Friday Fun…Your First Real Estate Agent

Good morning, Kathy... the first real estate agent(s) we worked with were terrible. They did not listen to what we said we wanted and where. That is a big reason I became a real estate agent... I figured if I just listened to my clients, I would run rings around the majority of agents. And I did.

Good morning Kathy. The first two homes I purchased were new construction with no representation. The third home I purchased I represented myself and purchased from the listing agent who was going through a divorce. So you could say I was three for three representing myself and had a fool for a client, ha, ha. Never again and I have bought and sold more homes.and was a licensed broker. Enjoy your day.  

I've never used an agent to purchase a home. 

In 1975, I was in the process of working with a builder and saw a fsbo sign go up on a home I always loved. I stopped, looked, called my husband to come immediately. We worked out the deal and closed on our first home. When I sold the home, the buyer was a water company, the negotiator was a broker who sate of the water company board of directors and he negotiated the deal. We closed, he asked for a commission after the fact. That would have been a conflict of interest for him. It was not requested up front. I wrote the check but put "for real estate commission of the sale of xxxxx". He came to my home and stated he tore it up accidentally and showed me lots of little pieces. I rewrote the check the same way. It was never cashed. I knew I owed him nothing. He knew he it would have been a conflict of interest to represent me but tried.

My second home purchased was a home I was renting. The owner asked us to buy it, we did. Later he wanted to buy it back and we were going to move to Florida so we sold it back to him. 

I was working with an agent to purchase the third home. We drove by a FSBO and she refused to knock on the door to show it to me. I went back, saw it, purchased it. Buy the time I sold it, I was a Broker/Owner and sold it myself.

The home I own, I built, no agent needed as I was an agent.

Ironically, I didn't think about that until I read your blog. 

Thanks Kathy for sharing your experiences on your first Realtor!!! I remember ours too

Good morning Kathy,

You made me put on my thinking cap! I finally remembered the first agent to help us buy a home and it from a local firm where we knew the owner. He listen to our needs and we found a home quickly and was there for us in a couple of years when we were moving!

I bought my house before I was a real estate agent myself and really enjoyed working with the woman who helped me, but after I became an agent, I realized that she wasn't as knowledgeable as I thought, nor did she provide me with the level of service that I provide my clients, haha.

In England you really searched on your own, there were no buyer agents. However, when we came to America we used Linda, and we were introduced to her through the business development office of Philadelphia. She was great and became a good friend as well.

I bought a small home in Fort Lauderdale when I was about 20 years old. I was going to school and working full time. I was forced to hire an attorney because the seller was skank. My agent fell in love with the lawyer because he showed at the closing and scared the s*** out of the seller. 

Kathy, Our first agent was an awful experience  and honestly, that’s what made me realize I could do this so much better!

Great story—those first impressions stick. My first agent didn’t just open doors, they explained why a property worked (or didn’t), especially when it came to land—topography, access, and what could actually be built. That stuck with me. It’s easy to show property; it’s a different skill to truly understand it. That’s the bar.

Tom S

Kathy, for some reason, cannot remember the first agent, but a couple of them after that were just ok.   I did ask questions of one about being an agent, and he didn't really want to help me.   That was interesting.

Kathy both of the houses I have purchased were FSBO's.  However, we did use a Realtor to sell our first home, but I do not remember the Realtor or even why we picked her.

The first one told me he wouldn't work with me, Kathy, because my price point was too low. I ended up buying a FSBO because the next one stood me up! ❔

I became an agent years later, once gaining the necessary education while employed by a home builder and the courage to work for myself. I love my BOSS!

The first agent I used was terrible. Non-responsive, not helpful, etc etc. Decades later when I became an agent I knew I'd do a lot better!

My first agent was GREAT. His name was Jim Fey. He was the Owner/Broker of his company Amberland Realty in Fargo North Dakota. My dad introduced me to Jim, his friend. When I reflect  back on my Dad's "friends" they were always people who purchased Life Insurance from him. 😉

We didn't have an agent exactly for our first home. We went to the real estate company that was handling the sale of the homes being built on a new street. We lived in that home for 25 years.

I remember when we sold our first home the agent we used wasn't good. Don't remember her name. 

She wasn't easy to work with and when she held an open house only agents from her office came. She wanted us to lower our price, but we got another agent instead. The new agent had a very successful open house and we sold above our asking price.

Funny how so many people had a bad experience, so they thought they would be a better choice for a good agent.   I did work with an agent when I came to Alaska. She was very good at her job and a little scary. I had no intentions of selling real estate ever but I ended up being her assitant and the rest is history! 

I was not well educated back then and I did  trust my agent, both on the buy side and later in selling.  My only regret was holding on to memories and not selling the home when we no longer needed the mansion on the water.  

Hey Kathy, this would be a great Challenge for us! You should consider making this a future challenge. It would be fun to read these stories. 

My first agent actually became the chair of our state association. She has been an exceptional mentor to me as well.