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There Are More Amateur Real Estate Experts Than Ever Before

When someone is buying or selling their home the most natural thing in the world is to discuss the transaction with their friends and family. They look for positive reinforcement that they are doing the right thing. This is how it has always been.

What seems different these days is that more and more their family and friends are giving them real estate advice; in many cases bad advice. With the internet and the amount of information out there, it is becoming more common for members of the public to think they are real estate experts.

There is one transaction that stands out in my mind: After we submitted an offer my buyer contacted the seller's agent (who was also the seller) direct. While speaking to my client he told me about the phone conversation. I asked why he would do such a thing. His car salesman friend suggested he do that to get a better deal.

I responded by asking him, if you have chest pain would you call a plumber? No? Well if you need real estate advice please do not call a car salesman, call your Realtor.

Some of the areas of bad advice I have seen are:

The value of their home (almost always extremely overpriced)
Overpricing an offer and asking for a ton of cash back (no thought of the need for it to appraise to work.)
Super low balling offers (after all, the seller will gladly give you all of their equity)
Not disclosing property defects (great way to get sued)
Using a mortgage broker from out of state (Great advice if you love pain and are not serious about buying)

My best advice to consumers is:

If you are in need of medical services seek a doctor and not a plumber.
If your home has electrical problems do not call a landscaper, call an electrician.
If you have a legal question, please do not ask your high school nephew for advice. Seek an attorney.
And last but not least. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, seek out the names of good quality Realtors who your friends and family have used. But please, get your advice from them and not your next door TV repairman.

If you do not know the name of a good Realtor or would like additional information on hiring a Realtor, you can read this blog post written by a full time real estate professional (me): Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Realtor

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Similar articles on the subject of real estate professionals:

These links were in the order chronological order. Hopefully you may find some of them useful.

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® on 05/18/2007 09:20 AM

Comments (171)

Expert Opinion in the Home Selling Channel

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Originally posted at: Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: There Are More Amateur Real Estate Experts Than Ever Before

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171 Comments on There Are More Amateur Real Estate Experts Than Ever Before

MAY

2007

It seems everyone has an "expert" opinion when it comes to real estate. Too many don't understand the value of having an agent that is up to date on what is really happening in their market.

Robert - I do find I spend a larger percentage of my time overcoming bad advice from friends and family.

Great Job Randy! I love it!

so very true...

Cheers,
Uzi Husain
Arizona Realtor, serving Goodyear & The Phoenix metropolitan area

This is just a spin off on all of the online explosion, and How To, books. Regarding the suggestions you have, lots of people today do not see a doctor when they are sick and do not see a plumber when they have a drain problem.....they go online or buy a book on "minor surgery for dummies" or "unplugging your old and worn drain for dummies."

I love it! Sort of the jack of alltrades master of none theory in action. There are definite advantages of seeking educated opinions for specific needs. A podiatrist knows very little about Veterinary Medicine!

Good job!

Randy,

Did I tell you this one? The roofer is now a LO and a Realtor and a appraiser.

My guard at my gate is a landscaper and a Realtor and my pool guy is a bartender...hope he dosen't mix my drinks with chlorine! Oh I forgot the al time best....my new LO is a captain of a crabbing ship in Alaska..I hope his ship doesn't sink as fast as all the deals he has and does that mean if the captain goes down with the ship then he is willing to go down with the deal?

Great post. We have all had to over come this expert advice. I think in laws give the wrost advice.

I did a post "Your Mortgage Advisor is WHO?"

you wouldn't believe how many people know more about a person's intimate financial state than I do! they know how to tell someone about their loan program, what rate is best for them and what they should require from me in points, closing fees, and whatever...

it makes my job so much easier when I get a client that is unprequalified that already knows that their 600 credit score will get them a 5.5% interest rate on a mobile home with a foreclosure on their credit 4 years ago. I just don't have to spend ANY time researching and can get to the next big money commission on the next call from someone whose son, a barber in Turkey, has told her to get a $200,000 condo in Florida with 20% down when she has $30K in the bank....

things that make you go...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

In the Marines, we called the non-legal personnel who dispensed legal advice "Sea Lawyers". As now, we were advised not to pay attention to their advice and to use an expert in which ever field we wanted advice. The same applies to real estate.

Stephanie - Thank you

Uzi - Yes

Steven - They also run of ideas planted in their head from unqualified friends.

