I Hate Realtors!

realtors are dangerous to the people searching for a new home. It must be communicated to the public realtors DO NOT have the qualifications to comment on ANYTHING other than facts they know for sure about the house or neighborhood. I am looking for a house and have gotten much advice from realtors (with a 30 hr + course) about the economy. Are they now economists with that 30+ hour course??

I'm a Realtor. I don't understand your comment that Realtors are dangerous? You're right, Realtors are not economists, but to be a "good" Realtor, you must be aware and study markets. Like any profession there are good and bad. Just because somebody is a Realtor, doesn't mean that their whole background and knowledge is a 30+ hour course. For example, I have my an MBA, I have also have accreditation in real estate appraisal, among several other accreditations.
People mis-understand what the role of a Realtor is. A Realtor is a consultant and mentor in your home buying process. We are here to recommend good attorneys, lenders, inspectors, contractors etc. to make sure that you are protected within your purchase. Ultimately we are here to provide information- so you can make your own "informed decision".
We are here to explain contracts, and to make sure that you are not overpaying for a property in todays market. We are here to ultimately make sure the consumer/client is protected through the purchase and beyond.
I want every single person I work with to be 100% satisfied because I would love to work with their friends and families in the future. I never want to sell a client an undesirable property, because one day in the future I hope that I will be called upon to resell that property.
People don't understand what a Realtor goes through on a daily basis. A Realtor has to wrap his or her schedule around their clients schedule. We answer our phones when they ring day and night, we are taxi drivers, we are neighborhood gurus which inform our clients what schools, restaurants, grocery stores, libraries, public transportation is within each neighborhood. We give advice on which developer in certain areas are good, and build quality homes, and which aren't so good. We are accountants handling earnest/escrow money. We are lawyers explaining the legalities and contracts to uninformed consumers. We are pychologists dealing with a wide array of emotions when it comes to somebody making the largest purchase of their life.
We spend a lot of time with people who are dishonest.(state that they are a serious buyer, but in true reality think it's "fun" to look at houses"). A Realtor may work with a client for six months or even longer, and then the client decides that they would like to rent. Realtors work on straight commission, so no matter how hard and long you've been working with a client, there is no guarantee of getting paid.
You shouldn't worry too much about "bad" Realtors. The market has softened and many who are not relevant in the market will disappear. There is a huge attrition rate among Realtors because many people feel that this is an easy profession. I've been in the military, I've done many construction/ manual labor jobs, I've worked in restaurants and retail a management, but this profession has been by far the most challenging so far. The reason I stay, is because I enjoy challenges.
If you are out there searching for a home, do yourself a favor and find a good quality Realtor. The way you do that is "word of mouth". Ask friends or relatives if they know anybody that they would highly recommend. If you go out with a Realtor for the first time, and your personalities don't click, or you don't trust that person- tell them right away and find another Realtor to work with. Consumers have to take responsibility as well. Thanks for reading my "rant". I hope this gives a little insight to help you make an informed decision in the future

The real estate agents were the schnook foot soldiers that created this mortgage mess. Instead, the person to really hate is the inventor of the adjustable rate mortgage and subsequent inventors of derivative works. Anything but a fixed rate mortgage 30 years max length should be illegal with the banking kingpin thrown in jail for life - or put down. The inventor of the ARM invented a financial weapon of mass destruction. I put him into the same catagory as one who drives an airliner into a building on purpose, using the plane as a car bomb.

Lets talk about taking advantage of others. The economy is in the toilet, housing prices have fallen about 15-20% in my area. Thousands are loosing jobs or being forced to take pay cuts but the Realtors still want their full 6% and are open about telling you that if you try to get them to lower the commission they just will not bother to show your house. Yup these are the kind of people who remind us all of AIG execs. I decided to go fisbo and got a better offer than the agent advised me I could sell my house for in less that 72 hours. When I get to the city I am moving to I am going to specify that I am not willing to pay any Realtor and commission.

I understand. I live in Boston and I have to say the realtors (don't understand why that word is suppose to be capitalized)in Boston are by far the most easiest people to hate. They lie try to stress out people into buying because they think they are a college student,(when they are not) and they feel like they have the right to have an open house whenever they so please, with no regard to the people living there.

I'm generalizing here, but for all the realtors I've met, they are all the same. They have no shame in Boston.