the best way to control liberals when they start spouting is to simply pick them up and throw them against a wall until they shut up or choke on their own blood. They're never gonna listen anyway so you might as well have a little fun with them in the meantime.

Duly noted, battery.

Call it Crazy says

rootvg says

It's always been my experience that the best way to control liberals when they start spouting is to simply pick them up and throw them against a wall until they shut up or choke on their own blood.

Just wondering..... when they hit the wall, do they stick to it???

To tell you the truth, most of the time they back down. They don't have the strength or temperament for a one-on-one. When they find out how strong you are and what you're prepared to do, they spout off and run like kids but show up somewhere else and put on the act again. The San Francisco homosexual crowd are absolutely notorious for this.

Emotionally speaking, they ARE children. That's what the last three years of leadership in Washington have been about. That's why we haven't had a Federal budget for awhile.

everything says

Can't be to hard to get the license, from some offers I've seen written up, I questioned whether the realtar even graduated from high school.

I can't speak to California but I know it's been getting progressively more difficult to get a RE sales license in Ohio. Even in the seventies they were telling people the day was coming when studying for a RE license would be essentially like getting an Associates degree. It used to be the broker's license was separate (and more difficult to get) from the sales license, don't know if it's still that way. The economy there is very different today from thirty years ago. All the industrial jobs are gone.

Yes, they are still separate:

http://www.com.ohio.gov/real/remain.aspx

http://www.com.ohio.gov/real/docs/real_RequirementsSalespersonLicense.pdf

http://www.com.ohio.gov/real/docs/real_RequirementsBrokersLicense.pdf

It's basically an Associates degree, just as we were told was coming. I suspect that's why my parents got out of it.

Abe, please come and rescue a wiener dog from my neighbor. The idiot rides his bike around the community while pulling Frank on a leash. The poor thing is working those short legs like crazy. If Frank falls, he'll surely have a nasty road rash, but he'll probably die of heart attack first.

ordertaker says

Abe, please come and rescue a wiener dog from my neighbor. The idiot rides his bike around the community while pulling Frank on a leash. The poor thing is working those short legs like crazy. If Frank falls, he'll surely have a nasty road rash, but he'll probably die of heart attack first.

I always heard those dogs had back problems.

Ordertaker, I'd love to come and rescue that dog from your neighbor. The bad news is that Frank gets pulled around on the leash, the good news is he's probably slim and fit.

rootvg = yea, doxies can be prone to back problems. Thats why its so important to make sure they stay fit and slim. And they should not be allowed to jump off of furniture, beds and the like.

Abe, the "almost" dog expert.

Because they are a special interest group that lobbies against American dream. A group of single digit IQ trained liars who only know how to screw others for profit.

They are the unproductive deadwood that could be dropped from the equation and everything will be better.

In Incline Village the Real estate agents that do well here are for most part (to be fair not all) uneducated self centered savages. Here Real Estate is not a profession in any way, never has been never will it be. In 22 years of living here I have only met two that I would let walk my dog. The only real solution would to eliminate the strangelhold of the Listing services. When that happens the so called free market shall prevail.

Wiseman says

In Incline Village the Real estate agents that do well here are for most part (to be fair not all) uneducated self centered savages.

Just like the little old grannys in Los Gatos who were selling tupperware door to door during pre-bubble years to making over $200K in commissions selling RE today.

thomas.wong1986 says

Wiseman says

In Incline Village the Real estate agents that do well here are for most part (to be fair not all) uneducated self centered savages.

Just like the little old grannys in Los Gatos who were selling tupperware door to door during pre-bubble years to making over $200K in commissions selling RE today.

In all Candor It's not the money, its the lies the theft and taking advantage of peoples trust.

Yea, the violation of trust is what government & attorneys specialize in, in addition to realtors.

Theft by deception, intentional misrepresentation, silent fraud, unclean hands, res judicata under false pretense's, collusion, price fixing and more...all of which realtors, lawyers and government "officials" participate in on a daily basis.

What?

Honest Abe says

Seriously. Is it because your home lost value?

No. Quite the contrary. I sold my house at the peak and rented, but I still hate realtors. Realtors are lazy people who don't want to have a real job which requires a real education. They want to make an easy buck, and, the process, they don't care how many lies they tell, or how many people get hurt in the process. Not only that, but their jobs are completely useless, they don't deserve even 1% for what they do, and, basically, they are just leeches.

Maybe because I watch Real Housewives of Orange County and all the bimbos seem to be realtors??

Honest Abe@ #60: "...do you have dogs?"

Yes, My wife has one she married.

Heyyou - haha - thats a good one.

HRH - I think you got realtors mixed up with politicians and lawyers. Realtors are not saints, but compared to politicians and lawyers, they are.

