Women Are Bit*hes, Men Are Professionals

Happy New Year!  I thought I’d start this New Year out by writing a blog about something that seems to be running rampant in the real estate industry and what has become the cesspool of unprofessional, egotistical men who basically talk down, degrade and treat strong, aggressive, confident women Realtors® inferiorly.  For example, here is an email I received just recently from a Broker of Record of all people.  I had written to him to ask for his help with one of his agents after I had submitted an offer for one of my buyers.

“I spoke to XXXX . Your offer was presented .  It was rejected . XXXX told you what the seller was willing to take on this property . ( that is a counter offer ) 

On a side note , did you ever hear the saying that you catch more bees with honey than vinegar. I would suggest for your customer’s sake you try honey . I would suggest you change your attitude and your dealings with me and my agents or get one of your associates to represent your clients when it comes to my office .Your approach doesn’t help you or your clients .”

Do you think this Broker would have written this type of e-mail to Donald Trump or Warren Buffet? Do you think any “man” would have ever said to Donald Trump or Warren Buffet that they should use honey to “catch more bees?”Do you think he would have demanded either of these two confident, powerful, aggressive men to”change their attitude?” Of course not. It’s just a way for this particular man to treat a woman with as little respect as he can and to make him feel more powerful!  It’s disgusting and pathetic is what it is.  I have news for this Broker, my clients hire me for those very characteristics that you would like for me to change. When buying or selling a home, a client needs someone on their side who is confident, strong and who is an expert negotiator be it man or woman. They do not want someone who is meek, timid or is afraid of their own shadow or someone who bows down to some prehistoric, neanderthal  just because “he” tells her to. Go crawl back under the rock you live under Mr. Caveman! 

Don’t misunderstand this blog though. I am an extremely confident and strong professional woman and when these type of men treat me this way, I put them in their place, stay focused and complete the task in front of me. I don’t allow this type of ignorance hinder me. The purpose of this blog is to create awareness to what is still going on in the world of business today and how it really needs to stop.

How about just doing your job no matter what gender you are dealing with and do your job to the best of your ability. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Keep your personal feelings to yourself and focus on your client. If a man is intimidated by a woman Realtor® he is dealing with than perhaps he should get out of the business altogether because women are here to stay and we are smart, professional, strong, determined, and we are Realtors®, lawyers, doctors, surgeons, astronauts, astrophysicists etc and we have our own minds, opinions and can speak for ourselves and match wits with the best of them.  And one more thing for those men who just love to put professional women down or call them names like bit*hes.  One day you will have daughters if you do not already and one day that daughter will grow up and become a strong, professional, determined, aggressive woman who will have her own opinions and I am quite certain that you would not at all like if some man just like you spoke to your daughter the way that you speak with me and other professional women just like me. So, get your act together and learn some manners, give the same respect that you give to your buddies and want for yourselves to all women no matter what their stature. This is after all 2012.

I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. If you would like to share your experiences, please do so. 

Renee Porsia is a REALTOR® Associate Broker with RE/MAX Action and published author.  If you would like to read more articles by Renee Porsia, or are interested in selling or buying a home in the Philadelphia, Bucks or Montgomery County areas, visit her website at www.reneeporsia.com or contact her directly at 215-669-0589 or in the office at 215-358-1100 (ask for Renee). You can also follow Renee on Twitter @reneeporsia

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“Brian Buffini Destroyed My Career”

“Brian Buffini destroyed any chance at a career I may have had” is one response an agent posted back in February of this year after reading this article http://mattgosselin.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/why-brian-buffini-is-ripping-you-off/written by: Matthew S. Gosselin.

So, I thought it might be a good idea and a good way to start out the week to find out what the masses would say about Brian Buffini and his coaching system now that the real estate market has so drastically changed in so many ways. Does it work for every agent? Has it become antiquated in the new world of texting, Skype, Facebook, and Twitter? Does it need revamping?

I myself was a member at one time and absolutely loved his system. It seemed so obvious. In my professional opinion though, I still think the system offers great motivation and probably works best for new agents as well as veteran agents who need to reboot and kick themselves in the butt.

What are your thoughts on Brian Buffini’s coaching system?

Renee Porsia is a REALTOR® Associate Broker with RE/MAX Action and published author. If you would like to read more articles by Renee Porsia, or are interested in selling or buying a home in the Philadelphia, Bucks or Montgomery County areas, visit her website at www.reneeporsia.com or contact her directly at 215-669-0589 or in the office at 215-358-1100 (ask for Renee). You can also follow Renee on Twitter @reneeporsia

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A Listing Agent’s Dirty Little Secret?