Neal - I do not think I would ever want to deal with anyone not good enough to do something full time.

Loretta - Thank you

David - It is funny what clients repeat sometimes. When someone repeats obviously bad advice I ask them; where did you hear that? It is usually from a friend or family member who has no experience in the business.

Randy, I truley hope to get to meet you one day, this way I can see your face and hear your voice as you tell of one of your transactions. You offer some really good advice, I hope people will listen. One day they will figure out that Real Estate Agents do not get their licenses from the botton of a ceral box and work very hard for what they do.

Lysa - Thank you for those kind words.

That was great Randy....well....NEXT!

i'd agree 100%

Sally - Thanks

J.R. - It seems to be getting coming up more every year.

Now come on Randy everybody knows that uncle Charlie sold and bought two houses, and he knows everything, so why they listen to someone else, just because they do this for a living. Come on get serious, you can't compete with uncle Charlie. There is just one problem with uncle Charlie, you ain't going to be able to find him when everything falls apart.

Good post, Randy. We really need to prepare a conduct contract with our clients to make sure we go down the list of all the things we do NOT want them to do, like buy a SUV after their offer has been accepted and their mortgage is being evaluated.

True, true, true. Thanks so much. I've bookmarked this page.

George - That is the problem. Those giving the advice will disappear fast when things are going bad.

Don - Amazing how many times that happens.

Teri - Thank You

Randy,

Right On, Brother!

However, my last medical procedure felt like it was done by a plumber instead of my doctor!

Lucky :)

Yes, good post. I also like it when you spend all your time either answering questions on the phone, or showing properties, then the buyer says "By the way my sister is a Realtor and wants to write the offer." Yep, everyone is either giving info, or trying to get a piece of the pie.

MAY

2007

Randy - great advice to the seller and buyers - I just went on a listing appointment yesterday that the seller actually said "my bank teller told me to list at $365,000" the home comps out at about $310,000 - gotta love it

Lucky - If you had it done by a plumber it might cost more. LOL

Kathy - I had one of those last year.

Thesa - I have a client whose tax man told her she should take the home off the market and wait a year, because it will go up another $100,000. I need to find out where the tax man bought his crystal ball.

Randy,

"Butt" then you'd have the "crack" to deal with too! (Stop me, please)

Hey, where do you get those cool cartoon things?

Lucky :)

Lucky - Too Funny.

The cartoons are clip art. I get most of them from an old version of PrintShop software.

Randy... this is so very true and not only on your side of the fence, but with loan officers and lending. I think I used one of your same examples about the doctor thingy in one of my posts.

One thing I will say.. you do need to start some where and being new is the first place. But I think it either comes down to how that person is trained.... or how serious that they take their job. I find these to be larger issues than sometimes of the greater numbers in our business. But I do believe that it needs to be curbed overall. Good post...

jeff belonger

Jeff - The secret is using a professional on all sides of the business.

Randy-I couldn't say it better myself! What an awesome post! Tell it like it is....

MAY

2007

Midori - Thank you! That was very nice of you.

Randy, This is so true! I agree with you totally. I recently had a Seller who thought he would be better at negotiating his deal than me (I have taken multiple negotiating classes and am a top producer with my company). He contacted the buyer and guess what happened??? They were completely different personalities and we almost lost the deal! Me and the Selling agent had to undo what had been done to get the house under contract. It is scheduled to close on June 8th and my Seller is not allowed to contact the Buyer!

Sheri - I have made a business practice because of things like that, to go over with buyers what is their role and responsibilities in the process. I try to avoid this from happening as much as possible.

JUN

2007

I will agree with you on two fronts, that we now must contend with "......Dummie" books, and the internet, but i also feel that there are some bad agents out there giving most of us a black eye who are in the biz.

I find this to be sad, but true.

John - There are bad folks in every industry. Our industry tends to attract many because it is one of the few opportunities to go into business for yourself with a modest investment.

This is a fabulous post I spend so much correting the information PEOPLE are telling my clients that is completely wrong. I want to give all my clients ear plugs so that they can't listen to people anymore. With all teh Real Estate show on TV everyone is an expert ow and suprisingly the people with the least knowledge doubt us the most. Because we only go to school, get liciened, participate in continung educationa nd get designations. And they watch a show on Bravo LOL

This unfortunately has lead a lot of peopleto think they can be a real estate flipper and then realize when it is too late that they are over their heads and headed to financial ruin. I wonder if there will be law suits against home improvement shows in the future from people that lost money on flipping.In such a litigious society I expect those soon.

