Why are Realtors so offended when people point out facts and opinions...

[Trevor M]

Because there are jerks in every profession, even in perfectly healthy ones like the real estate brokerage and agency business.

The internet took a huge bite out of the travel agent business, but there are still travel agents around (mind you, only the best ones). The internet took a bite out of retail, especially music and media stores, but there are still some of those around. eBay did not kill live auction service, in fact they bought into them. Similarly there are big shake-ups in the real estate business, but not quite the destruction of the full service profession you seem to claim. Perhaps your own overstatements have helped in these situations you claim to be the perfect angel of.

The internet is assisting FSBOs and very small discount brokerages, but there are still people who simply don't have the time or ability to do it all themselves. There are several Home Depots in my town, but I am NOT going to put on my own roof. There are several auto part stores, but I am not going to fix my own brakes. Similarly, some people are not up to managing all the issues involving the selling of a house. Some are, some are not. A neat new internet app will not solve all issues of title insurance and arguments about who pays for what repair before close.

Perhaps you have been ill treated on occasion, but you have a very polarized view of the real estate business and I am thinking it is possible SOME of these experiences you added some incivility to as well.

[surfermsc123]

...contrary to their sales propaganda? Now is always a good time to buy a home. Lol. There. I said it. Can I have my Real Estate license now? Lol.

I want to know why Realtors (i.e. Cheerleaders) patrol the internet in their spare time removing, reporting, shilling and providing false answers to any statement or opinion expressed by individuals or public organizations which run contrary to the propaganda and Fiefdom of the Real Estate profession. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) pays people to do this as part of their covert agenda and sales propaganda campaign. This is funded by Realtor dues. The NAR constantly threatens websites (such as Patrick dot net) with lawsuits, simply for telling the truth about the housing market and Realtor profession.

Realtors also take very personal offense. And they take it way to far. I nearly got into a fist fight on an airplane with a Realtor when he interrupted a conversation I was having with a passenger about internet discounters/FSBO websites and how useless Realtors are in todays day and age. Yelling ensued and we were separated by the flight attendant. Had we come to blows it would have ended up on the news.

In addition to my experiences with Realtors in my personal life, I've had several questions removed when describing both personal experiences with Realtors and pointing out factualities in Real Estate and the Realtor profession. All in sensible terms. With personal opinion added for good measure of course.

My question is: why do you people do this? Is it because your desperate to save your dying profession? Or are sales so low and slow you have nothing better to do that patrol the internet in a desperate attempt to prop up your outdated parasitic and useless sales profession?

Really. I'd like to know.

[the_unluckiest]

Actually it sounds more like you have a vendetta against realtors, not the other way around. Good, reputable realtors are always in demand and always have business in good and bad markets. Also, good, reputable, respectable realtors also don't tell their clients that "now is always a good time to buy". I have advised several of my clients that now is not a good time for them to buy what they want to buy. Sometimes it's a great time to buy pre-sale (pre-construction), while other times it's not (ie: sellers market). Also, when it is a buyer's market, I do tell my clients it's a good time to buy but only in certain areas. Being a realtor is hard work and I earn every cent of my commission. I would never, ever put my client in a home that I don't think would yield a good return on their investment. I also do very good CMA (comparative market analysis) for my clients each time they want to put an offer on a home so they should know what NOT to pay over. If they want to, I tell them it is against my advice and I don't think it's the right move and that I don't think it's a sound investment.

You may feel like it's a dying profession but the fact there are so many realtors who have been in this business for decades and decades and are still successful and new realtors who are turning in results demonstrates that it is NOT a dying profession. I am sorry to hear that you've had bad experiences, but I don't think you should generalize.

I don't work with realtors that try to bring others down. If they are around, I don't associate with them nor do I do business with them unless my client truly wants the home and it's their dream home. Good realtors (there are several on Y!A) don't spend their time trash talking or bringing down others or people who are interested or discuss real estate. If that's what you've experienced, I'm sorry to hear that. But there's no need to generalize our entire profession. There is a reason that many FSBO people turn to a realtor after months of being on the market without a single offer. There are also reasons why people who have had realtors go the FSBO route. There isn't a single way to go about a real estate transaction that is perfect - it depends on the people involved.