Real Estate Agent Sterotypes

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Real Estate Agent Sterotypes

Masyn Grant Barney
Real Estate Agent · Spanish Fork, UT · Member since 2020 · 79 posts · 56 votes

We all know that there is a common stereotype that RE agents are slimy, dishonest, greedy, etc. Why is that? Is it changing? Is it warranted? 

I recently did a LinkedIn Poll where 35% of people said that most real estate agents are "sleazy / slimy / unethical". While that is technically a minority, it still represents a large portion of the public who don't seem to trust agents. In my opinion, this perception isn't unique to real estate agents but is common among sales people as a whole. I believe there are a few main reasons agents receive more of the fallout than other sales people. 

1. Their pay is more transparent. The public loves to self determine what is "too much" to get paid.

2. Their product is more emotional than most. When a transaction goes bad, it is much more personal. 

3. In this market, the mentality that "homes sell themselves" is taken a little too literally

So the questions is, what can agents do to regain the publics trust? Or is this stereotype inherent to the business and a hurdle that will always need to be overcome? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Bruce Lynn
Real Estate Broker · Coppell, TX · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y

I think one issue is that we fail to tell or show the clients how much we do behind the scenes.

I think sometimes they think we show up for 5-10minutes and show them a house, when I may spend 2-3 hours planning a route to save them time, pulling comps, pulling seller's disclosures, looking at the history of the house, making appointments, getting showing instructions, driving to/from showing, all the fees we just made to make that happen (with risk if they don't buy that house), etc.  They don't know we also had to spend time in class learning all that stuff, getting licensed, maintaining license, and developing relationships to make all the parts of buying the house run smooth and as pain free as possible for them.   I've taken calls from 100 lenders, vetted the very best ones with the lowest interest rates and fees....watched 100s of inspections to get them the picky and most experienced ones, instead of the softball one they found on YELL.  and on and on.....they just see the 5mins we show up to let them in the house.

I tell buyers sometimes when their lender doesn't close on time it cost me 100 phone calls....calls to lender, other agent, title company, buyer, and all those people multiple times.

We send them an offer electronically to sign, that many sign in a few seconds, but may have taken an hour to write and more time to research.

While very unusual I just spend 4 1/2 hours going over HOA documents with a buyer....plus 1hr drive time...does he value my experience living, owning, and reviewing 100s of HOA documents to get to the point of being able to do that? Probably spent 10 hours or more explaining property taxes, how to keep them low, how to reduce his risk, and end the end how to save thousands. Again very unusual, but has English as 2nd language, hasn't lived in US that long.

Also based on 20+ years of doing this, helped him win a multiple offer situation when he was not the highest higher.

Then they see we get this nice fee at closing...and in their mind we only did 30 minutes of work.

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  • Bruce Lynn
    Real Estate Broker · Coppell, TX · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    4y

    I think one issue is that we fail to tell or show the clients how much we do behind the scenes.

    I think sometimes they think we show up for 5-10minutes and show them a house, when I may spend 2-3 hours planning a route to save them time, pulling comps, pulling seller's disclosures, looking at the history of the house, making appointments, getting showing instructions, driving to/from showing, all the fees we just made to make that happen (with risk if they don't buy that house), etc.  They don't know we also had to spend time in class learning all that stuff, getting licensed, maintaining license, and developing relationships to make all the parts of buying the house run smooth and as pain free as possible for them.   I've taken calls from 100 lenders, vetted the very best ones with the lowest interest rates and fees....watched 100s of inspections to get them the picky and most experienced ones, instead of the softball one they found on YELL.  and on and on.....they just see the 5mins we show up to let them in the house.

    I tell buyers sometimes when their lender doesn't close on time it cost me 100 phone calls....calls to lender, other agent, title company, buyer, and all those people multiple times.

    We send them an offer electronically to sign, that many sign in a few seconds, but may have taken an hour to write and more time to research.

    While very unusual I just spend 4 1/2 hours going over HOA documents with a buyer....plus 1hr drive time...does he value my experience living, owning, and reviewing 100s of HOA documents to get to the point of being able to do that? Probably spent 10 hours or more explaining property taxes, how to keep them low, how to reduce his risk, and end the end how to save thousands. Again very unusual, but has English as 2nd language, hasn't lived in US that long.

