The purpose of this blog is to provide informed reviews about real estate companies – actual experiences of both seller and buyers to better aid consumers in selecting the right company and agent whether you are buying a house or selling one. You will learn the Good – The Bad – And Ugly practices; hopefully, before you experience those yourself.
Almost every agent who wants to list your house to sell will tell you they are the best in the business and the only one you should be considering. Basically, they will promise whatever it takes to get the listing, hoping that someone else will actually sell it. They will claim all kinds of marketing expertise and use of the latest technology but will generalize when you ask for specific examples. Be ready for all kinds of excuses, the market is bad, your house is unique, etc. It is easy to assume that longevity in the business means they must be good. Don’t make that mistake like I did. In fact, I made that mistake two times and it stole a lot of time from me while I suffered through two different agents who were clueless on marketing a property to attract the attention of potential buyers. I am sharing my experience to help others avoid the pain and frustration involved if you choose the wrong agent. In the past, when real estate would sell no matter what, I suppose it truly didn’t seem to make much difference who listed your house but times have changed and in the current market it can make a tremendous difference between selling or not selling plus selling at a good price or walking away with nothing.
THE GOOD!
Actually, should say GREAT when I describe my new agent, Roslyn Comley from Coldwell Banker Bain in Bellevue. She was referred to me after I wrote to the vice president of Coldwell Banker Bain in Bellevue (Ron Sparks) asking for help in separating the wheat from the chaff after a couple of bad experiences with agents from other companies who didn’t walk their talk followed by other agents all telling me that they were the best in the business, etc. Roslyn met with me for 3 hours discussing my situation and the results I needed. She came up with some action oriented plans and, if you can believe it, actually offered to help me in many ways including sending her husband over with a leaf blower which he used on my roof and decks. Photos were taken that pointed up the uniqueness and beauty of the house. A 2 page brochure was created. Marketing tactics were utilized that brought more people in one day to view my home than others accomplished in months. For the first time, I felt like I wasn’t in this alone. These are just a few of many concrete examples I could tell you about that show how this agent and company differ from others in the area; definitely, the best of the best.
THE UGLY!
The experiences related here represent the worst type of real estate agent. When they look in a mirror – do they see a reflection? Makes you want to ask them if their mother would be proud.
The agent who comes to my mind immediately as the worst of the worst called me repeatedly until I finally agreed to make an appointment. He supposedly just wanted to stop by to provide some helpful advice but his not so hidden agenda turned out to be getting me to list my house with him. Summarizing his visit to a friend, I said that towards the end of his visit when talking about listing with him he wanted to have my approval up front of letting him do a short sale as a final option. Keep in mind that my house even in a tough market was still worth lots more than what was owed. A short sale would not benefit me in the slightest but he and the buyer would make out like bandits! If I had been stupid enough to go ahead and sign with him plus give him permission to go for a short sale does anyone believe he would only have done that as a last resort? Hardly! He would have been handing out money on the street corners. Unfortunately for him, I had done lots of research on the Internet and knew what the current market was for similar properties in my area and was prepared ahead of time with questions that he was unable to answer satisfactorily.
Timeshare Resale Info: Good, Bad, and Ugly
The above story reminds me of some unsavory companies involved in resale of timeshares. While there are a few very ethical resale companies out there you do have to be aware of a few facts:
- Never pay a fee upfront to list your timeshare for sale unless you are paying to run an ad on websites such as Redweek.com, MyResortNetwork.com, or TUG.com (timeshareusersgroup.) Note: you can put a classified ad for free on Craigslist.org. Unfortunately, there are numerous companies out there charging anywhere from $500 on up to $1,500 just to list your timeshare and they will falsely tell you that your timeshare has increased in value, etc., etc.
- Your timeshare has not increased in value even if new buildings at the same project are selling for more. Realistically, you would be lucky if it only dropped 50% but as a buyer on the resale market you will find many timeshares selling for 60-80%5 below retail. Bottom line, if you already paid retail for a timeshare then for that expense to pencil out as any savings at all you need to hold on to it for a long time and actually use it yourself, trade for other locations, or simply rent out your week for two to three times what your maintenance is. If you buy a second timeshare on the resale market and save thousands right out the door then you will find significant savings as long as you purchased something that fits your own vacation style. Remember, buying something on sale that doesn’t fit is much like a woman saving tons of money on a dress purchased on sale but then never wears because it doesn’t flatter her or make her feel good.
- Some of the worst companies that have sprung up over the last few years are the companies who basically invite you to a seminar where their main purpose is to convince you not only that your timeshare is worthless but that it will become a burden for not only you but your children and they go on to create a terrifying scenario where your credit and your children’s credit is ruined. They tell you they can save you from that. All you have to do is sign over your fully paid for timeshare to them for free and on top of that pay them several thousands of dollars to make it all go away. Frankly, in my mind I equate that with rewarding your mugger! Incredible as it may seem, I have heard of people who signed over their Marriott timeshares while attending one of these scary presentations. What is really scary is how trusting people can be. Someone told me a long time ago that when he attended one of these presentations he stood up and made them confirm that what they were really doing is asking him to sign over his timeshare for free plus pay them thousands of dollars and even though they confirmed that was so he said you you wouldn’t believe the number of people he saw writing out checks. Needless-to-say, he wasn’t one of those writing a check!
Buying A Timeshare Resale – The Good! (companies you can trust)
- Holidaygroup.com
- QualityTimeshareResales.com
- TimeshareLiquidationService.com
Good, Bad, and Ugly Blog 