Client asks: “Why do the Real Estate agents treat us with fite?”

I have been telling you many times that the market will not revive if we continue to be the same ones we were, doing the same mistakes. I also never stop stressing that the main principal should be: "Client is the King". But even now, during this major crisis, it looks like people don't change. I have received several messages by investors who feel disappointed by the behavior of the Real Estate agents (or consultants) towards them. I chose this email of a lady who already invested in the market and I will reply to her.

"Why do the Real Estate agents treat us with FITE?"

"…I have a question: why do the real estate agents treat us with FITE? Seriously why do they do this? I never understood this. I didn't buy the apartments with credits and with saved money monthly, although I know how hard it is to gather 100.000 euro. I didn't expect to appreciate me meaning to be like a slave for me but I was surprised by their attitude: all of them without exception were treating me with FITE telling me that {C}I have a small amount of money and many other things to make me feel bad although I didn't understand: do these agents earn so much money that for example a commission of 3000 euros is too small for them and they make fun of us? Did they earn so much in the past? And if the answer is yes, do they have such a big power or decision to buy and this is just an ….attitude? …"

(Fite: vanity)

(For the rest of her email, please scroll down, under my text)

Not all of the Real Estate agents are like this, but the vast majority has fite indeed

First of all, let us not generalize. There are still some companies and a lot of professionals who are correct in their work, who respect their clients and their worries, fears and strategies. But unfortunately there are not so many. It is true that the vast majority of the people involved in Real Estate has fite, behaving like "small Gods". The funniest thing is when you see youngsters who are at the first levels of their professional life and while you treat them with respect, they treat you bad. (I guess this makes them feel "someone important").

They prefer to change profession, than to get serious…

I know that this is not a relief for you, but let me assure you that this majority of unserious people behave the same not only to the clients but also to the other companies, lawyers, accountants, architects and everyone else except someone they consider VERY rich. When they identify him, they will try to pamper him in all possible ways, lie as much as they can and after they will guarantee their commission, they will simply "stop being interested". Please, do not tell me I am wrong. There are even "big" names who completely abandoned tens of clients during 2009, when things turned bad.

A market without rules, a society with wrong role models

All these are symptoms which have a different beginning. Let us see the roots of the problem:

• Who enters into Real Estate? Anyone who wants to (Everyone entered like this, me included of course).
• Is there any serious school for someone to attend? No, a post graduate course for some tens of people. The teachers there try, but it is not sufficient for a whole country to teach.
• Is there any law organizing the activity of a Real Estate company? There are some legal interdictions, but there are also too many "windows" for people to bypass them.
• What is the common perception for the Real Estate business? "You make money just for knowing few information. If you are a good smecher, you manage to trick everyone and make more. Then you will buy all you desire and you will be IMPORTANT".
• Who are the ones who entered into Real Estate during the last years? 80% of them just wanted easy money. Usually they had the chance to fulfill their dreams, without too many university titles and a typical "office job".
• What did this society chase during the last years? Easy money too. The serious ones are almost perceived as people with "low mental activity".
• Any education about business ethics and practice? No, absolutely nothing. Open the newspapers today and read about how people make money by tricking the others. Men should be tough, liars and "bad" in order to be "cool", while women should be always ready to take off their clothes, in order to succeed. Any word about earning money by work? (Nice joke…)
• Now add hundreds of thousands of clients… While the segment was completely disorganized, Romania attracted endless thousands of investors, plus the local market woke up and fed the system with so many Romanians too. So even the most stupid of the stupids had the chance to earn enough money, to buy a car, to feel change his status of life. Why should he care respecting the clients, when the clients were almost begging him to provide them with a property?
• Is it only in Real Estate? No, ofcourse not. As I was explaining in the past too, in a society where noone trusts noone, all these problems evolve and poison even the ones who start with the best intentions.
• Conclusion: No legal frame, no serious laws, common perception for easy money, low education about business ethics and practice, too many clients over the last years. As many parts of this society lost connection to the real world, the same happened to the Real Estate people too. And they don't want to change! (Do you remember this story?)

So, people treat you with fite, because this is what they learned to do and this is also the only way they feel important. But why don't you simply reject them too?

Do you reward the honest serious professionals, when you spot them?

Yes, there are so many dishonest, "wrong" Real Estate professionals. But you, the clients, are you sure that you belong to the "correct" ones? That you reward the honest, serious professionals who work hard and respect your money? They should be paid their decent fees, in order to continue being able to treat you with respect, solving your problems and being an important factor in your success story.

Yes, so many agents are bad. Yes, they have fite. But make sure that you will respect the ones who are not like this. If you don't, then please don't complain for the bad ones either.

On Sunday 07.03.2010, Mrs Corina L. wrote to me the following comment, regarding the story "When I was too coward to buy a land opposite the… Parliament Palace (!)":

"Congratulations for this blog, it is fascinating and moreover you just say all the things straight. Excellent!

By the way, about the lasts of your postings, it was embarrassing the detail with the waiter which wanted to pay the water you didn't even open. Unfortunately Balkanism is rising with us and few know how to act civilized, and I am originally from Greece and I saw surprisingly that we are so similar, us the Romanians and the Greeks, seeing what flaws they find for us and we know they are in fact problems. And vice versa, of course. And this tendency to trick always is deeply rooted … probably is a historical consequence of Turkish occupation / war, when nothing was certain, and the only chance was to make sure that you NOW hit the Jackpot, that tomorrow, nobody knows what will happen …

However, I have written to ask you something. Although I bought some apartments in Bucharest (nothing major, not to keep the money in the bank.

Reason which was to someone to tell me that "C'mon, madame, well you can not afford, you have a very small amount of money, with this money maybe you will buy in Militari not in the center". After one year of searching, I bought in the center without the red bullet on the building and without an agent. An apartment it is not a pair of shoes. I was not in a hurry". Although I met a lot of real estate agents, which were very rude  and hey treated me very bad, from this blog I understood what a real estate agent IS DOING and / or a consultant so as he will deserve his money.

So, if this is what you are doing, congratulations and I hope you can change these thoughts and at least a scale from the mentality and about these services also. I imagine that you are paid how much you reserve, this kind of know-how that you bring is extremely precious.

I have a question: why do the real estate agents treat us with FITE? Seriously why do they do this? I never understood this. I didn't buy the apartments with credits and with saved money monthly, although I know how hard it is to gather 100.000 euro. I didn't expect to appreciate me meaning to be like a slave for me but I was surprised by their attitude: all of them without exception were treating me with FITE telling me that I have a small amount of money and many other things to make me feel bad although I didn't understand: do these agents earn so much money that for example a commission of 3000 euros is too small for them and they make fool of us? Did they earned so much in the past ?and if the answer is yes, do they have such a big power or decision to buy and this is just an ….attitude?

I understand this attitude when we talk about a bluff with a big amount? But when your commission is gathered from many small commissions from many clients, you don't have the interest to treat them good so as in the end to receive your money?

And look an example of attitude