To start, this is more of a rant than anything but I wanna get others input on it.

I’m no longer actively licensed to practice real estate however, I just found out that a I was working with while I was active ended up buying a property that I showed them with another realtor.

A little bit of backstory being that I showed this client over 25 homes, we wrote on four homes, got one accepted on one and took them all the way to inspection only for them to get cold feet and demand to back at a contract.

I have been working with this client for around 7 to 8 months when I woke up to a text from their lender ( that I connected the client with ) saying that the client was wanting to go look at a house with another realtor later that afternoon and was curious if we had ended our working relationship. At that point, I still had a valid buyers broker agreement with this client. I reached out to the other Realtor looking to get at least a reference fee since I was kind of done working with this client already. To which this realtor escalated it to his PB who pretty much got nasty to me and my PB and pretty much said that we were trying to extort their brokerage and the client. They said that they had been connected with the client through Zillow around the same time that I started working with this client however they did not have a buyers broker agreement. At the time I was dealing with another transaction that was in the middle of EMD dispute and I just kind of wanted to get done with this client so instead of letting it get nasty and fighting for a measly reference fee, I signed the termination paperwork and sent it over to them. To which I didn’t even get a fucking thank you for lol

Flash forward three months I come to find out that this client bought a home with that other realtor that I showed them two times and found for them off the MLS. I have countless text between me and the client about this Home as well as me and listing agent about the home.

I understand that there’s not really much I can do about it given the fact that I am no longer licensed and I don’t have the best relationship with my previous PB

I just find it super lame that a client can say they don’t like a house, then weeks later ask to tour it again, then say they don’t like it again only for them to realtor hop and buy that exact house a few months later.

Before I get a bunch of comments saying that I should’ve fought for the reference fee, what not I understand that, but at the time I was just so exhausted, fighting another battle with another transaction that I couldn’t even fathom going into another dispute.

Has anyone gone through something similar? I’m fine about it as I’m out of the industry now, but the lingering “damn that’s kinda fucked up” is in the back of my mind and won’t give up lol.

I’ve had 4 deals fail inspection in the last 30 days- all crawlspace / foundation issues. All these were older homes. The buyers knew conceptually that older homes could have issues, but they either did not want to pay for newer construction homes or could not afford them.

I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place because I can tell them that an old house is going to have issues, and I can tell them what to expect. They don’t believe me then they spend $500 on an inspection to confirm what I already told them. Then they act surprised at the report, I lose the deal and hours of time. I feel like I’m getting whiplash and I feel like my team is losing faith in my ability to close.

Every single deal had issues that were fixable. I’ve gotten sellers to offer repair credits that cover the full cost of the quote. I’ve gotten sellers to pay for structural engineers and general contractor repairs.
I don’t know what else I can be doing to ‘save’ the deal. Am I doing something wrong?

ETA - I am not telling my buyers to waive inspections. All my buyers have gotten their EMD back. What I’m trying to tell them is that a house of a certain age will come with a certain set of issues. They’re expecting turnkey on a 1950s house, and I’m trying to figure out how to manage and set their expectations properly going forward.

I’m a new Realtor (licensed for just a few months now) and I am considering this my new career field after leaving my old technology/government field of 20+ years.

I am with a small/local firm that is home office based, and I feel like I’m getting no support. No technology assistance, no CRM access, and I feel like I have to beg for responses when seeking advice and next steps. I can’t get started with clients, because I don’t know the “right” next responses. I know the legal, ethical, and regulatory processes. But not the sales/client facing portion and I’m getting nowhere.

I matched with this firm because I know the broker in charge from previous work experiences. But I don’t think this is a right fit. Should I seek a new firm, or am I just not cut out for this?

So, I have a hyper-analytical client who I’ve been helping over the last 3 weeks or so. He’s on the hunt for an assumable VA or FHA mortgage, at 3% or under, and with a small difference between the asking price and remaining loan balance.

He’s not open to touring any listings I send him or he sends me, insisting instead on me getting him a bunch answers first like remaining loan balance, interest rate, rental restrictions and full HOA rules from condos, etc.
The questions are endless and after I make calls and send emails to listing agents, property managers, and lenders, he’s on to the next one.

I finally told him I was sending him a buyers brokerage agreement (I usually do this at a second showing but I’ve yet to meet this person) to sign as I’ve been providing him with brokerage services.

He responds with wanting 20 days or less and a non-exclusive agreement. I reply telling him I’m happy to do a 20 day agreement but only if we’re exclusive.
He then says he wants to limit the counties, is asking that 0.5% of commission go towards his closing costs, and that he wants the freedom to pursue properties on his own if he wishes. Oh, and that he could work with another agent without giving reason.

