Fantastic News for Real Estate Customers - Evolution in the Real Estate World

I feel a rant coming on.....

Without a doubt, the Real Estate market has been poor for the last year or so - there is no getting around that.

However, something fantastic has happened that the average consumer is not aware of.

With business being slow, the number of people in the beyond-bloated ranks of real estate agents and mortgage brokers / lenders has gone down by quite a bit.

The people that are getting out are the ones that either aren't good enough or don't possess the work ethic necessary to make it in a rather difficult business.

Even in slow times there is plenty of money to be made in real estate and financing - IF YOU ARE DEDICATED - and the average person is not.

I'm sure a lot of people will be offended by this - but that's not my problem.

The truth is that the average Real Estate Agent or Mortgage Broker is a moron and lazy wouldn't even begin to cover it - losing them is a benefit for everyone.

Why did this industry get such a bad reputation? Because so many of the people in it are here to get rich quick - customer service be damned!

The best people, the ones that are still around and will continue to succeed, realize that top-notch customer service and communication are paramount.

These are the Agents who strive to continuously improve themselves, their knowledge and their abilities.

That's what REALLY counts - NOT:

- The size of your company - "Hi I work for....." - nope, no one really cares!

- The color of your mass-produced, obnoxiously colored team jacket - WOW, is that REAL polyester?

- The fact that you belong to a group (that you virtually HAVE to join) that gives you a cheap pin - and really nothing else (hummmm, what could I be talking about?)

- The # of seemingly random abbreviations after your name on your business card that hint at your 'extra' education - (they're not exactly advanced college degrees!) - so why are people so proud of the fact that they took a class to learn how to turn a computer on?

And another thing - the length of time you've been in the 'Biz' does not directly relate to quality - I know plenty of new pros that are doing a fantastic job! So I'm sorry 'Merv', slap some more bryl-cream into the comb-over, hop into your 70's era Caddy and tell someone else how you 'used' to be great.

I'm done -for now.

I have customers to take care of.

http://www.palmbeachrealestateandloans.com/001B61

Posted on January 31, 2008 15:15:00 by marcblasi - View Profile

Posted in Palm Beach, Uncategorized, Florida Realtors

Comment from: ines [Visitor]

· http://www.Miamism.com

Marc - beautifully said, rant or not is the truth - there's some more cleaning left though, I know you would agree.

Permalink January 31, 2008 22:42:53

Comment from: Marc Blasi [Member]

· http://www.leibowitzrealty.com/AssociatePage.asp?associate=5

Absolutely!

Permalink February 01, 2008 09:41:27

Comment from: Laurie Manny [Visitor]

· http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/

Marc,

Great rant! I needed a little chuckle. I especially liked this one:

"so why are people so proud of the fact that they took a class to learn how to turn a computer on?"

Permalink February 01, 2008 15:14:32

Comment from: ct in Philly [Visitor]

I stumbled upon your site and read every word of every post and every comment. I am in Philadelphia where things seem to be holding up better than in some other places, and I realize that your site is focused on FL, CA, and CO, so maybe my frame of reference is different from yours. But I don't understand why you're trashing NAR and agent designations.

You're right, most agents are forced to join NAR and the local boards in order to have access to their local MLS. But NAR also performs crucial lobbying for us and consumers. Just one example of their important lobbying effort is the ongoing fight to keep banks out of the real estate business. US Law states that banks are not allowed to participate in commerce. Banks' mortgages are originated by wholly-owned subsidiaries of themselves. Imagine if large banks like Wachovia or Citibank could perform real estate transaction related work. Many Realtors would simply be out of work. We would be unable to compete, as would many franchises and "mom-and-pops" all over the country. And consumers would hardly benefit, either. Think it through. NAR is singlehandedly fighting that fight for us. There are numerous other examples of NAR's importance for us and consumers; too many to list here.

Also, continuing education and the earning of designations are both crucial to a Realtor who wants to avoid becoming the cheesy old-timer you cariactured as wearing Bryl-Cream and driving away in an ancient luxury car. These are not "random abbreviations," they just look that way to the uninitiated. Our business changes daily, and earning designations through continuing education is very important if we're going to stick around long enough in this volatile marketplace to effectively serve our customers. The Certified Residential Specialist designation, for example, consists of dozens of hours of difficult classwork resulting in a deeper understanding of the nuts-and-bolts of residential real estate. This is truly an advantage for a Realtor in a competitive marketplace. To be sure, there are some really questionable designations out there, (certified e-Pro, for example), but there are some worthy ones as well.

Your rants are often funny but sometimes I think there are finer points that you miss. In the final analysis, however, we're all in this together and I will definitely bookmark your site and subscribe to your RSS feed.

Happy Selling!

-ct in Philly

Permalink February 02, 2008 23:10:51

Comment from: Marc Blasi [Member]

· http://www.leibowitzrealty.com/AssociatePage.asp?associate=5

Good Morning CT-

Thanks for taking the time to comment and keep coming back-

As far as what I said about having to belong to a group - I don't care if it's local or national, the problem lies in the fact that you virtually HAVE to join - it does not matter if you do or do not want to. THAT is a big problem. (Of course, there are a very few brokerages that don't belong - but that is extremely rare.)

You should have a choice -

And don't forget - membership in and of itself does not increase a professionals' quality.

Next - education.

Constantly adding to your knowledge is extremely important and I'm all for it. As I said:

"These are the Agents who strive to continuously improve themselves, their knowledge and their abilities."

We need to be careful so that we don't confuse designations with working knowledge!

Lastly - I'm sure that I do miss a point occasionally (I'm not perfect just yet...) and this is why the give-and-take of knowledge is so important.

Have a great 2008 - and don't freeze in Philly-

Permalink February 03, 2008 11:50:39

Comment from: Real Estate Rant [Visitor]

· http://www.realestaterant.net

Its really a good news for all the realtors. Though the real estate market finds frequent fluctuations, real estate markets also finds good demand for the real properties listed.

Permalink April 29, 2008 05:26:35

Comment from: lindsay [Visitor]

· http://www.robinashley.com

The market will always go up and down, we just need to get creative sometimes

Permalink July 02, 2008 18:05:06

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