Sandra - I saw where on of the cable networks pulled some of their episodes because they were phonied up by the people on the show.

JUN

2007

Great post, soooooo true! I am currently working with several buyers and all of their friends are telling them the market is headed down 20-30 percent! I wish I knew what they know.

Ana - They must have a good crystal ball

JUN

2007

Randy:

Listen to this one, on outside advise, It cost the buyer $5000, and maybe more in the future.

It seems that a fellow agent in the office had taken this buyer thur the process of pre-approval, finding the house that met the needs, a home inspection (the resulting negotiations to get things otherthan electical, heating, and plumbing fixed), appraisal (offer was right on the cusp).

The agent called the buyer the night before to be sure the buyer know where to be for the closing and at what time. Buyer was to take some time off from work and met the agent at the closing. 8PM the night before and all is well.

4PM and no buyer, 4:20PM and no buyer. 4:30Pm the aent calls the buyer to see if he is stuck in traffic.

No, he was not stuck in traffic; but on the advise of his neighbor ( a baker) he will not be buying the house. The neighbor say that prices are still coming down and he should wait 6 months more. The neighbor is a renter just like him.

Well the seller is getting the earnest money for none performance by the buyer, and if the house does not sell for atleast the same amount he is talking a lawsuit. By the way the seller needed to sell to buy his next home.

Bob - I wonder what the baker will say now? maybe he should have asked his friend the car mechanic for real estate advice.

JUN

2007

Randy

Little did I know when I became a Realtor I would be reliving a phrase I just hated as a Behavioral Counselor. "Oh yes, I took a year of psychology in school." They make it sound like just that one year would qualify them for what I did. If I had known that I would have saved myself about 11 years of school. Now that I'm a Realtor I get the same thing. "Everyone tells me I should be a Realtor because people like me so much." Or the one I love, "I have been thinking about becoming a Realtor because you guys make so much money." We as individuals have at times a tendency to under play the value of what other do for a living, and if they are good at what they do they make it look so very easy everyone thinks they can do it.

Roberta - Maybe that is part of the problem, I make it look too easy.

JUN

2007

Randy

I bet that is the problem. You make writing look easy so why wouldn't it be the same with Real Estate? I do enjoy your posts. :)

i really love all relatives and friends.

my favorite is when a buyer is looking for the right mortgage program and suddenly his fellow employee, in the next cubicle, who hasn't spoken to him in the last 10 years, becomes his trusted financial consultant. it's even better when their in a business, like waste management, which is obviously so closely tied.

now i'm the one who has to engage in the waste management business.

Roberta - Thank you for those kind words.

Jay - It happens not just in the office but even on the trucks.

JUN

2007

If you are in need of medical services seek a doctor and not a plumber. - Funny-thing is I am working on converting a FSBO who is a Doctor, One thing I said to him was "Would you let a patient take out their own appendix?"

Joe - I am sure you made him think about that. Hopefully my whit works more than it back fires.

JUN

2007

Very good post. I don't know how I missed seeing it earlier. It is amazing how everyone is an expert. I run into that frequently where someone is seeking advice from someone out of the local area. It would be like me giving advice on purchasing a home in HI!

Gary - I would not give market advice in Florida either. I may help find a good agent and then get out of the way.

Every body wants to be an expert. Tough business.

JUN

2007

Ben - The tough part is that they not only want to be an expert many believe they are.

JUL

2007

I like the hairdressers that give you real estate advice...when I am sitting in the chair and they are telling ME about the market, those moments are priceless!

Jennifer - I had a hotel worker who knows I am a Realtor do that the other evening. It would have been funny if he wasn't so wrong about almost everything that came out of his mouth. I hate to guess how many people he gave the same bad advice to.

JUL

2007

OK Randy, now I'm getting it. My first blog boo-boo. Still what a great find reading your blogs! Keep up the great work! Aloha~ My husband and I absolutely love Hawaii and he would move there in a heart beat.

Diane Velikis

Aloha Diane - Welcome to Active Rain. You can always visit the islands anytime. It is a great place to vacation.

SEP

2007

Randy, We have all had to deal with the "experts" giving advice to our seller or buyer. A listing I just sold was such a situation that cost the seller some money because they wouldn't adjust the price sooner because their "friend" advised them to keep the price high because people like to make offers and negotiate on the price. We professionals know "how well" that is working in this market - overpriced listings do not entice offers.

