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Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist, Probate Real Estate Services (KD Realty - 408.972.1822)

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Rainmaker
1,052,056
Candice A. Donofrio
Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker - Fort Mohave, AZ
928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text

I believe the difference is specific vs general.
Incompetent is when you're terrible at one thing, but you might be good at other things.
Inept is when you can't get a damn thing right.

Apr 23, 2016 02:15 AM
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Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

I think it's splitting hairs but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say incompetent is a noun and inept is an adjective.  So, you may be dealing with an inept incompetent.

Apr 23, 2016 02:11 AM
Rainmaker
1,502,868
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

I've always used them interchangably... usually with the word "bafoon" after it.

Apr 23, 2016 05:23 AM
Rainmaker
1,712,676
Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

Spelling.

Apr 23, 2016 04:43 AM
Rainmaker
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Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Inept means lacks the skills to do the task.

Incompetent means has the skills, just doesn't use them to the fullest potential.

Apr 23, 2016 04:18 AM
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Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

I'm laughing because this sounds like it might be a Utah real estate student question.

Apr 23, 2016 03:51 AM
Rainmaker
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Raymond E. Camp
Ontario, NY

I'll go with Roger D. Mucci and Liz and Bill Spear answer! But they are all good responses.

Apr 23, 2016 03:11 AM
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Mimi Foster
Falcon Property Company - Colorado Springs, CO
Voted Colorado Springs Best Realtor

I'M BITING MY TONGUE, KATHLEEN!!!!! 

Apr 23, 2016 02:28 AM
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Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

the letters c, o, m, e, n & t

Apr 23, 2016 02:19 AM
Rainmaker
3,071,489
Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

What Roger D. Mucci said - he beat me to it! 

Apr 23, 2016 11:07 PM
Rainmaker
2,707,721
Lisa Von Domek
Lisa Von Domek Team - Dallas, TX
....Experience Isn't Expensive.... It's Priceless!

Basically interchangeable...but neither is one anyone would want to be called!

Apr 23, 2016 12:28 PM
Rainmaker
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Mary Yonkers
Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA
Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor

See Sandy Padula and Norm Padula, JD, GRI comment.

Apr 23, 2016 07:16 AM
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Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I dont know, I will wait for the big reveal.

Apr 23, 2016 06:24 AM
Rainmaker
4,800,082
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

I'm here reading the other answers and really have no clue as to the difference.  (Does that make me inept or incompetent?)

Apr 23, 2016 04:42 AM
Rainmaker
2,781,013
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Not good at what you do & not knowing that you are not good at what you do

Apr 23, 2016 04:38 AM
Rainmaker
1,543,225
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

You mean the difference between Trulia & Zillow? And LOL to clever Roger D. Mucci 's comment!

Apr 23, 2016 04:34 AM
Rainer
231,224
Mike Rock
Complete Design - Granite Bay, CA
Granite Bay Luxury New Construction...For Less

seems pretty much the same, the latter sounds meaner :)

Apr 23, 2016 04:20 AM
Rainmaker
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Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

I like agree with Roger and Liz and Bill.

Apr 23, 2016 03:34 AM
Rainmaker
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Intent?

Apr 23, 2016 03:29 AM
Rainmaker
634,482
Kathleen Luiten
Resort and Second-Home Specialist - Princeville, HI
Kauai Luxury Ocean Home Sales

They can be synonymous, both meaning lack of skill required to accomplish a thing. So what was the surprising answer, Kathleen Daniels

Apr 23, 2016 03:07 AM
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Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Seems to me they esssentially mean the same - not having the skill of knowledge

Apr 23, 2016 02:16 AM
Rainmaker
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Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Both are appropriate for some real estate agents.

Apr 24, 2016 02:24 AM
Rainmaker
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Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

One you do not know better and the other you just do not want to do it right or do not care to or a mixture of both

Apr 24, 2016 01:13 AM
Rainmaker
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Yikes, yet another country song....

Apr 24, 2016 12:55 AM
Rainmaker
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Jennifer Mackay
Counts Real Estate Group, Inc. - Panama City, FL
Your Bay County Florida Realtor 850.774.6582

Incompetenet - unable to do something

Inept - can do but does poorly

Apr 23, 2016 10:13 PM
Rainer
98,823
Becca Rasmussen
HomeSmart Cherry Creek - Highlands Ranch, CO

Per Merriam-Webster, they are synonymous. So to sum up, in the words of a childhood friend: same difference. 

Related to incompetent

Synonyms

incapable, inept, inexpert, unable, unfit, unfitted, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful

Apr 23, 2016 10:10 PM
Rainmaker
2,538,633
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Kathleen. Hopefully I don't have to deal with folks that fall into either category. Things can be challenges with any additional help.

Apr 23, 2016 08:29 PM
Rainmaker
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Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

Still very close, no? 

''generally awkward or clumsy; haplessly incompetent.''

Apr 23, 2016 04:37 PM
Rainmaker
4,319,419
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Kathleen Daniels - irrespective of the meaning of each word, the result will be a 'mess' when we deal with them....lol!

Apr 23, 2016 04:28 PM
Rainmaker
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Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

Oh geeze...you mean I have to think to answer this question. 

Apr 23, 2016 04:04 PM
Rainmaker
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John Pusa
Glendale, CA

Kathleen Daniels Both words are very similar.

Apr 23, 2016 01:40 PM
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Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Inept means you do not know how, incompetent means you are not qualified.

Apr 23, 2016 11:30 AM
Rainmaker
900,008
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

They are synonyms in terms of definitions; do not think there are any connotations with either such as in the case of thin/skinny, for example. Those are also synonyms, but while thin is perceived as positive, skinny is not (too thin). 

Apr 23, 2016 07:58 AM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

The difference lies in the syntax applied. Both pejorative even if applied incompetently.

What these words share in common is they always describes the other side.

So just substitute "Not Me'" and everything intended as been said.

As in 'She is so "Not me!"

Apr 23, 2016 04:53 AM
Rainmaker
938,407
Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana - West Lafayette, IN

Kathleen, to me incompetent is someone who has absolutely no clue what he/she is doing; inept is when someone may know what should be done but is horribly amateurish in trying to accomplish the task at hand.  That is my take.

Apr 23, 2016 03:16 AM
Rainmaker
4,935,556
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Are you talking about a friend of mine.

Apr 26, 2016 12:07 AM