Seriously, how many lawyer and politician jokes have you heard, and how many realtor jokes have you heard? Thats a clue about who is at the bottom of the barrel, isn't it?

Honest Abe says

Seriously, how many lawyer and politician jokes have you heard, and how many realtor jokes have you heard?

That's because realtor's evil s EVIL under the RADAR. Their TRUE EVIL hides behind the GARGANTUAN moral hazard which is your house. Once you buy it, and plant your garden in the back yard, the realtor who sold you your house is suddenly a saint. The fact that you have just impoverished yourself, and, established a precedent for over-paying, and played a small role in keeping the whole nation on track to a Japan-style decay, is of no concern to you.

So much whining, drama and emotion from embittered people who missed the boat? Don't know about you but my home buying and selling experiences have been nothing but pleasant and satisfying.

The Real House Sheriff says

So much whining, drama and emotion from embittered people who missed the boat?

Talking about whining and embitterment. At least, our whining is not costing the tax payer a single cent. But look at all the joint whining of the EVIL NAr CABAL, and they are taking it all the way to Washington, while dry-humping the tax-payer, in the process.

HRH - realtors don't MAKE you do anything. There is NO force involved. The same thing cannot be said about politicians (government) or attorneys. Lawsuits are a stick-up with an ink pen rather than a pistol. And government exists by force, well except for taxes, which are voluntary, right?

What do you call 100 lawyers (can be used interchangeably with politicians) at the bottom of the ocean?

HRHMedia says

Realtors don't do anything ..... lol

What a joke! They feed off of hard working Americans.

Opinions, views and perspectives are colored by our personal situation and experiences. Some choose to look at things negatively, while the rest of us prefer to keep a more balanced view of things. Attitude drives a lot of our work, our success and our place in life. If you are stuck in a circle of suck, then you are obviously at a disadvantage, and I understand where you're coming from and why some of the folks can be so angry and just all around negative.

I am sure a number of you here would wet their undergarments if the U.S. goes the way of Europe. Some things to think about though: we are spectators to what is going on there right now, and there are lessons that can be learned (hopefully). Also, there is money floating around -- scared money -- that are being parked elsewhere. Where do you think some of that wealth is going?

Not saying the worst cannot still happen here (because anything can happen), but hey, I try to see both sides of the coin. And like I said, as far as my personal experiences go, things have been great in the housing front for me over the last 30 years, the lost decade in finance notwithstanding.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"

When Realtors hear that they are largely useless extortionists and will be going the way of the dodo, they have a hard time understanding it. Most are below average in brain power in the first place, and so they will struggle a bit to keep up.

Politicians and lawyers are 10 X worse than realtors, and actually do cost Americans loads of lost money, but your liberal point of view is preventing you from understanding that.

Why do they bury lawyers nine feet under?

HRHMedia says

It's like Mitt Romney says " that $2BN was not lost by JP Morgan, someone else made it"

See how bubbles work.

Hedge (Insurance) instruments take two to make a contract.. buyer and seller but have nothing to do with bubbles. Many use hedges for their dealings you never hear. Sometimes they work and sometimes they dont.. the one with JPM didnt work. Its known as a risk it may not work so but you hear alot of flack needlessly.

Honest Abe says

Politicians and lawyers are 10 X worse than realtors, and actually do cost Americans loads of lost money, but your liberal point of view is preventing you from understanding that.

The average crappy realtor is like a crooked lawyer on a small scale. The damage done by the realtor is relatively low due to the small amount of influence she has. The problem is that there are so many of these damn realtors, and just like with termites the net effect is big.

Let's say that people sell a house on average after 7 years, and there are 100 million houses. That means that 14 million houses are sold each year. The average price is about $260,000, and the realtor cut is 6% or $16,000. That means that the realtor drag on the economy is 14 million times 16 thousand or $224 billion per year. That is equivalent to a tax of about $2000 per working person per year.

YesNot said: "the average crappy realtor is like a crooked lawyer (and politician) on a small scale".

Thank you. Well stated post, and explanation.

The mainstay is that realtors are needless and unnecessary, they simply have no reason to exist besides that of taking our money for doing close to nothing. Unfortunately most of the houses available are bank owned properties and more often than not the bank use realtors as a middle man and we have no choice but to deal with them. And it always a disgusting and unpleasant experience to give so much money for some ignorant, illiterate, and uneducated parasite.

Honest Abe says

YesNot said: "the average crappy realtor is like a crooked lawyer (and politician) on a small scale".

Thank you. Well stated post, and explanation.

At least a lawyer went to college having completed a whole college course work, and then went to a postgraduate degree to be lawyer. Some may not have good ethics, but clearly they are necessary and qualified. Even a 12 years old kid can pass the realtor license test, and they are as needless and unnecessary as it can possibly be.