I’m constantly hearing “I called the agent on the sign to show me the house because I thought I had to” so I figured it was time for me to write about Buyer Agency, what it is and why it’s so very important for buyers. 

What’s the first thing people do when they make the decision to buy a home? They start looking on the internet for homes and they look for for sale signs while driving. Once they see a home that’s in the area they want to live in and meets their criteria from the outside, they do what comes naturally to them which is to call the agent who’s name is on the sign or they call the number listed in the advertisement and that’s exactly what the seller’s agent wants buyers to do but it’s exactly what buyers should never do. But why?

It’s actually quite simple really and actually makes sense if you think about it for a second. The home owner took the time (hopefully) to meet with REALTORS® and hired one to put their home (list) on the market and so the home “owner” has their “own” REALTOR® (representative) representing their interests. The home owner always wants the “highest” price (more than anyone has ever gotten) they can get, well what do home buyers always want? It’s a big stretch to answer but right, the buyer always wants to get the home for the “lowest” price (free). Ok, so if the home owner’s REALTOR® is busy “negotiating” the highest price for the home owner, who is busy “negotiating” the lowest price for the buyer? Nobody, which is where buyer agency (buyer representation) comes into play.

If a buyer wants the “best” possible deal they can get they surely won’t be able to get that with the home owner’s REALTOR®, thus the need for their own REALTOR® aka a buyer’s agent. Why? Because a REALTOR® can not serve two masters.  I personally feel that their should be a disclosure on for sale signs which warns buyers of their right to their own representation. It should say “I was hired by the owner. You have the legal right to hire your own buyer agent to protect you.  Anything you tell me, I will use to hurt you when I tell the home owner”.  The link for the Consumer Notice (Consumer Notice) should also be posted on the sign. Unfortunately, these things are not posted on signs and many listing agents never mention any of this to buyers who call them off of one of their signs for their listings.

Making buyer’s aware of their legal right to have their own representation is required by the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELA) and yet so many consumers still have no idea that they shouldn’t call the listing agent on the for sale sign or why.  It’s such a travesty.

Simply put, many listing agents do not like buyer agency because whenever a buyer uses a buyer’s agent instead of them, they have to split the commission with that buyer so instead, they just keep their mouth shut thereby taking away the buyer’s rights.

One listing agent’s secret is every buyer’s loss.  Don’t let this happen to you. Do your homework and know your rights before you pick up that phone to call that listing agent.

Renee Porsia is a REALTOR® Associate Broker with RE/MAX Action and published author. If you would like to read more articles by Renee Porsia, or are interested in selling or buying a home in the Philadelphia, Bucks or Montgomery County areas, visit her website at www.reneeporsia.com or contact her directly at 215-669-0589 or in the office at 215-358-1100 (ask for Renee). You can also follow Renee on Twitter @reneeporsia

Do Real Estate Agents Deceive You To Get Your Business?

So, you are thinking of putting your home up for sale? Not knowing any real estate agents, you decide to interview three local agents. You go on the internet and randomly choose three (3) agents. Now, which one should you hire?

The first agent comes in and tells you that he has 20 homes for sale in your neighborhood and so you should hire him. After all, with 20 homes for sale, he is the best. People see his signs and he can get you the highest price. The second agent comes in and tells you he will cut his commission lower than what the other two agents are going to charge you, list the home at the highest price he can list it at and is going to have an open house every weekend. The third and final agent comes in and tells you that your home is worth much less than what the last few homes have sold for. He also tells you that he will not be doing open houses and will not be showing the home to any buyers.

Who do you hire? Each agent made some valid points. Naturally, you want the most for your home. You also want to save money so why not go with the second agent who told you he would cut his own salary and list your home at the highest price. Why would you ever want to hire the third agent who just basically insulted your home by saying it was worth less than what your last few neighbors who sold their homes for. Surely your home is nicer than their homes and he doesn’t even want to work after all, not wanting to hold open houses or bring buyers to see your home.

