What do you think of Realtors?

Well, my fingers aren't broken. My injuries are more along the lines of knife wounds in my back from friends and aquaintances who used me for free advice and then listed with the Realtors who had dazzling listing presentations and broken fingers.

I would give you a chance to list my house.

Unfortunatly, it is difficult do tell the difference between the good Realtors and the bad ones. I would say go with your instincts but people are often fooled. One thing I feel strongly about is going against the advice that one should look for an "experienced" Realtor. Everyone has to start somewhere and sometimes the newer Realtors will do a better job because they don't have a hugs inventory of listings to juggle and they have more to prove. Thanks for your response.

I have to disagree with your statement that "Realtors are sales people and nothing more". Although it does not require a 4 year degree to become a Realtor, continuing education is required and the good realtors also seek ongoing education above and beyond the minimum requirements. Yes there are some (perhaps many) who act as nothing more than sales people, but there are a few good Realtors that are truly professionals and they do put their clients interest first. There is a huge perception that Realtors are only in it form the money, and again, there are those who truly are. But I think that is the case in every profession. Just as there are good and bad in every profession regardless of income level. There are good and bad lawyers, doctors, police officers, even teachers. As a customer, it is tricky to find the good ones and unfortunatly, many customers are impressed by dazzle and lose sight of character. When I got into the business it was my hope that I could make money doing something that would help people with what for many is the biggest investment of their lives. What ended up happening in my case is that I gave out a lot of free information and then I was forgotten when it came time to sign the listing contract. People don't realize how much free information Realtors give out only to be forgotten. Yes, its part of the job and it's a risk you take when choosing to go into a comminssion based carreer. Unfortunately, that is why the more aggressive people and the ones who are willing to bend the rules and do whatever it takes to make the deal are the ones who are most successful. I seems to me that many consumers want to criticize the profession but they don't take into consideration that they want something for nothing. Regarding the 6%. I guess whether that amount is high or not is debatable. I understand the consumers right to look for the best price, but considering everything that goes into selling a house, (sometimes it is more difficult than others) and considering everything that Realtors do to get the home sold that price could be quite reasonable. Again, that does depend on the Realtor. There are some out there who do very little and end up making an easy sale, but there are countless homes with difficult owners, where the Realtor does everything they can and the customer is never satisfied. With real estate, just as with every thing else in life, there are two sides to every story. Thank you for taking the time to reply.