It can be frustrating some times.

SEP

2007

Great post, I love your ananlogies and plan on using them in the future :)

Dawn - Thank you, I have used them more than once.

SEP

2007

Great post! I think because of all the real estate shows on tv, people think they are real estate experts. They don't realize all the legal ramifications. Crazy. Thanks!

Loved this post!! I usually ask them - If you needed a surgery would you ask your brother in law to do it, just cause he read it about somewhere? Of course not, you've seek out the best of the best to perform the surgery. In this case I am the surgeon!

SEP

2007

Valerie - Most do will not be around when the chips fall later.

Vincent - That is a good way to present it.

SEP

2007

Randy, I recently read a post by Jason Crouch on clients getting advice from friends and relatives. This has prompted me to want to do a post on "deal Killers." I found your post while researching what others had to say on this subject. I liked your post. I may reference it in my post. Thanks.

BTW we all face this all the time. It's nice to see you put it in a humorous light.

Bill Roberts

SEP

2007

Bill - Sometimes you have to see the humor. The sad part is that I have seen several people get hurt following the bad advice.

OCT

2007

Boy, do I have some stories to tell you all. I'll have to post them in a blog sometime soon. You'll be amazed.

OCT

2007

Rob - I look forward to reading them.

OCT

2007

We should all right a blog about the hairbrained advice our buyers have gotten. I love the one about the buyer who didn't show up because his neighbor (a baker) told him it wasn't the right time....Bye bye earnest money...

OCT

2007

Ruthmarie - At least they didn't get the advice from their plumber who is in bankruptcy.

Great post! I love how family and friends seem to have better knowledge than the person in the profession! If I ever have to go to the hospital for surgery, I will make sure I give the Doctor advice before he begins the surgery! :)

Rick - If you are not sure what advice to give the surgeon, as your plumber. LOL

OCT

2007

So True!! :)

Rhonda - :)

OCT

2007

Great post - I lost a sale on a 6.3million dollar deal once because the sellers friend (a self proclaimed real estate investing expert - in a different state) gave him some outrageous advice. Apparently full price offers aren't good enough if your an expert!!!

I did once ask my plumber where to buy jeans:)

Tim - I just had another one this week and had to use the chest pain and plumber scenario. We are back on track.

NOV

2007

I love the scenario part! It's so true about our clients listening to people that have bought or sold a home once in their life-time! Thanks for sharing this.

Alma & Vincent - The worst is those giving advice who have never even owned a home.

NOV

2007

I had a guy call me about a listing that I have and asked for all of the details about the property. Once he had heard all he wanted, he proceeded to tell me that if he decided to make an offer, he would do it himself to the seller to save on the commission. I had to explain to him what the situation was because he thought that if he made the offer directly to the seller, I would not get a commission for the property selling. He just thought the seller could forget about me and he would be the hero for saving the seller money! Again, someone thinking he knows it all by listening to someone who doesn't work in the real estate field.

Carolyn - He would not have saved a dime and would not have been represented. The friend who gave him that advice will probably not be his friend when things blow up.

NOV

2007

Now if only they would listen!!

Sally - Some days it gets harder. I am finding more and more amateur experts. Those TV shows are contributing.

DEC

2007

Very true...I sold real estate for about five years or so and am now in construction. When in real estate...every buyer and seller seemed to know more than me. They figured that I was young and not as experienced but did not realized that I had a good head on my shoulder and also had mentors helping guide me throughout the entire process. My best example is where I listed a house about $15,000 over the value and the house sat for months even in a booming market. It was a very unique house only fitting a certain buyer. Wouldn't you know that the house finally sold within $2,000 of what I suggested in the first place. So instead of having multiple offers the sellers had one offer that they had to accept since they were purchasing another house (another interesting story). And of course in construction, everyone is an expert. I have been in construction since my teenage years and my father has been in business for over 30 years and still to this day there are amateur experts! Great blog and you just have to prove to your customers that there is a reason why you utilize the term REALTOR and it is not just something you purchased online! Thanks.

Vincent - That is difficult to deal with. The harder ones are the ones where they have no confidence and they are relying on bad advice from family and friends who do not know what they are talking about.

DEC

2007

I learned a lesson dealing with the out of town lenders. There is nothing like a face to face with someone to expedite the transaction.

