Even now, in today's real estate world, I hear these stereotype, ignorant comments:
"Police officers spend most of their time in the doughnut shop."."
"Firemen spend most of their time playing poker in their firehouse"
" Realtors and mortgage professionals made EASY money up until 4 years ago"
In all honesty, I am ready to ask for Charlie Sheen's help in settling the score with these people.
Why do people continue to think that realtors and mortgage professionals are such bad people who don't work? People outside our industry need to understand the following:
(1) We are commission-based. You close nothing that month, your family has nothing that month. One transaction can make a difference between having your bills paid and dining out once in a while or sharing a can of Chicken Noodle Soup between a family of four that month.
(2) The driving around, flexible hours, playing around during the day, and thinking we only work 25 hours a week is B.S. The professionals in our industries that are working 25 hours a week either are set financially for the rest of their life, have a spouse that makes great money or are working only 25 hours per week because they are probably the ones you will see at your door when you pick up your Domino's pizza delivery. In other words, they are working a second job. So we may take a day off on a Wednesday. What about Christmas Eve when a buyer wants to make an offer on a home and client needs a preapproval letter from the mortgage professional? How about Super Bowl Sunday back in 1999 when our realtor sold our first house. He had to come over and have us sign the paperwork. That was before the DVR so we missed most of the game.
(3) It is very very difficult to not only prospect for business, but to qualify them, keep client from going to a competing realtor or mortgage professional, and hope to God the loan doesn't get declined or the house fails an inspection.
Very very disturbing that we still hear these comments 4 years after 2007's meltdown, as if we single handedly caused this. We have to continue to reinforce that realtors and mortgage professionals are honorable professions.
Here is something for people to think about:
The percentage of mortgage professionals and realtors in Oregon and Washington that have left their respective industries since the heyday of 2006 is nearly 60%.
That means the ones that were dishonest, in it only for the money, were unethical, etc. are GONE. That is a lot of people that have left the industries.
If you go to a website called www.ripoffreport.com , it will show you complaints of "rip offs" claimed by consumers, The number of complaints is categorized by industry. Of all the industries, realtors were one of the LOWEST in terms of number of complaints. Great to hear.
For mortgage professionals , there were 109 complaints in the state of Oregon, ONE of them in Portland( if you don't count the subprime lenders no longer in business). THERE HAVE BEEN NONE SINCE 2009.
For mortgage professionals in Washington state, there were 78 complaints, and ONE in Vancouver, WA against mortgage professionals. That is not very many.
If you look up the Better Business Bureau, of the 4,370 different categories, realtors are ranked near the top in terms of LEAST complaints.
What does that tell you for the consumer? The respective industries of realtors and mortgage professionals are not only left with survivors, but with people who have integrity, ethics, and competence.
Don't get me wrong. There will always be differences in level of service from one individual mortgage professional and realtor to another, but NOBODY should be disrespecting our professions.
DEAL: I won't talk about the doughnuts and the poker games to those of you who are policemen or firemen as long as you stop thinking that realtors and mortgage people make $200,000 a year while playing golf four times a week and vacationing in Cabo every other month.
Let's put these stereotypes aside and respect each other's businesses.
Thank you again for your business.
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