Shady Real estate agent

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Moving/ Relocating

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amother

Tue, Jan 06 2009, 10:10 pm

My real estate agent is a frum woman who took me and dh out to see houses Thanksgiving time. We saw a house we loved and told her we would like to bring the parents over so they could see it. She said to call her after the long weekend and we would schedule a time. I called and she said she did not want to ruin my weekend, but the house had been bid on already- what a shame she said b/c it was on the market for 1 year and now it was going into contract. She also mentioned that the seller wouldnt like to have a bidding war. She promised to show us other houses. She did and I told her I still wished that the 1st house was available, she started to tell me that I would have to put 20% down and that would be $150,000 for closing plus down, I told her that at the moment I did not have that amount available so it was for the best. Now I find out that SHE is the buyer and the #'s she stated were inflated! she called to ask me for my approval that she put down a bid and it went thru... I said to her what do you want from me? you already did it??
I always thought that they were supposed to have your best interest at heart.
I feel so cheated and taken advantage of.
Is there anything to do? the house is gone but to report the agent? to whom?

Atali

Tue, Jan 06 2009, 10:17 pm

Does she work for a larger company? If so, report it to them. Otherwise you can try contacting the Better Business Bureau (but ask a rav first)

amother

Tue, Jan 06 2009, 10:37 pm

she does but it's her sister's company.

Barbara

Tue, Jan 06 2009, 10:59 pm

amother wrote:

If you really want to pursue this, find out if this person is licensed as a broker or agent in your state, then contact the appropriate licensing agency to determine if she acted in appropriately.

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:13 am

Quote:

I always thought that they were supposed to have your best interest at heart.
I feel so cheated and taken advantage of.

I have never met an honest real estate agent, even the frum ones. They are never looking out for your interest. They are salesmen working on huge commission. In E"Y we worked with 3 different agents. Each one was worse than the next. They are smooth talkers and if they don't outright lie, they stretch the truth. We once heard a well-known Rav comment that it's a profession that attracts evil people.

I hope this makes you feel better. Sorry this happened to you.

Atali

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:24 am

I had an amazing frum real estate agent, so you can't generalize.

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:28 am

amother wrote:

Quote:

I always thought that they were supposed to have your best interest at heart.
I feel so cheated and taken advantage of.

I have never met an honest real estate agent, even (especially?) the frum ones. They are never looking out for your interest. They are salesmen working on huge commission. In E"Y we worked with 3 different (frum) agents. Each one was worse than the next. They are smooth talkers and if they don't outright lie, they stretch the truth. We once heard a well-known Rav comment that it's a profession that attracts evil people.

I hope this makes you feel better. Sorry this happened to you.

Um..... amother, I know why I'm anonymous, because I am about to give personal info. And you are anonymous because... you wanted to slam the "evil people" - "especially the frum ones" - who go into real estate?

My husband is an honest, very hard-working realtor who goes above and beyond the call of duty in his work. His commissions (if and when they come in this market, more if than when) are not huge. They are split with the agency and also with the other agent, leaving him with maybe, MAYBE, MAYYYYYYYBE $2500 if that on the sale of a $350,000 house for which he has invested an unbelievable number of hours, travel time, gas expenses, fees that have to come out of his commission, etc. It's lucky if in today's market there is even one sale in a month. You can do the math yourself.

And still he gives his best to every client, even if they don't do him the favor of returning his calls to arrange appointments, and even if they just want to see lots and lots of places and then a month later mention that they're really just looking and don't know if they are going to move in the next 6 months, a year...

Would anyone on this site post that, say, medicine, for example, or law, or whatever, is a "professional that attracts evil people"????? You do realize you are speaking to many people when you post, right, and that I am probably not the only one who is married to a realtor, and I'm sure there are lots of women on this site who are themselves realtors. Are they evil?

Humph!!! Really.

greenfire

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:31 am

how deceitful ... did she really expect you to be happy ... I might understand her wanting the house - but not the underhanded lying ...

catonmylap

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:48 am

Real estate agents buy houses too. They have a leg up because they see so many more houses than anyone else. They usually get the house they want for a pretty good deal. I wouldn't take it personally. I would just let it go and keep looking and hopefully something much better will come on the market.

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 7:14 am

thanks Barbara I wil look into it. When she showed us the house she kept saying " this is so nice,I would take it if you don't"- My Dh is in sales so we thought it was a sales tactic to get us to buy. Guess not! I know agents also need their own houses but just like I would not go and find the owner and make a bid on the house without the agent who first showed it to me, so should she have had the decency to give me a chance at the house.

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 10:12 am

Could she be lying about the sellers not wanting people to get into a bidding war over their house? Isn't that a seller's dream? Don't they want the most they can get?

greenfire

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 10:19 am

amother wrote:

I hate to break it to you - but even I would grab a house that I really wanted - as a real estate broker it's like I would have first pick ... the only difference is that I would NOT lie about it and leave you hanging the way she did ...

Raisin

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 10:30 am

it sounds like she cheated the sellers by not telling them someone else was interested in the house. They are the ones who lost out most, it seems.

chocolate moose

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 11:18 am

Brokers and agents get a bad rap. Mostly b/c it's true !

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:11 pm

Amother because I don't want to sound high and mighty.... but I would never mess someone over like that! I would give my client a fair chance at the house if I already showed it to them. But then, I'm not a real estate agent and there is something that draws a certain type of person to that profession.

A house is just a house. You can make almost any house into a home. How you deal in business determines your chelek in olam haba. Feel pity for this agent and move on. Not to say you shouldn't report her (I think you should if you think she's unethical), but emotionally you should move on.

shayna82

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:20 pm

catonmylap wrote:

well then the right thing to do was to be honest and say, you know this house is kind of already taken... or there is someone that is ahead of you, I will let you know if its still around

amother

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:34 pm

OP Here- I spoke to a real estate lawyer who knows about the company and said that he personally has had problems with them. He said that they have several violations to their name. So one more isn't going to do anything. I guess being frum I expected more, maybe I was wrong but it is my first house so I really didn't know what to expect. I am upset, rightfully so.

Starhavah

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 12:35 pm

Real Estate agents ALWAYS work for the seller. I have bought houses in three states and in everyone they had to give me a sheet to sign that said so. I do not care if they are your best friend. An agent never works for the buyer, even a buyer's agent.

BTW, I have had dealings with 3 agents who have done things that involved questionable ethics in three different states.

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