So the big project we have been working on is.... MOVING. Yes, we moved to a new house in the same neighborhood as our previous house. It's pretty exciting and tiring, at the same time.
Now my cousin Claire has bought and sold 14 different homes, so that puts her at about 28 transactions. I am sure she has seen and heard it all when it comes to buying and selling homes. I am in the process (with Marc) of my 4th transaction. So I am not a veteran (especially compared to Claire), but I am learning.
The main thing I have learned is that there are definitely different levels of people who make a living in the residential real estate industry. This will probably sound biased, but I happen to think very highly of our real estate agent and her team - Team Reba. They conduct themselves as professionals, and do not give the appearance of someone who thinks selling homes is easy money.
Marc and I purchased this house from a family-owned construction business, and the daughter-in-law was the seller's agent. It was obvious from the start that she thought it would be quick money to be a real estate agent in between taking care of her child. There was obvious lapses in her not following process set out by MLS, the listing she posted was FACTUALLY incorrect, and then she tried to "pull a fast one" on my agent.
So this manuever that the seller's agent tried to pull had a dramatic impact on the transaction. It tainted everything that came from the seller and his agent. When someone tries to do something so blatantly dishonest, how am I supposed to believe anything that comes out of their mouth in the future?
And to boot, it makes me suspect of a lot of other agents out there - right or wrong, it's how I feel. It's hard from a consumer's perspective to know what kind of rules, ethical guidelines, that someone needs to abide by if they are going to sell real estate. And with companies like Redfin and Zillow being hot right now, I think that the potential exists for more litigation and disdain for dealing with the real estate purchase and selling process.
I'm venting... all in all, I should not complain. Our agent had our back on multiple levels, but now that I have been a veteran of 4 transactions - I feel like I am one of the lucky ones who has an agent who knows the rules, is smart enough to get help when she does not, and is willing to be honest with me about what is realistic and what isn't.