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Woman's Day Gives Bad Real Estate Advice

By
Industry Observer with Swanepoel T3 Group

I just came across an article called 10 Things Your Real Estate Agent Won't Tell You published on womansday.com. Ms. Sarah Stebbins, a free lance writer, seems to have cobbled together negative bits and pieces from other works, including the The Home Buying Kit For Dummies. I am disappointed that a respectable organization like Woman's Day would publish this inaccurate and misleading article.

Some of unpleasant and just plain offensive lines:

"An agent who wants to make a quick sale might not share information a buyer could find unappealing about the neighborhood, like an office building going up on the street, or a registered sex offender who lives a few houses down."

"Moe Veissi, president of the National Association of Realtors and a broker in Miami, suggests asking realtors about area schools, crime statistics, parks, hospitals and whatever else is important to you..."

"Still, it’s a good idea to ask directly about upcoming construction projects and the proximity of sex offenders before closing a deal."

Brokerages offer agents a bigger cut of the commission if they sell in-house listings, says Tyson."

It’s common for a listing agent to let other brokers at his firm know about a “hot new property” before posting it in the multiple listing service....He gets a better commission split if he lines up an in-house agent.”

My comment on the article:

Ms. Stebbins you apparently have credentials as a magazine editor (Martha Stewart Weddings and Instyle) and freelance writer (Glamour, Women's Health), but your lack of understanding of the role of a professional Realtor® is astonishing.

We all have bad experiences with people in every job, from physicians to accountants to dog groomers, but respectable professionals rarely make the mistake of condemning entire groups based on a few bad experiences. 

In this difficult housing market, with millions  of homeowners still struggling to make tough decisions, it is discouraging that a respected publication like Woman's Day would publish such a one-sided and negative article.  I will comment on just a few of the issues raised:

I don't know a single firm in the Chicago metro area that pays agents more to sell in-house listings. At the suggestion of the IL Association of Realtors®, most firms do separate long term (10 years in IL) record keeping fees from sales commission. The record keeping cost is the same regardless of the sales price of the house, and should not be variable the way commission is.

I sincerely doubt that Moe Veissi suggested you ask a realtor (sic) about schools and crime statistics: by law we are not allowed to provide many types of information. And what exactly is a Realtor® supposed to know about hospitals?

Ms. Stebbins, if you ever want to talk to real clients -- rather picking over the bones of other people's work -- I could give you the names of 100s of agents and brokers who would happily give you many, many clients to talk to. 

And could you let us know if you work for free, as a free-lance writer? Or do you, too, work on commission?

Finally, Realtor®  is a trademark of the National Association of Realtors® and is not interchangeable with the term real estate agent.

Comments (76)

J. Philip Faranda
Howard Hanna Rand Realty - Yorktown Heights, NY
Associate Broker / Office Manager

My 85 year old mother stopped reading Woman's Day sometime around 1996. 

Mar 01, 2012 04:46 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Leslie, I read that article, too, and wrote a response, but I should've just waited for yours and said "ditto!" PS For the record, I don't subscrive, nor ever have subscribed to womans day.

Mar 01, 2012 06:03 AM
Evelyn Kennedy
Alain Pinel Realtors - Alameda, CA
Alameda, Real Estate, Alameda, CA

Leslie:

Too bad the article was so negative about Realtors.  But I guess that was what she was after and she succeeded.  happily, not everyone believes what they read.  We do not give a better split for in house sales, we do however get a $100.00 bonus when we sell an in-house listing.

Mar 01, 2012 06:54 AM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

Evelyn: do you disclose variable comp in the mls? 

 

Mar 01, 2012 07:32 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Perhaps a letter or email writing campaign to enlighten Ms. Stebbins about the realities of our profession would be advisable.  You're right, the article is inaccurate and very misleading!

Mar 01, 2012 08:42 AM
Barbara Altieri
Better Homes and Gardens RE Shore and Country Properties - Shelton, CT
REALTOR-Fairfield County CT Homes/Condos For Sale

Leslie -- The unfortunate part of this is while we know what she said is untrue, many readers accept it as the truth. An unchallenged lie is normally accepted as the truth.  Your response could not be better articulated.

