Pulaski

Snap! Me too!

Bob

Which from up in Maine and around here, seems to be run out of the back room of their home :/

Yorkieabroad

64%...good start, but went downhill rapidly when they started going on about estates...

newadventure

We got our realtor a bunch of flowers - she got us a couple of rocking chairs for the back porch!
When we were looking I thought the realtor fees were money for old rope, even though a lot of our viewings were at the weekend. However, once we found a house our realtor handled the negotiating (advising us to offer less than we were going to), organising the various inspections, organising the contractors to come in and make the fixes, recommending insurance agents and giving general advice for people new to the whole process. By the end of it, I was impressed and felt she had earned her money.

The bizarre thing for us was meeting the sellers face to face at the closing and going through the HUD which outlined how much we were borrowing and at what rate, how much their outstanding mortgage(s) were etc

MsElui

our husband and wife team gave us a restaurant gift card for $200, a bed bath and beyond gift card for $50 and a fancy candle. Plus we seem to be invited to their 'client' dinner at their home every thanksgiving where they give you a 'pie ( commercially sized/made from a list of 4 choices) and ply you with food and wine and have a raffle for those that turn up etc (my kiddos won some lego).

i liked them and would gladly send business their way. They helped us deal woith a lot of aggro with our purchase, kept us calm, and showed us around a lot of places spread over north Dallas.

Yorkieabroad

That, to me, is the correct way round - they are making sure that they are "in your thoughts" so that next time you want to buy/sell, or if anyone asks you for a recommendation, they are the ones you think of first. It just makes sense.

scrubbedexpat099

This may be the weirdest subject I have ever seen on BE.

Really?

Wonder what you get the tax man.

Giantaxe

I did invite my realtor and his wife to my condo-warming party, but yeh the idea of tipping someone who has just earned $$$ is pretty weird.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Suffice it to say, you can feel free to ignore the tip jar in the cupholder of the real estate agent's car.

ChocolateBabz

You gave me a thought, hubby wants me back at work, what if I become a realtor and sell and buy my own houses and get ALL the money?? Or would that cause a paradox in the space time continuum?

sir_eccles

Many of the people you see on TV in those house flip shows are themselves licensed realtors as that saves them a huge chunk. It's essentially "for sale by owner" but you have access to MLS and do it all yourself.

not2old

Realtors are not your friend, they get paid for selling property - its their chosen profession, a job, not unlike any other pay for work.

From my experience of buying & selling the eight homes we've lived in over the past 40 odd years, its just something about dealing with realtors that is similar to a car salesperson, it get on my nerves.

Unfortunately its one of those things one has to deal with buying & selling real estate, especially the selling part, having to pay a fat commission for what - what does the agent do for their money in this 'everything is on line internet' these days.

scrubbedexpat091

Spend a few days in a real estate office and you'll see they do more then people want to admit agents do.

mrsmaccmoo

Probably a naïve question, but why couldn't someone set up as a british style estate agent i.e. only deal direct with the seller and the viewers/ potential buyers (not their agent) contacts the estate agent directly, with the owner doing their own viewings..... and the seller just pays 1.5% like in UK..... it makes me uncomfortable to think of open houses when I come to sell, and having strangers wander round my house (seen TV programs where things get stolen!).

Pulaski

That is probably why many houses in the US are sold already vacant, certainly many houses we looked at were empty. If I was selling I would either move before selling or move everything but basic furniture and a few clothes into storage before allowing viewings.

The estate agent we used in the UK was certainly handsomely rewarded, at 1.25%, for keeping a list of buyers interested in our neighborhood in his desk. When we, or any other seller, put a house on the market he would just phone them all up and invite them over. Essentially one or two days work for £3,000 or so back when we sold.