Silly Realtor, tricks are for kids!

This blog is more of rant towards the practices of other Realtors in the Huntington and Charleston,WV Real Estate markets than it is for educational purpose. With that said, I'm going to rattle off a few practices that certain Realtors do that just get under my skin. (well, it used to get under my skin but the longer I have been in the business the more I get amused and just sit back and wait for karma to catch up. Then the book comes out with who got fined in WV for ethics violations and there are never any surprises) To keep from "Rambling On" like a Led Zepplin jam, I'll just make a list of the top 3 acts of knuckleheadedness that I see from time-to-time(feel free to use that word at your discretion).

1) Putting your cards or magnets at your listings.~ Are you serious? Perhaps I am missing the logic in this but the only reason I can see for an agent to do this is in hopes that another agent's client picks it up so they call you. Now what does that say about ones integrity? What's amusing is that I develop a strong relationship with my clients, aka friends, and they've been the one who pointed the cards out and noted it wasn't a good practice. One even tried to grab them all and throw them away but I convinced them not to for the agents actions speak for themselves. Another funny one is when agents show your listings and leave a magnet. Some will leave their cards to show who has been there but that's fine. Bottom line. How many agents would this offend and could this be a deterrent from showing your listings? Remember your duty is to your client

2) Agents website address or phone numbers where they shouldn't be on the MLS form~ Another deceptive tactic that is a disservice to the client. You are supposed to be selling that person's house not yourself. I wonder how many potential buyers the sellers may miss because an agent won't send the listing when another agent puts their contact info where it should not be. I just point it out to my clients and let them make their own judgment. Bottom line. How many agents would this offend and could this be a deterent from showing your listings? Remember your duty is to your client

3) WE WILL SALE YOUR HOUSE FOR $19.99***** or MY DAYS ON MARKET IS 45 DAYS***** ~ Anytime I see an asterisk, I get nervous. I think anytime you are not honest with people up front and need small print and asterisks to sell something, then that's a form of deception. Let's be real people**********

As I have mentioned before, the vast majority of Realtors are great people and practice ethically as expected. However, there are always a few bad apples in any profession that tend to give a stink more so than others so this blog is dedicated to the few to entertain the many!