Buzzfeed reached out to multiple realtors to get some of the “secrets” of the trade. Here are just a few of the highlights and things you may not have known about the person helping you buy or sell a house!
1. Places where things like murders have occurred are known as “stigmatized properties” and each state has its own rules on disclosure.
“We are legally required to disclose any defects that we are aware of. In many states — but not all — we’re also required to disclose things like murders.” —sarahliz16241
2. We don’t get paid unless a home or rental closes.
“So all those showings, open houses, follow-up phone calls, texts, and emails morning-till-night? We don’t get paid for that.” —taylord475996e6d
3. Online real estate marketplaces can be great, but they can lead to lots of “looky loos.”
“Realtor.com and Zillow can be good resources for matching agents with buyers and sellers, but a lot of people click ‘contact agent’ with questions or showing requests that have no real intention to buy. They expect us to spend half a Saturday (or a holiday even!) showing them homes so they can be looky loos. We pay hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars for those leads each month and it’s really annoying when it’s just people clicking. Now, most of us require a loan pre-qualification letter or proof of funds.” —taylord475996e6d
4. Agents are regularly targeted by super-creepy fake clients.
“It’s a very dangerous job. I always require new clients to meet me at my office first, or text me a copy of their license. I let them know that this will be held on record with my office and that they check in with me during appointments and showings to make sure we are safe. Being alone with strangers in a vacant home is at the top of the list of things we were taught to never do when we were kids.”—imashes
5. And a lot of us carry pepper spray and stun guns because of it.
“I once was at a listing appointment and the guy selling told me ‘he didn’t expect me to show potential buyers a good time in the master bedroom’ to get it sold. He also made a comment about me showing the house in a bikini. I immediately left the listing appointment and didn’t take his calls anymore. We all carry pepper spray and stun guns for that reason.”
6. We have to disclose if there are dead bodies on the grounds.
“At least that we’re told about! If we weren’t told by current homeowner, then we’re not liable to disclose.” —taylord475996e6d
7. If you’re selling your home, be sure to install security cameras.
“If your home is for sale and you still have belongings in there, I recommend having interior cameras in place. Even with an agent there to watch over people during showings, I’ve seen people snoop through personal stuff. I’ve even seen agents snoop through closets.”—taylord475996e6d
8. Don’t leave anything out that you don’t want people to see.
“Specifically, put your drugs away. We know who owns the house, and if we see that, we are required to tell the management company or owner.”
9. We can’t tell you if a house is in a “good” school district.
“We can only direct you to where you can look at the statistics for yourself.” —2Recalcitrant4U
10. Beware of cat owners.
“It’s amazing how poorly some cat owners will clean before a showing. Our practice is we ask the owner to take the cat with them (so it doesn’t sneak out a door as someone is entering/leaving) and we ask them to empty the litter box. I’ve shown up before our showings to find totally full litter boxes, cat throw up on the rug, or fur balls rolling around the house. I always bring a ‘Cat Cleanup’ toolbox with me to any house that has a cat.”—achasse02
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