    Also based on 20+ years of doing this, helped him win a multiple offer situation when he was not the highest higher.

    Then they see we get this nice fee at closing...and in their mind we only did 30 minutes of work.

    6Reply
  • Henry Lazerow
    Real Estate Agent · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    4y

    The stuff you learn in class is a joke and pretty useless in real life. It's a sales job with a low bar to entry so your always going to have a lot of losers in it desperate for a check, I hear it's something like a 90%+ turnover rate. I have sold 30+ million and understand referrals are everything so I do people right am the minority, I would say almost all the pro-forma numbers I read from agents are complete BS pretty much trying to scam buyers. 

    4Reply
  • Scott Mac
    Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    4y
    Quote from @Masyn Grant Barney:

    ..... a common stereotype that RE agents are slimy, dishonest, greedy, etc. .....


     I have never thought that about Realtors.

    I've run into some pretty sharp forks over time, and none have been Realtors.

    The Realtors always seem like they want the money--well so does everyone.

    Most of the General Public can not make a sale happen on a house at market rate in a reasonable time without their help.

    2Reply
  • Jerry PuckettPro Member
    Wholesaler · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    4y

    I blame the popularity of HGTV :-)

    "The Property Brothers" and "Fixer Upper" ruined expectations for newbie flippers (everything easy, quick and profitable).

    "Love it or List it" ruined expectations people may have of Agents or their own ability to renovate. 

    And "Million Dollar Listing" ruined expectations for potential Agents, thinking it's all glitz and easy money.

    These appearances are pervasive and has had a huge effect on buyers, sellers, flippers, Agent and Brokers over the years. It's funny that you mention the sleazy, greedy perception. In times past, that view was reserved for wholesalers and Flippers whom HGTV have made heroes of. Mean time, reality catching up to perception has led to some disappointment among clients who expect Agents to be Supermen, and Agents who have found that it's not as easy as it looks.....ust to be average. 

    3Reply
  • Masyn Grant Barney
    OP
    Real Estate Agent · Spanish Fork, UT · Member since 2020 · 79 posts · 56 votes
    4y

    I'm loving these responses. There are definitely a lot of underlying causes that create these perceptions. Here is what I have gathered from the response. 

    1. Agents can better explain/show the work they do and value they bring that isn't immediately apparent. 

    2. Low barrier to entry brings in agents that truly do fit the stereotypes.

    3. HGTV glamorizes real estate and that perception devalues an agents work in the eyes of a client. 

    A big take away I am seeing is that there are plenty of realtors that do fit the stereotype so it is here to stay. Good agents will constantly have to find ways to overcome that and essentially prove that they don't fit the stereotypes. 

    1Reply
  • Austin Johnson
    Investor · Jefferson City, MO · Member since 2020 · 190 posts · 178 votes
    4y

    easiest way to over come the stereotype: make a friend.  honestly, your opinion of joe, bob and sally doesn't matter to me. you can think every realtor on earth is a scum except your friend Austin. Why? because Austin cares, listens and shows genuine respect for my concerns. Why focus on pleasing the masses and 'changing the narrative' you can't please everyone. the sooner we accept that, the faster we reach success. 

    3Reply
  • Karl B.
    Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    4y

    I don't think most realtors are inherently scammy though my main annoyance is most of the realtors I've dealt with don't listen to my buying criteria. 

    I've dealt with several [whom I've closed with] and they try and sell me more properties. I then give them my buying criteria and WITHOUT EXCEPTION each and every one of them will send me listings that aren't what I'm looking for and when I tell them this some of them attempt to convince me why I should still buy the property, which never works out well for them. 

    I want to shake them and tell them listen-to-my-words!

    4Reply
  • Dwayne Poster
    Investor · Van Isle · Member since 2021 · 455 posts · 226 votes
    4y

    - A natural phenomenon, buyers and sellers remorse,  impacts the participants perspective.

    - Brokers don't instill professionalism, putting cash flow ahead of skill development.

    - Organized realestate has a monopoly, which leaves the public feeling disadvantaged.