Latonia - Absolutely.

DEC

2007

Very funny and I agree.

LaNita - Thank you

DEC

2007

I had an interesting experience recently with a potential seller. I knew they had refinanced the property earlier this year. My comps showed that the property was worth maybe $600,000. They wanted to list it for $800,000. I asked them how they arrived at this figure. Mr seller told me that when they did the refinance earlier in the year it was appraised at $650,000. He also said that he KNEW that appraisers appraised properties very low for refi's so the bank could charge you higher interest rates. He was very adamant about this, I don't know where he got his information but I politely told him that I could not list his property for what he wanted and moved on to the next prospect. It still has not been listed so I guess maybe I was right. Imagine that!

Jim - I am amazed, if he would have called an inexperienced hungry agent he may have gotten it listed. Either way it won't sell if he is that overpriced.

DEC

2007

Great post! From FSBO to potential home buyers...the advice of unqualified people (along with the internet) has made them experts. I come across from a home buyer from time to time who refuses to use a buyer's agent to represent them, even AFTER explaining the differences in agency relationships, they still would rather go right to the listing agent and participate in a dual agency situation.

POTENTIAL HOME BUYERS: Homeowners who are selling their home using an agent have someone representing their best interests, if you want to have someone represent YOUR best interests, try using a buyer's agent to represent you in your home purchase transaction. Don't be worried, typically the buyer pays no commission; it is worked out for the seller to pay the agents involved in the process.

Joseph - Great Points!

JAN

2008

Randy, great points! I can read your post with a smile on my face. I've realized that most of the sellers I deal with just need time on the market to realize that no one is interested in their property at such a high price. Unfortunately, it delays their home getting sold, but I make that clear in my presentation and reitterate it every once in awhile. I can't blame them because I've been a seller multiple times before and I've always wanted the highest price possible. My only solution is time.

JAN

2008

Great post,

Realtors shouold always be learning and not become stagnant.

Rob - I have a line I like the best. When a client asks who long will it take to sell their home, I say, "there is a price that your home will sell in one day." The question is do you really want to sell at that price? The higher we go from there the longer it may take. If we go too high it may never sell.

Leo - I will be in school with Sharon Simms this Thursday and Friday and at CRS Sell-a-bration next week. I never stop training. I also learn something new everday on the job.

JAN

2008

Great post. I had a couple of parents that thought they new a thing or two about real estate and were trying to help there daughter on a transaction. Big mistake on there part it just made everything worse.

Bronson - We had a group discussion yesterday about that very topic. The consensus is that Dad is one of the most common causes of deals going south.

JAN

2008

This is a solid post. I cannot express how important it is for people to get the proper expertise. I run into this a lot in the mortgage business as well. Since the advent of the internet and the natural tendency of people to believe much of what they read; its no wonder that there is so much more mis-information out there.

Christopher - Thank you. TV has also played a role with so many misleading shows about flipping, etc.

I thought teaching & coaching were the only profession's where everyone else knows more than the professional. Now I've chosen another profession where this phenomena occurs. I guess everyone likes to think they know everything about everything.

JAN

2008

Steve - It is easy for them when they have no vested interest and no risk.

JAN

2008

My step-son, James, is an engineer and dived head first into selling his first home by himself. I offered to help him with the transaction, paperwork, etc....but, of course, he didn't need any help. He had read plenty on the internet, he had a friend at work, etc.....He got the deal closed after plenty of last minute phone calls to me asking me for an answer after he had exhausted his personal supply of information. He was very pleased with himself until he got the phone call from his buyer advising him that the central heat in the house had to be replaced because it didn't work and he was expecting James to pay the bill. I got the panic call and was thrilled to get the job of telling James how to resolve the situation. His final comment was, "Boy, I sure am glad I did that Property Condition Disclosure thing you said I needed." YIKES!

He is now shoulder deep in buying a new home. He is in way over his head but thinks he learned all he needed to know in the first deal. When he asked me what I thought about a particular home my answer was, "So, I hear you're going to let the cable guy build the new hospital addition." (James is site engineer.) He was shocked and wanted to know what I was talking about. I told him that if he was qualified to work as a realtor then the cable guy was probably qualified as an engineer. I am now his Realtor but the lesson was a hard one. Everyone is an expert!

Laura - You may have saved him a world of hurt. Good job.

