As the market has become more challenging I am seeing more and more posts dealing with the diminishing number of REALTORS®. I find it interesting that some of these seem to be grateful, in fact downright delighted, that some REALTORS® have had to leave the field. Comments often reflect similar sentiments.
Why?
Please do not tell me it is because we are losing the "bad" agents. Yes, I am sure we are losing some of them. However, we are also losing others that are as good at the business as you and I believe we are.
Do you really delude yourself into believing that only losers lose? No, unfortunately it does not work that way. I have known some agents that have survived much more than this latest bump in the road. Believe me, not all of them are agents I would want a family member to work with now or ever.
If we had a guarantee that only the ethical and competent agents remained following a shake-up I would do everything I could to create one. It is not that simple. Real estate is no different than any other field. There are some in every field that hang on and on no matter how poorly they do their jobs. Some are just better at faking it than others.
I have yet to see a study that showed of the REALTORS® that left the business 80% were lousy, worthless agents and only 20% were professional and well thought of by others in the industry. (I'm using the proverbial 80-20 ratio which appears to be so popular in real estate for illustrative purposes only.)
So what if some people became REALTORS® when the market was hot? They had a perfect right to do that. The gates to real estate heaven did not close and only we were allowed to be there. People have become REALTORS® every single year since this profession has been around. Every one of us had our motives for becoming agents and that includes our timing as well.
The fact that there are agents that look at someone else's misfortune as good fortune for them should perhaps re-think their motives. Yes, I understand that when I get a listing that someone else vied for, I have won and they have lost. Revel in it? No thanks! I'm going to have my loses too. Each and everyone of us does.
What is it that makes some agents appear fearful about competition? I have never been concerned with the number of agents in my market area. Sometimes I have been concerned with agents that "work" outside of their areas of expertise because they are chasing the money. There are agents that take the time to find out as much as they can about another area, others just move blindly ahead.
Real estate is a competitive business. We should not be in it if we worry about having to go up against others. It is how we go about it that tells alotabout us. Wishing to be rid of fellow REALTORS® just to make life a little easier for me is not how I run my real estate business.
If you are gloating at the fact that some very good agents may have to give up real estate because of this economy what does that say about you?
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