Three excerpts found on the internet:
The first two are by real estate agents.
Integrity and Excellence Are First Priorities
Above all a Realtor is supposed to honor their fiduciary responsibility.
It pains me to report there are a great number who don't. I do. In other words, I must handle your transaction as if it were my own. Therefore, there is no substitute for integrity. And no excuse for not providing excellent service. Further, no reason for not doing the right thing.
If there is a choice between doing the wrong thing and making money, and doing the right thing and losing money I personally pick the right thing every time. I don't only talk the talk, I walk the walk. I'll tell you the truth, even if I'm sure that you won't like it. I'll admit, it has cost me business, (Sometimes the truth hurts, and people would rather be lied to, and end up in a bad situation out of denial, rather than face the truth and make sound decisions based on it.) The truth has been invaluable to those who have accepted the use of my services. Just ask the people who know, my past clients. I've not only included their testimonials, I've included email links to those that have them, so that you can ask them for yourself!
The real estate industry has a lot to answer for. There is a good reason why real estate agents consistently rank as being about as trustworthy as politicians or used car salesmen.
In the midst of one of life's most stressful events they will tell you anything you want to hear, just to get the listing. You then sign away 6% of the value of your home--for what? So they can stick a sign in the ground and plant a flyerbox that is always empty? Then you never see them again except to hear that you've mispriced your home and you have to reduce it...again. When an offer comes in they put their interests above your own. Often they do not encourage you to do the best that you can within your situation, because it's too much work for them.
Prominent real estate sales gurus advocate doing the least possible for clients in order to succeed in home sales. Bunk! I'm living proof that integrity pays, and excellence sells. Just call me at 562-947-8125 and ask me how I succeed in real estate. It won't be by shortchanging you on the service and attention that you deserve! Hard work yields results. [back to Who's Bob]
[Source:
http://www.bobulrich.com/page1bob.htm ]
Personal
I have been involved with Marketing and Selling Real Estate for over 10 years. Each year has brought additional knowledge of the complexities of purchasing and selling real estate in South Pierce County. I have bought and sold several properties of my own, which enables me to personally identify with each Seller and Buyer.
Although I have received numerous awards from the Real Estate Industry, the best award I receive is the continuing friendship of my past clients. I am honored to be called a sincere,
honest Real Estate Agent by both my peers and the customers I have served. It is exciting to be reunited with ERA Countryside, as the ONLY locally owned real estate compnay in the area. We can combine both the knowlege of the countryside with the incredible worldwide system that ERA offers. One call connects you to the world of Real Estate: call Kay @253-683-2007
[Source:
http://www.eracountryside.com/kay.htm ]
To finish with some humour:
Selling your dwelling
Nothing is more traumatic than selling a home. Okay, that's not entirely true. Actually, nothing is more traumatic than falling down and breaking your legs while running from a rampaging mob of drunken psychopathic skinheads with chainsaws. But selling a home definitely ranks a close second. The following advice won't help you outrun those pesky psychopaths, but it will help you understand why so many home buyers often exclaim, "Why did we buy this stupid place?!"
The first step in selling your home is choosing a real estate agent who knows how to use creative marketing techniques to turn liabilities into assets. For example, if your house has serious structural flaws that are easily seen during daylight, a skilled agent will suggest that prospective buyers examine it at night, "when the soft, romantic glow of moonlight magically transforms this lovely rustic hideaway into a cozy love nest." (A skilled agent is necessary only when you're selling a home. When it's time to buy a home, use an honest agent. There's only one in North America, and he's very busy.)
If you must do repair work on your home before marketing it, there's only one word you need to know: Spackle. That's right, the popular plaster-like stuff you use to patch nail holes and small cracks can also hide larger problems. If you have a toilet that won't stop running, or a shower with really scummy tile, simply fill the entire bathroom with Spackle, sand lightly and paint the former doorway to match the adjacent wall. No more bathroom means no more leaky toilet, and no more leaky toilet could mean a lucrative sale.
After choosing an agent and making any necessary repairs, you must determine the value of your home by asking yourself these questions:
1. "Should the price be influenced by the federal penitentiary and the all-night "Booze, Blades & Bullets" store that border my property?"
2. "Am I obligated to tell prospective buyers about the nearby biological weapons laboratory?"
3. "Will I be able to conceal that mysterious raw-sewage smell that constantly permeates the kitchen?"
4. "If my agent holds an open house, will the old man across the street try to show visitors his cat's latest litter of three-eyed kittens?"
When you've truthfully answered those questions, completely forget about them and set your asking price at 5.5 million. This enormous mark-up is necessary because you'll be paying hefty commissions for the successful sale of your property, including 1% to the company representing you, 1% to the company representing the buyer, 3% to the guy who put the For Sale sign in your front yard and 72% to Bill Gates. Besides, the asking price (also known as the "fake" price) is always slightly higher than the final sale price ($59,522).
Before finalizing the deal, the buyer may hire a home inspector, who will try to derail the transaction by pointing out your home's many faults, even if such faults don't actually exist. Home inspectors happily fill their reports with sale-killing phrases like Evidence of satanic sacrifices in attic, Deadly chemical leak in basement and Rabid weasel infestation in pantry. These godless communists, hell-bent on preventing freedom-loving Americans from experiencing the joy of home ownership, faithfully abide by the Home Inspector's Poetic Pledge:
We'll check out your roof, your plumbing, your wire--
then scare you with words like "holes," "leaks," and "fire."
We'll talk about damage that's not even real--
and we'll continue to lie 'til we've ruined the deal.
And at the end of the day, we'll take pride in knowing --
that through these inspections, our butt cracks were showing.
Fortunately, like any other godless communist, a home inspector will gladly become a godless capitalist if the price is right. For only $50.00 from the seller, he will give the buyer a special "fake-out" inspection report, which states that the examined home could easily withstand a flood, a catastrophic earthquake, a tornado, and a direct nuclear strike--all at the same time!
The final phase of the transaction is called escrow (a French word that means "torturous waiting period"). Escrow lasts between thirty days and 12 years, depending on how long it takes the participants to "sign, initial and date" the 159,000 legal documents involved in the sale. You can survive the ordeal by frequently reciting the wise words of a 17th-century real estate agent, who once said, "The road to a successful sale is long and perilous, but the monetary rewards for your perseverance will be infinitesimal."
Mark doesn't really believe there's only one honest real estate agent in North America. In fact, he suspects there are at least a dozen. Angry home inspectors can reach him at
[email protected]
[Source:
http://www.winonapost.com/050802/postmark.html ]
How to spot a stupid or dishonest real estate agent
http://www.sourceonemagazine.com/0816a.htm