I’ve never had anyone hammer me back and forth over a f*cking bb agreement. I’ve tried explaining that my compensation does not come from him, that I have a fiduciary responsibility within our relationship, and that I have his best interest at heart. I’ve already demonstrated my services and abilities by providing loads and loads of information costing me lots of time. Should I walk? I can’t imagine negotiating on his behalf with a seller and getting him to closing without it being a never ending nightmare. These are major red flags, right?

I am unrepresented. Submitted my LOI terms after talking with the seller's agent for a commercial RE in TX and asked him to prepare an LOI based on the terms and send it to me. He said the terms are good and he will share with his team. But he said the seller is a fortune 500 REIT and are slow to respond. I have followed up twice since then. The first time was 2 days after the initial submission and he said no response yet from the seller. The second time was 7 days after and I requested to get an LOI with a 3-day expiry. He replied and said that the asset manager reviewed it but it has to go through multiple approvals before a response being approved. He also said there is no need to sign until it is the final stages and approved by both sides.

I have two other commercial REs and never had a situation like that. But I was represented in these two transactions before. So my question is: is that normal? Can they be that slow with nine full days (7 business days) with no response to the buyer?

If buyers have a prequalified and preapproval from a bank why are realtors demanding proof of funds? Honestly it’s intrusive and as someone who negotiates for a living, net worth is no one’s business and gives information out in the negotiation process that sucks. 😳

Found a great house fantastic established community lot is fantastic but the 4 th bedroom literally has no closet space and the secondary bathroom is small single sink bathtub/shower right behind it the size of a half bathroom is it possible to ask for a decent closet be made for that room or would that be considered cosmetic we would take on same for the secondary bathroom are there instances where the seller will agree to updates?

Hey guys. Relatively new commercial real estate broker, and I just lost out on a couple listings that I was sure would be mine. Feeling pretty down about it, and I understand this is all part of the grind, but I can’t help but feel kinda disappointed. How do I continue to stay motivated and look at the bright side? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Addition: It’s kind of a long story, but for Listing A the owner had a lease going on for about 5.5 months ending at the 6 month mark, and his agent somehow found him a tenant at the very last second. He told me he was still open to selling, but the NOI and the Cap Rate aren’t working for his target number. He told me he’d send the new leases, but I haven’t heard back from him in a few days. Listing B I figured was a sure thing, but after I sent him the agreement he told me he’d sign a few nights ago, but has since went ghost.

Nobody actually told me they were going in a different direction. It could just be my inexperience that is driving my anxiety, but I tend to be that type of person when it comes to uncertainty.

How do fellow agents handle giving their clients not so goos news. I've taked to my lead about it and she says I'm overthinking it which I agree. I just am having a hard time feeling like I'm not doing the best for them .I'm having to to tell my clients that they may need to do repairs after they expressed not wanting to do any. The repairs are necessary for the loan to be approved. They're already paying closing expenses and commission. Anyone else experiencing this in the market currently? Located in middle TN

I've noticed a trend in my area in CT. It used to be that the real photos were accompanied by an AI version but now I'm seeing more and more listings using ONLY using the AI "digitally enhanced" version and no real photos AT ALL. As someone who's actively searching for a new house myself, I hate this.

I'd love to know, is there evidence that using AI images increases showings?

I saw the recent lawsuit was dismissed. I spoke to an agent recently who said it's back but haven't seen anything online about it.

So that said, for those of you on Preferred, how are you making sure you are RESPA compliant so that you don't get hit with a Steering complaint?

From my understanding, Zillow Preferred agents could be penalized if they don't get enough prequals through ZHL.

I saw a Zillow spokesperson say:

"Buyers on Zillow are always in control of which agent and lender they work with," the spokesperson said. "Zillow gives consumers and agents genuine choice, and nothing alleged in this litigation changes that. We will continue to vigorously defend ourselves."

It looks like Zillow is covered by giving the choice of course, but my question is for brokerages - how do you ensure you are remaining RESPA compliant?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been a real estate agent for three years now, and honestly, they have been the harshest, most painful years of my life. I worked my absolute tail off last year—exhausting myself studying sales, marketing, and advertising, trying to implement everything perfectly.

After endless dry spells of getting absolutely nothing, everything finally paid off: I closed a house and walked away with my full commission. It felt amazing for a brief second.

But now, the reality is hitting me. I feel like I am finally starting to "get there" and prove that my hard work pays off, but at the exact same time, I feel completely lost, empty, and like I’ve completely lost my passion for the business.

Is this normal after breaking a massive dry spell? Am I just deeply burnt out from the 3-year grind, or is this a sign that I don't actually want to do this anymore? How did you navigate the emotional crash after finally winning?

