The Case of the "Decency-less" Property Virgin Continued...
Well, well, well now... looks like there's some steam in my little space on the web here! To be honest, I've just been made aware of these little comments by my web guy and it was a "pleasant" surprise (for lack of a better term) to see the action my post has caused.
After re-reading my "Property Virgins: Some People Just Have No Common Decency" blog entry and all of the comments, I do see how I wore my emotions on my sleeve when writing so to say... but regardless, I still stand by the moral of my story. I wish the whole situation that the show was painting was "fictional," but unfortunately, that's real life in the Real Estate world. Looking from the outside in, it's easy to judge and say that I was over-reacting, but after it's happened to you a dozen or a hundred times over, then you'll truly appreciate and understand where I and probably many other Realtors are coming from.
Now in terms of the "correct" story, I'll have to ask that you cut me some slack on that one because I was only cooking with the ingredients I was given. If you know an "inside" HGTV person on the shoot that gave you the real deal, then it's not fair to judge based on that extra knowledge you have which is unknown to others. Plus, the meat and potatoes of this long short story was to expand on behaviour that happens all too often in the industry and not just in isolation of this one particular buyer. As for the comment of "ya he is such a turd for being selective on the biggest purchase of the former property virgin’s life"... that's not what he's a turd for... he's a turd for lacking common decency i.e. being upfront and honest, which he clearly did not do until way after the fact when he was contacted for follow up. Just out of curiousity - did the thought to call the person who was acting as his agent (regardless of if they had a Buyer Agency Agreement or not) to inform her of what was going on not even cross his mind at all?
The bottom line is that the agent should be interviewing the client as much as the client is interviewing the agent throughout the entire home buying (and selling) process - and yes, some Real Estate Agents out there are not worthy of the title, but that's a different story alltogether. In this case, if Mr. Youssef Saddiqui was not happy with Sandra Rinomato's (and the production crew's) services, he could have at least told her so she could either improve or they could agree to mutually part ways and she could stop investing her time and energy on him instead of letting the situation manifest the way it did.
As good or as bad someone is as an agent or a person, we're all human... and I mean, even if you don't feel you've been given the service you deserve, it doesn't mean you have the right to stoop down to the same level or lower. My idealistic mind would love to believe that we're all better than that, but I may be wrong? Clearly, people have different sources of satisfaction in life.
ACK look at the time - it's late again (what's new), so albiet all the work I still have left to do, I think I'll take Arlington's advice and get some sleep.
Good night.
Jo
11 Comments
Reader Comments (11)
Realtors are scumbags. I just saw Sandra Rinamoto in an episode convince a poor hard up black woman to get herself into a 35 year mortgage vs a 25 year one just to get an apartment that she happened to like ( expensive taste for her budget). Rather than show her an apartment close to the 245K asking ie maybe 210K one Sandy showed her a crappy 179K so of course the black woman wanted the 245K one at all costs. Any moron could see that the poor woman had a problem visualizing what a little bit of reno/updating could do but to railroad a person into something like this is disgusting. If you ask all your friends/family most people equate real estate salesmen with used car salesmen. Fortunately we don't have parents that wish their kids grow up to become realtors.You obviously need a job for losers to do when they're only good at nothing(other than taking advantage of people).
The previous poster is way out of line. Just like any profession, there are winners and losers who work in it. The poster is also falling victim to the same problem as the Youssef story... he obviously doesn't have all of the story as to why the woman chose the more expensive home. He needs to chill out and realize that not everything is what it seems.
I saw the episode the previous poster is referring to as well. The 179K condo apartment did have a lot of potential. New cabinets, appliances, and flooring and it would still have cost less than 245K. I think the problem with A LOT of single first-time buyers in Toronto that are just leaving the nest, is they expect to get into a place that is as nice as their parents home without a) starting small and working their way up to that or b) putting the work in.
Also, I was very confused by Sandra's comment to the buyer in the show about paying $1500/month total (which she couldn't afford) and "aggressively" paying down her mortgage. Huh?? Since when do Realtors suggest living "house-poor"?
Joe Blow Public's post above is simply a bunch of lies. The woman in question was EXTREMEMLY stubborn and difficult to deal with. Sandra hardly railroaded her--she patiently showed (and explained) the options available to this rude woman. She DID show the woman a mid-range option, which she rejected out of hand--she would ONLY consider the highest priced condo. The only scumbag was the mean woman, who was her own worse enemy. Sandra did her best!
Joe Blow also has no idea about the intricate details, from paperwork to legal requirements--not to mention the patience required for difficult, naive clients--that are essential to being a Realtor. It's extremely complicated... something Joe Blow would have known had he purchased property in the past. Plus, with few exceptions, every Realtor I have interacted with has been highly qualified for their profession.
Poor Joe Blow. He has no idea how misinformed he is.
Kai Cross
aloha.first>AT<gmail.com
...to Joe Blow Public-- grow up. The "poor hard up black woman" was an adult. You have no business committing to something as serious as a home purchase unless you're adult enough to accept the responsibility of such a choice. The realtor was trying to provide the best solutions given the obstinacy of the buyer.
Plenty of us rent because we're not ready for that step. Continue to rent if you're not ready to buy what truly suits you.
I really must start watching this show that has everyone's emotions running so high! I usually only catch HGTV for the decorating shows or the high tech gizmo shows.
I've worked with buyers lots of time with hugely unrealistic expectations about what they think they can buy. This, even after a long sit-down with a good mortgage person.
I'll try my best to let them know, "Hey, you can always paint over this hideous color." or "Hey, this place would look great with new carpet." or "Don't forget. When you move in all this big, clunky furniture will be gone and it'll all be open space for you to use." But, noooooo. The house has to look like the end result of "Divine Design" (one of may HGTV faves) in order for them to "visualize" the house as their home.
Of course, when you show a buyer something really nice (and out of their price range) and then show them something more modest (and within their price range) they're going to be disappointed and want the nice place. It's just human nature. Unfortunately, as Realtors we're not supposed to "force" people into homes that are realistic to their financial situation. We're supposed to help them buy the homes they want to purchase.
It was good to read the various posts about the "Decency-Less Scumbag Turd". Am I correct in that he ended up purchasing a place that was NOT featured on the episode? When I saw it the other night I thought he bought #3, but behind the back of the agent by striking a deal with the owner. Since it is filmed in Canada I was not aware if an Agency Law existed.
In response to the above post, my my, I think you are a wee bit delusional. I remember watching that episode myself, and clearly this "poor hard up black" woman was more like a demanding prima donna. I couldn't even watch the entire episode bc all I heard was whining and complaining about how she couldn't live in an ugly apartment, blah, blah, blah. Talk about champagne and caviar taste on a cheap budget. Even if this woman got a 35 year mortgage then it's her own fault for being so narrow-minded, clueless, lazy, and unmotivated to redo her new purchase to ultimately save off the bottom line.
Rob, he did end up buying property 3 and he did so on his own. I'm guessing that no agency agreement was signed.
Yeah, well you take your chances...agent and buyer. Sorry that time was wasted on this guy who bought the house 'behind the real estate agents' back', but he didn't commit a crime. He has the right to do what is right for him. After all, it is HIS money. This is a huge purchase!!! He did what was right for him.
The other side of the coin is that agreements from agents using the MLS lock the buyer into paying a percentage of the house value. No one can argue against paying the agent for their time but does it have to be x% of the house? The agent could just charge a flat rate for doing the research.
The only reason realtors can get away with it is because MLS has such a monopoly. Where is the morality in that?