FEB

2008

So worthy of being a featured post! The over pricing comment you made is so true. In one case the child of the Seller was convinced that the parent's property must be worth over a million becuase after all in my town all homes are worth that. PS Our average price here is actually between $286,000 and $325,000!

Randy, You gotta love em.LOL Best one to date for me was the guy who showed up to pump the septic tank on one of my sold listings and proceeded to explain the real estate business to me.You guessed it.he had a real license so I went ahead and let him pump my 20 years of experience out of me.

FEB

2008

Shannon - They were only off a little. LOL

Cameron - I bet you felt grateful that he taught you everything he knows. :) Did he do a good job on the septic system?

FEB

2008

Good Post

Daniel - Thank you

FEB

2008

Great posts. Thanks

Sonya - Thank you

FEB

2008

Awesome and thanks for the links... I love your thoughts...

Anne - Thank you.

Agreed 100%

Tina - Thank you

FEB

2008

The hard part is getting them to actually listen!

Vickie - It is tough when they listen to the hairdresser or garbage collector for their real estate advice and won't listen to the professional.

FEB

2008

I know what you mean. The same can be said for home stagers, their popping up like mushrooms.

FEB

2008

Cindy - I agree, there seems to be no standard for who calls themselves a home stager. For the price of a set of $35 business cards, many folks are now home stagers. I see the same thing with home inspectors and loan officers.

You are dead on the money with this post. Thanks for sharing! Education is key and this subject is why we need to set ourselves up as the experts and eductae the consumers.

To your success!

MAR

2008

Susan - Thank for the positive feed back.

MAR

2008

Randy, you're so right. And neighbors, friends, relatives, etc. all get a vote sometimes when a seller/buyer is looking for everybody's opinion. Everyone has to put their little piece in to make the buyer/seller think the agent may not be giving them their best advice.

Erica - It does make our job tough at times.

MAR

2008

Amen Brother!

I represented a young guy on a multiple offer scenario for an entry level condo. His offer was very good but still only got 2nd place out of 3 offers. The next day I wanted him to get back up on the horse and go after some other listings that had popped up.

Well it seems "Real Estate Experts" he works with in the "Metal Fabrication Sector" of Real Estate Sales had convinced him the Market was going to Crash any day now and he should wait.

Interest Rates have gone down, the Economy here is strong, job growth continues, and the best part is there are lots of buyers chasing few listings.

Makes me wanna strangle the "Experts" that lead this kid astray, not because I lost a commission but because this kid will now have an even harder time making a purchase down the road as prices just keep going up due to our inablity to provide enough homes in the areas where people want to live.

Scott - The worst part is those experts will not have anything to say when the situation changes against him and he then can not buy.

MAR

2008

Ah, the resident experts on everything. I've got to love them as they keep me amused on a regular basis. I haven't had a situation anywhere near the extent of the one featured. Luckily the "advisors" always stepped in earlier in the process and I was able to overcome the miserable advice.

JoEllen - I try to prep my clients, but every now and then you run into a real zinger.

MAR

2008

Randy, well put. I loathe bad advice and try to "check" myself as well to avoid commenting on things I have no business speaking about.

MAR

2008

Randy ~ Great advice about not listening to others outside of the industry. Also, I think that sometimes, the Internet can be our own worst enemy - in real estate and in life. (Think about the number of times that many of us have had a pain - and went straight to the Internet to "self-diagnose".) The Net isn't good for that - and it's definitely not a good idea for use in real estate.

MAR

2008

I understand where you are coming from on this topic. I had a client lose out on a great deal because a family member who lives in another state, told my client to hold out on a lower price... mind you the price was already slashed rock bottom.

They hesitated to move on the deal and the deal was snatched up by another buyer that same week.My clients were heartbroken.

Audrey - That is a good policy.

Darleen - I think the internet is a valuable tool. We just need to remember that the facts posted are not verified to be accurate.

Frank - Sometimes it takes a loss like that for them to see what is reality.

Randy - I laughed all the way through this post! Then I thought - wait a minute, this is not funny.

Thank you. I am going to use these. Should have been a feature.

Virginia - It did get a lot of responses. It would be funny if it wasn't for the problems caused.

MAR

2008

Fantastic post. Well thought out - and so very true! I come up on this all the time! Great use of humor and graphics, but like Virginia said, it's not all that funny - especially when a sale falls through because of it!

Jacki & Jerry - It is sad when that happens.

MAR

2008

Randy this is a great post...I really enjoyed this one!