Well, in this situation, the third agent is actually the agent you should hire. I know you must be scratching your head. Why would anyone want to hire the third agent when those other two agents told you they would list your home for the highest price they could list it for and bonus, the second agent is going to charge you less and have an open house every weekend. Did you ever hear of the expression, “if it sounds too good to be true then it is?” Well, it is in this case. Here’s why. The first agent already has 20 homes for sale that haven’t yet sold so that indicates that he is not selling homes he’s just listing homes and your home is just going to be added to that list. Sure, people see his signs but do you want to be just another advertisement for this agent or do you want to sell your home? The second agent who told you he would cut his own salary actually told you much more than you would ever imagine. By cutting his commission that indicates that he is not very good at negotiating for himself and that will come back to haunt you when an offer comes in. If he is willing to reduce his own salary, what do you think he will do when a buyer wants to reduce the price of your home? Negotiating is crucial in selling a home. It’s supposed to be an agent’s expertise.

The real estate market is not the same as it was 2 or 3 years ago. The market is saturated with homes that are not selling. If a buyer doesn’t want your home, they can just move on to the next and so on and so on. That’s why choosing the right agent is even more important than ever before. Contrary to popular belief, putting a sign on your lawn just doesn’t get the job done. After all, just look around you, how many homes have for sale signs on them? What makes your home so special? Anyone can stick a sign on your lawn but it takes a real professional to get a home from “for sale” to “sold” these days. It also takes a real professional who is not afraid to tell you the “truth” just like the third agent did in this scenario. “No, your home is not worth what the other two agents told you it is worth”, “no, I will not be bringing buyers into your home because I am not a dual agent as I only work for you”, and “no, I do not do open houses because 99% of the people who come to open houses haven’t even been approved for a mortgage yet and just happened upon your house not to mention they are not safe these days.”

If you really want to sell your home and key word being “sell” and not just list your home and have it sit on the market for months and months, know and accept how much “similar” homes in your immediate area have recently sold for and when I say recently, I mean within the last two (2) months. Be prepared to hear this price from a real estate agent and if the agent is telling you that your home is worth much more, send him/her packing because if the last three (3) homes similar to yours sold for thousands less, why would yours miraculously now sell for so much more? Hire the agent who is not afraid to say no to you, don’t be deceived by an agent who will say anything to get your business, know the agent’s inventory and never hire the agent who is already swamped with listings he/she can’t sell.

Choosing the wrong agent can be the difference between just listing your home and actually selling your home. Remember, the more you know, the savvier you will be.

Renee Porsia is an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Action and published author servicing Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties. If you would like to read more articles by Renee Porsia, visit her at www.reneeporsia.com. If you would like to comment on this article or share your own real estate story, please do so below.

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Can You Fire Your Realtor®?

I was surprised to learn that a lot of home owners didn’t know that they could fire their Realtor®.  After all, the Realtor® was hired by the home owner so why wouldn’t they be able to fire them?

Listen up, you can fire the “broker” which is actually who you are hiring when you work with a Realtor® or real estate agent (there is a difference) if they are not doing the job that your hired them to do which leads me to point out that most home owners are not aware of what the job of the listing agent actually is and can lead to much frustration which is the main reason the home owner wants to fire the Realtor® in the first place.

If you want to fire your Realtor®, I would say, first read the listing agreement that you signed when you hired the Broker to see if it specifies what the Broker’s duties are and you can also see when the agreement expires.  If the agreement doesn’t specify what the duties are and didn’t expire, turn to the Consumer Notice that the Realtor® provided to you when you first met to review what the duties of the selling agent are. If you are still miffed, give your Realtor® a call, schedule a meeting and come right out and ask him/her.  If you are still not satisfied, you should contact that Broker of Record, schedule an appointment to meet with him/her and express your dissatisfaction.  If after you speak with him/her, you find that you are still not happy with the Realtor®, you can ask the Broker to be let out of your contract.  The Broker may suggest that you allow another Realtor® in the office or perhaps the Broker to take over the listing but if you simply want to sever all relations with that office, you should just be honest with the Broker and tell him/her that you want to fire them. Remember, you can also seek the help of an attorney at anytime. 

The most important thing a home owner should know when thinking of listing your home is, ask questions. Some of those questions should be : 

• How long is the contract
• What exactly will you be doing
• How can I contact you
• What are your hours
• What are the office hours
• Will I be dealing directly with you or do you have a team
• Do you work full-time
• Are you a Realtor® or a real estate agent

Having the answers to those questions and more will alleviate any future frustration and disappointment.  It will also allow you to know whether or not the Realtor® is doing the job for which you hired him/her to do.

So see, the Donald isn’t the only one who can say “you’re fired!”

If you have any questions for Renee, you can e-mail her at reneeporsia@mac.com. You can also comment on this article below. Renee Porsia, is an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Action and published author.