Why I would never want to be a realtor

While I sometimes get frustrated with realtors, particularly when I see complex commercial transactions shoehorned into the standard Arkansas Realtors commercial sale form or when they represent both sides of a transaction and are undermining my representation of one side, I do appreciate the work they do. Without the realtor to act as a buffer I firmly believe that most residential sales transactions would result in litigation. The vast majority of people cannot take criticism of their possession or their offer without being personally offended. And most realtors are excellent at guiding people through the process of buying a home in terms of tempering expectations, giving guidance on offers and such.

But where I most appreciate/sympathize with them is in the endless and often fruitless hours spent with prospective buyers who may not know what they can afford, may not agree on what they want (if they’re a couple), and may just be bargain hunting. And then there is LindaPringle who looked at nearly 300 homes over two years before choosing one.

The highlight of the article is this quote:

Ms. Pringle found her dream home through a broker who took her to only one house. Ms. Emrich, the broker who had spent so many months working with her, wasn’t part of the deal. “I have so many wonderful things in my life,” says Ms. Emrich. “That is not one of them.”

I cannot imagine how frustrated that broker must be.