    I personally don't have a problem with Realtors, as long as they follow my directions. 
    1Reply
  • Aaron Gordy
    Real Estate Broker · Austin, TX · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    4y

    Have you thought about the survey? I am questioning the validity of it, to be honest. How big is the sample size? Who is your target group? If I walk down the meat aisle at the grocery store with a bunch of vegetarian friends what do you think that they will be talking about? Meat bad, vegetables good.. : ) 

     I am not aware of any other profession, in Texas, that requires ethical education training to renew their license. Given the nature of the job we are put into delicate positions all the time. As long as one is transparent and keeps their clients aware of everything and over communicate and also go to bat for them in every situation then one should not have any problems. Its so easy to report an agent to Texas Real Estate Commission for dereliction of duty too so it keeps the bad characters in check. I have come across some funny business like one agent crossing out things in the contract and initialing off on the behalf of their client but one should call them out. The liability is huge and one could lose their careers and money. 

    We see movies like Glengarry Glen Ross and movies like that and it shapes the ideas about realtors, unfortunately. I really like the movie though and the writer, David Mamet is one of my favorite writers. Its good entertaining drama! 

     My question is how many realtors that you have come across personally that were slimy or sleazy? 

    1Reply
  • Jessica James
    Real Estate Agent · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2022 · 37 posts · 31 votes
    4y

    As a new agent who has always been a client myself, I worry about coming off as pushing or weird when I sit down to prospect new clients. I have always been that person that dislikes to feel as if I am being sold something versus being supported through a big situation by someone who actually cares. But, clients can't find me if I'm not reaching out in some way right? Looking for the magic balance between introducing myself and letting people know what I do  so when the time is right for them, maybe they'll remember me as a person they clicked with on a personal level that could help guide them through what they already intended on doing in the first place.

    2Reply
  • Mose Gebremeskel
    Investor · Member since 2022 · 233 posts · 142 votes
    4y

    These are amazing responses. I'm just here reading them all and learning about a day in the life of Realtors. 

    1Reply
  • Ronald Grams
    Realtor · Bucks County, PA · Member since 2020 · 21 posts · 16 votes
    4y

    @Masyn Grant Barney

    This stereotype is more than valid and earned. I feel like it’s shifting a bit.

    I'm big on transparency. Laying out what I do and what I don't do. (Ex. "I don't market your house on Zillow, Redfin, Realtor etc. I post it on the MLS and those companies buy it from there.")

    Dressing for the part is also big for me. Suits and ties work for certain clients, jeans and a polo for others.

    1Reply
  • Guy Gimenez
    Investor · Corpus Christi, TX · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    4y

    I'm a full-time investor and long time broker. I still do all I can to work directly with a buyer when selling my investments because most agents bring far too much drama into a transaction. Too many believe that deals can't be done without them and that they provide much more value than I find they do. Fortunately, I use a marketing strategy that last year allowed me to sell direct to buyers over 65% of the time, so I got to keep more of my money and had a much smoother transaction. 

    1Reply
  • Masyn Grant Barney
    OP
    Real Estate Agent · Spanish Fork, UT · Member since 2020 · 79 posts · 56 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Aaron Gordy:

    Have you thought about the survey? I am questioning the validity of it, to be honest. How big is the sample size? Who is your target group? If I walk down the meat aisle at the grocery store with a bunch of vegetarian friends what do you think that they will be talking about? Meat bad, vegetables good.. : ) 

     I am not aware of any other profession, in Texas, that requires ethical education training to renew their license. Given the nature of the job we are put into delicate positions all the time. As long as one is transparent and keeps their clients aware of everything and over communicate and also go to bat for them in every situation then one should not have any problems. Its so easy to report an agent to Texas Real Estate Commission for dereliction of duty too so it keeps the bad characters in check. I have come across some funny business like one agent crossing out things in the contract and initialing off on the behalf of their client but one should call them out. The liability is huge and one could lose their careers and money. 

    We see movies like Glengarry Glen Ross and movies like that and it shapes the ideas about realtors, unfortunately. I really like the movie though and the writer, David Mamet is one of my favorite writers. Its good entertaining drama! 

     My question is how many realtors that you have come across personally that were slimy or sleazy? 


    I’m definitely not trying to make a claim with my survey. It was simply to point out that there are a decent number of people that have those negative perceptions of agents.

    I believe most agents are great and don’t fit the stereotype. :) 

    0Reply
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