We all know as Realtors, in total honesty, that a seller NEEDS us! Our jobs are not only to market and get a home sold, but it's also to walk beside the Seller throughout the process and help get them to the closing table with as little stress as possible.
Over the past 20 years I've had sales that would have died had we not been able to walk our clients through an inspection issue or a mortgage problem. We've actually helped homeowners who had been taken advantage of in the past and thought it would save them money but actually cost them more in the long run.
So isn't it a part of our promise when we obtained our license to do "what's best for the consumer". Don't we have fines and penalties for being unethical and/or lying to a seller or buyer??
Well then why is it OK for all these "desperate" people out there to pull a "Bait and switch" on consumers?
Why is it OK for them to, not only get money from the consumer, but then turn around and get Realtors to pay them for leads, once the consumer REALIZES that they DID need a Realtor after all.
AND....................WHY did our MLS sell us out??? By making MLS accessible to ANYONE who is not a Realtor put our product in the hands of people who are not susceptible to the fines and laws that we are. Therefore allowing them to sell this product in ways that can (and will) hurt the consumer.
That also goes for our NAR who owns Realtor.com. Our own Association was only thinking of it's own financial gain when Realtor.com was acquired and made the biggest Real Estate Site on the Internet. What this has done is create ways for the consumer to THINK they don't need a Realtor. We pay for IDX on our websites......WHY? People just go to Realtor.com anyway.
I look at it this way: Good, honest, hard working Realtors are being weeded out. Greed and modern technology has actually made our own associations and MLSs go against the very rules this profession was made on.............."For the good of the consumer". By steering the consumer AWAY from the thought of needing a Realtor, you are doing them harm.
I was set off today by an email (second one in 2 days) that came to me. The subject line was "DON'T BE FOOLED BY YOUR AGENT"!
From what I could make of it, it's another FISBO type company, telling people that for a small fee they can be put on MLS, then it goes on to tell them that they shouldn't even pay a commission. On one part of their site it mentions a REBATE. On another page it totally contradicts the fact that they tell these peope they don't need a Realtor..............It states that if their house doesn't sell, they can get a REFUND as long as they hire one of THEIR Realtors (which tells me that they have Realtors paying them for these leads and then the Realtor will reimburse the company the fee that had to be refunded.) It also tells me that ANY Realtor participating in this is participating in a scam that tricked the consumer. HELLO!!!!
THE WHOLE THING IS A BIG "BAIT AND SWITCH" GIMMICK! Making US look bad. When is FACT they are the bad guys trying to take advantage of the consumer. However, they can not be fined because they do not have to abide by our laws and codes.
HERE IS WHAT WAS IN THE EMAIL:
Don't Pay Full Commission!
Real Estate Agents won't tell you, but when you
List Your House on the MLS service (the same MLS agents use)
you cut commission in half,
you may even eliminate commission totally!
Call Us Now! 877-728-3863
Plus your house will be listed on the following real estate websites:
You Have thought about it
NOW.... DO IT!
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Right Now is the Perfect Time To Sell Your House!
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MLS available!
We can help you sell your house yourself...
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SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!! IN THE END WE GET HURT AND WORSE SO DOES THE CONSUMER!!
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