Mar 01, 2012 09:30 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Leslie, that writer has painted the unethical agent out there, which there are a few, but lots and lots of high integrity agents for their buyers. A very slanted story I agree. Thanks for bringing it to our attention here and the public.

Mar 01, 2012 09:33 AM
Kim Skumanick
Keller Williams Real Estate - Tunkhannock, PA

Thanks for writing that response Leslie. My favorite line was the last one. Too often all licensees are collectively referred to as REALTORS(R).

Mar 01, 2012 11:58 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Leslie

ZING. Well you got her there, didn't you. I almost want to read the article just for the laugh. It IS truly laughable how uninformed some in the media are about what the reality is in the real estate market, and what we legally can and cannot do, and what general practices really are. I think she has stepped outside the boundaries of her expertise, and she makes blanket statements that have no basis in reality. Perhaps she should stick to Martha Stewart Weddings.

Jeff

Mar 01, 2012 12:42 PM
Kim Boekholder Utah Real Estate/ PECO
Results Real Estate 801.580.5624 - Draper, UT
Broker Results Real Estate/Leasing Specialist PECO

I agree with your response, its too bad she didn't do her research. 

Mar 01, 2012 10:00 PM
Sandy Acevedo
951-290-8588 - Chino Hills, CA
RE/MAX Masters, Inland Empire Homes for Sale

Hi Leslie, great post. If she ever answers you, please let us know how she responds to your rebuttal.           

Mar 02, 2012 12:06 AM
Mimi Foster
Falcon Property Company - Colorado Springs, CO
Voted Colorado Springs Best Realtor

Oh, my goodness . . . my hackles rose just reading it.  Ignorant people have no business writing those kind of articles for national publications.  AND, thank you so much for your comment on my post.  I had a fun run in with one commenter, and never know whether or not to address 'linkers' or not.  Thanks, congratulations on another star, and great post!!

Mar 02, 2012 10:36 AM
Justin Dibbs
Fairway Independent Mortgage - Ashburn, VA
Mortgage Advisor

And she's calling us unprofessional.  Please.  I am stunned a publication would allow a hack to submit an article like that for publication.

Mar 02, 2012 11:45 AM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

Mimi later I thought maybe my comment was inappropriate on YOUR post, but newer participants need to hear it. I think it was the TLW who straightened me out in the beginning, a scary moment to be sure :-).

Mar 02, 2012 09:53 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Very well done Ms. Leslie. My gut reaction was that Ms. Stebbins is working off of ancient research. Most of these 'traditions' that she speaks is prior to the 80's.  How valid is that for today? I hope you wrote the magazine directly on this.

How would we know about sex offenders? They sure are not listed in the MLS that's for sure.

Mar 03, 2012 04:20 AM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

Thank you Lyn. Can you imagine the issues if we started advising on crime statistics and schools? And hospitals? "But my agent said there was the world's best substance abuse program at that hospital and there isn't because it didn't work so I want to give my house back NOW".

Mar 03, 2012 09:18 AM
Ron Marshall
Marshall Enterprises - Saint Michael, MN
Birdhouse Builder Extraordinaire

Take some small comfort in the fact that that particular magazine is continually losing readership. However, your post should be sent to the editor, and, hopefully a retraction or correction made by the magazine.

Mar 03, 2012 05:44 PM
Don Sabinske
Don Sabinske, Sabinske & Associates Inc. - Zimmerman, MN
Sabinske & Associates Inc.

I would suggest that we all write to Ms. Stebbins. I would assume that she has a website. Realtors might want to convey that she doesn't exactly have her facts straight, and she might even write a correction in the magazine.

Mar 04, 2012 10:48 PM
Cathy Criado
Criado Realty - San Antonio, TX
Making Real Estate Profitable

Leslie, this is almost unbelieveble. I think it speaks volumes about the integrity of the person, the magazine, and the media. Thanks for sharing.

Mar 10, 2012 07:52 AM
Pete Xavier
Investments to Luxury - Pacific Palisades, CA
Outstanding Agent Referrals-Nationwide

Seeing this every now and than, recently with a real bad uninformed writer with Mötley Fool.

Sep 12, 2014 06:49 PM