Dealing with Real Estate Agents is a necessary evil when buying and selling houses. My recent experiences have given me insights in how these people do business.
The first agents we invited into our home to discuss options for selling were of the baby boomer generation, obviously been too long in the business, and appeared jaded, prescriptive, cynical, and tried to steer us into sales options that were not what we wanted. I did not want to give this agent or his company our business especially when they are so well (and so easily) paid for their “efforts”. My keen BS detectors were jangling and I trusted my intuition.
The next agents were recommended by friends. Flynn & Co of Rosebud are staffed by two Gen Y aged guys who were everything the first agents were not. They clearly explained their pricing structure, sales plan, and sale price estimation. They were professional, enthusiastic, friendly, down-to-earth, and dare I proclaim “honest”. They were conscientious and diligent and the house sold in two weeks at a price higher than we had advertised. The whole experience was positive for us as sellers and hopefully also for the buyers. We would recommend them as real estate agents. They obviously are trying to establish themselves in a tight industry. Good luck to them.
Now we are temporarily homeless. We have our block of land and plans submitted to Council for approval. We are in limbo. I am living with my sister in the town we are relocating to, and Michael is cleaning up our sold house prior to the settlement date.
I have been looking for a place to rent while we build our house. It is a tight market, especially in this region due to some new large industries; wind farm construction and gas power stations. Rental properties are scarce, overpriced, and highly sought after. I find myself once again having to face the demons – real estate agents.
In a tight market they become powerful and many wield this power at their will. My keen BS detectors are on high alert and the alarms are deafening. Why are some of these people so short-sighted? Don’t they realise that today’s rental customer could well be tomorrows house buyer or seller? And when did it become necessary to dress in formal attire to try to impress a rural real estate agent?
I could plainly see the man looking me up and down, judging me based on my casual Saturday morning attire, pigeonholing me into some warped hierarchy of customer ranking. Did I look like I had the means to play his corrupt game of paper-queue-jumping and feathering his own personal nest with a little extra cash under the table? Obviously no!!
But having sensed this implied but unspoken state of affairs, I would never trust this person and I would not give him or his company any future business. His short-sighted attitude in an inconsistent industry is something I find quite stupid. Not only would I not give him any business, but I would not recommend them and I would actually advise others against doing business there.
Sure I am a little naïve and I am persistently optimistic in my world view. But I do actually believe that there are good honest people out there who do want to do a good job and the right thing. And these people will prosper not only in business, but in life generally. These are the people who will benefit from my business and recommendations.
The search for a suitable place to live continues and I steel myself for further dealing with real estate agents today. It is a tricky task in a shifting landscape with unseen booby traps and chameleon-like sales people, with the potential for bad decisions made under pressure and in haste. I feel like I should be dressing for Desert Storm.









