Tina Merritt

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I really don't see this as real estate agent-bashing. Bottom line, if you do your job well, there's no reason to worry about this site. I wish I could "call out" agents who have failed to enter even 1 picture in MLS or who claimed to represent a buyer yet wrote an agent bonus into an offer for themselves - but the code of ethics prohibits me from doing so. Sites such as ReallyRottenRealty.com will hopefully help to bring some of these unprofessional practices to light and help to educate the consumer regarding unscrupulous agent behavior.

Ahhhh...now we know the mystery behind Jay Thompson's "disappearing hair". "On any given day, I can tell you how many active listings there are in my market but not where I left my sunglasses." - there's a difference between being a student of your trade and overwhelmed due to a lack of knowledge. I think many of us who are "busy" are spending a good portion of our time each day educating ourselves and educating others. I would much rather have an intellectual conversation about the economics of real estate with a client than spin the wheels of my car "showing" 40 houses to someone who "might" move to the area.

I'm really surprised no one mentioned the biggest negative to open houses, the safety issue. An open house is a big red flag waving saying, "agent alone inside this house". I doubt most agents would put an ad in the paper saying, "I'll be at home, all by myself next Sunday from 12-5pm" - yet, in a sense, that is what they are doing. We're taught at a young age not to let strangers in our homes, but for some reason, when you're a real estate agent, all common sense is lost in the name of a potential "sale". There are so many other effective and safe ways to market a home now, why an agent would put themselves (and their client's property) at risk baffles me.