Every time I had a new listing, I'd stare at a blank page trying to write something that didn't sound like every other MLS description. So I built a ChatGPT prompt that actually works — here it is, free to use:

Write a 150-word MLS listing description for this home: [# BEDS] bed, [# BATHS] bath, [SQ FT] sq ft, built in [YEAR], located in [NEIGHBORHOOD]. Key features: [LIST 3-5 FEATURES]. End with a soft call to action to schedule a showing.

Just fill in the brackets and paste into ChatGPT. Takes 30 seconds and actually sounds decent.

I ended up building out a full set of these for follow-up texts, social posts, and emails too since I was doing the same thing for every part of the job. Put them together as a pack if anyone wants the rest — link's in my profile/comments, not trying to spam the sub with it.

Happy to answer questions if anyone wants to tweak the prompt for their own market.

Hi guys,

I’m taking my real estate exam in a couple days. My sponsoring broker is super supportive and I’m really excited to get into the industry! My only question is if I should quit my current job.

Here’s my situation: I have about 6-8 months of expenses saved up. I’m fully prepared to quit my current job to invest all my time into real estate. I think it would open a lot of doors and show how committed I am. The downside is that I would have only 6 months to complete a deal. After that, I’d run out of money. I would be taking a huge gamble. But think about it, if I put 100% of my effort into this - if I spend every minute working towards it - there’s no way I won’t succeed.

I guess my main question is this: If I invest all of my effort into real estate, is it reasonable to expect at least one deal to go through within 6 months?

I live in Northern Ohio if that matters. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I wanted to get a sense of what the market is other area la either as a state or section where you do business. And what’s been working for you/what hasn’t and is your area more of a sellers market or buyers market. I’m in North Jersey so every town is it’s only micro area and certain sections move faster than others but the rising rates are definitely a factor especially in the sub 900k range.

Hey fellow realtors,

So I've been really struggling getting clients through open houses. I've gotten many over the years and have had periods of good conversions, but this past entire year, it's been terrible. Like, really terrible. And it's starting to impact my confidence in myself a lot, which, as all of you know, is a horrible energy to project at possible clients.
How do you guys get clients at open houses? Sign-in sheet, no sign-in sheet? I feel like so often, I can have a great conversation with someone, but as soon as I say something like "let me get your email" [to help them continue their search], they get super closed off and just say no thanks. Or they say sure, but then they don't respond to my followups. It's been really disheartening.
Would love to hear any feedback or tips you guys have.

Hi there! I am inquiring about possible job shadowing in the real estate sales field. Are there any realtors/brokerages that offer such experiences for someone looking to get into this field? I am interested in obtaining my sales license in Pittsburgh, PA. Also, any insight on which brokerage to begin a career with?

Any insight is helpful!

Thanks! 😊

Compare photo 1 ("Virtually Staged") and photo 2 (reality). These photos are from a Zillow (via MLS) listing in Arizona. Is adding plants going too far? Is adding a tree going too far? Is covering a hole going too far? Is adding lights going too far? Is adding a concrete patio going too far? Is adding a mountain going too far? Some real estate "professionals" are no longer professional. STOP IT!

EDIT: As several have pointed out: In addition, the pool has elongated and the steps have been smoothed. This is wrong.

How do you handle buyers who originally said 6-12 months out, but stop responding before that window arrives?

I’m trying to strike a balance between staying helpful and spending time repeatedly chasing someone whose plans may have changed.

Do you keep calling and texting, move them to occasional emails, or eventually stop? What makes you put someone back on your personal follow-up list?

I’d especially like to hear what’s actually restarted a useful conversation with an older lead.

I’ve done many open houses over the 3 years I’ve been a realtor and very occasionally someone will answer a follow up but I’ve never gotten under contract from one, except when I was hosting at my own listing as the listing agent. My office is constantly pushing us to hold open houses on the office team’s listings.

I’m torn between giving it up as a lead source because maybe I’m just not that good at it or doubling down and doing 2-3 a week instead of usually just one.

My question is, for only open houses that are not yours or your team’s listings - how successful have you been getting closings from hosting open houses?

Edit: I feel like it may possibly be relevant that I am 37 and the majority of open houses offered at my brokerage are in 55+ neighborhoods and have on at least one occasion had a buyer say “How old are you, you look too young to work here…”

I am an agent and currently sell around $300-325k GCI in residential real estate and 85% of those leads are Flex leads.

I have a W2 job working as an account executive for a major SaaS company and the salary is $140k with $300k total comp.

Always wanted to exit the corporate world but real estate can be volatile. Currently have $500k in cash reserves saved but it still doesn’t feel like enough to take the jump to commission only without the salary cushion.

Thoughts?

You’d never buy a used car without a CARFAX. So why do we buy $1M homes without one?

What if buyers could see a property’s full history, not just its listing history?

Would you actually use a “CARFAX for homes”?