Patty Ledford-EXIT Realty-Blue Ridge,Ga

www.LedfordProperties.com

In my area I seem to run into this all the time. Thank goodness most clients have come to me first when hearing something "out of line." Fortunately our value as Realtors has risen since the market decline in the York area and alot of FSBO(s) have given up.

Shelley Kefauver-Century 21 Heritage

Patty - Thank you

Shelley - I generally am able to overcome the effects, but sometimes people are so filled with bad advice, they will not believe the truth.

MAR

2008

Great article Randy... isn't it funny, when buying a home - the largest investment most people make... isn't it funny how most people get advice from everyone buy a professional....

Actor Bill

Bill - Real estate is the one area that everyone has an opinion.

MAR

2008

Amen, Amen, Amen.....I have been dealing with a new agent on a flip house of mine(but hey, we all have to start somewhere)...he failed to DISCLOSE that his wife was the predatory lender I've been dealing with to get this house CLOSED...His buyer was to close the 14th and here we are, still waiting...He's been a sneakly little cuss since putting it under contract. I figure he'll be out of business soon, along with his unethical lender of a wife. Ha!

Scarey, isn't it????

MAR

2008

Elizabeth - That is a real shame. I hope he does not injure unsuspecting members of the public, while still in the industry.

Becky - I can be quite scary. I am working with a couple of folks who are getting the traditional amateur expert advice.

One common theme of many of these amateur experts is that many are not property owners.

Some of the most frustrating "amateur experts"... know it alls... are our family

Erica - It just proves almost everyone thinks they are a real estate expert.

MAR

2008

I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. IT SEEMS THAT I DEAL WITH AN EXPECT EVERYDAY WHO SEEMS TO KNOW EVERYTHING.

DANIEL

Daniel - There are so many that we come in contact with. I had a friend trying to talk one of my other friends out of buying a home. The expert had never owned a home and almost everything that came out of his mouth was 180 degrees out from reality. He will be a renter for life. Hopefully not many take his expert advice seriously.

APR

2008

I agree. It also seems that anyone who has ever bought a house, (1 house) has now become an expert. There is a reason why we as professionals are required to licensing courses and exams. Even then, it still doesn't make someone an expert.

Tricia - i agree completely. A license does not make someone an expert.

APR

2008

You know how they say a little information can be dangerous?? ;)

Don't you wish you could find out who all the true decision makers are going to be on the transaction? If it's a couple, it's pretty obvious you're going to need both of their buy-ins. (Although I've sold homes to just one and the other came from out of state later and hopefully loved it & somehow always did) But, how do you think of the baker neighbor being on the radar as a significant party to the transaction???

The sad thing is, their friends and family usually mean well, but it's the client that loses out. I understand that buying a home can be a little scary in with the excitement. We deal with hundreds of transactions a year. They buy a few homes in a lifetime. Although, people who are decisive and take action usually get what they want out of life.

APR

2008

Hilarious!!! I love it. I love your references to the various professionals. I hate it when Staging a home and the sellers say things like, "Well, my sister thinks that 1970's macrame thing on the wall really highlights those windows; I'm not sure I should take it down." Okay - how many homes has your sister helped successfully sell over the last three years??

Tori Lynn - Maybe if the sister was willing to buy the home it would be ok.

MAY

2008

How true this is. Information on the internet is a great tool for us all. The problem is when that information alone wihich is not always complete or accurate and used to make the most valuable decisions we make; buying and selling a home. Gather all the information you want and then discuss it with a professional Realtor and you can't lose. Use the information alone could be devastating. Thanks for this post!

MAY

2008

Terri - That is a good point.

I remember this one....and to think...all these comments and not featured!

Sally - It was one of my favorites.

Randy, my favorites are the ones who get a real estate license because they are planning to buy or sell a house.

Patricia - I know one right now. They are determined to pocket the commission at any cost.

When I practiced law, I had a new client come in for a consult. He told me my problem and asked what I thought. I started talking about the issue and giving my advice. He kept correcting me with information that wasn't applicable to his issue. Finally, I looked at him and asked why her was there. He told me he needed a lawyer, but he looked everything up on the internet so he could be sure I was giving him the right information.

A little information is a dangerous thing. He was just smart enough to be dangerous, to himself.

Randy-Excellent post..and oh so true. Your post has been selected as a blogger's choice Award Winner...Congrats!