I can't believe some of the many comments I've read on different Internet blogs regarding the death of REALTOR Troy VanderSteldt.  We keep reading about the blame game and this post is not to blame anyone, nor to accept blame for my profession.

It was shocking enough to read the story about a young real estate agent being executed because of the fact that a home purchased by a 73 year old man, Robert Johnson, had depreciated since he purchased it during the Seller's Market.  This man was so upset he took his gun to Troy's office and shot him in the head, killing the young husband and father.  He tried to escape but is now being charged with murder.

The crime itself shocked me but so did some of the comments I read on multiple blogs throughout the Internet that wrote about the story.  Some people can actually understand the murderer's wrath at the real estate market and alluded to most in the buisiness as being liars and crooks. 

These kinds of comments were not total crazies saying that murder should be acceptable, but once again real estate agents were all being thrown into a cesspool of liars and thieves.  I simply cannot accept that.  On a positive note, most of the comments were heartfelt and sympathetic.

There are always going to be crazy people that don't feel remorse for their actions.  There are people that get pushed over the edge as this story suggests.  But to blame one man for a national housing situation? 

This man flipped when the house he purchased for $143,000 in 2005 is now worth $139,900.  His decision has changed his life much more than the money he would have lost selling his home.  He'll have a new home to live in for the rest of his life if convicted.

Please let this deceased agent rest in peace

It is so sad that some commenters painted a picture that maybe Troy was a liar or sleazy or whatever adjective they used to describe the general population of real estate agents.  They have no proof that Troy did anything wrong but they implied that real estate agents wouldn't have to worry about this kind of thing if we were honest and ethical. 

Of course, I don't know if anyone knows if the price drop was the only reason that Johnson flipped out.  I wonder why he didn't attempt to list his house with Troy and ended up going to another brokerage first.  We might never know the whole story but we all know that Troy did not deserve what happened.

Bad stuff does happen to real estate agents

I've read some statistics that say around 200 agents have been murdered from 1982 to 2000.  Add to that robberies, rapes and assault - our profession can be dangerous! 

But what happened to Troy is a bit different.  Most crimes to real estate agents are committed by strangers.  This crime was committed by a past client.  It happened in Troy's office with other people close by.  This is something no one could have seen coming.

We are trained to be as careful as possible when doing showings and I do not volunteer to hold open houses and rarely do.  I do not know of any past clients that are having financial difficulties that might think I should be held accountable for. 

I guess we can only take this as one person who couldn't control himself for whatever reason.  For the few that have lied and cheated for their commissions, I guess this might make them a little paranoid.  But for the rest of the ethical and honest agents, I guess we just need to keep vigilant and pray for Troy's family and donate if we can.