When Realtors Play "The Stupid Card"
Sometimes I feel like I am writing the chronicles for real estate practitioners--a guide for what not to do in this business. I will be the first to admit that this kind of post does not make me proud of my profession and sometimes makes me want to qualify my role when I tell someone that I am a Realtor. And yet, here we go again. I would argue that this kind of thing sometimes just needs to be said, to not only inform each other that there are better ways, but to inform our buyers and sellers that there are people in the real estate profession who take great pride in their clients, their business and their understanding of the business model that we present to our clients.
When Realtors get in a bind or don't know how to negotiate a fair settlement over issues that arise from a horrible inspection, the fall-back position and statement too often seems to be this phrase: "I am not a ________ expert--are you?" You fill in the blank:
Realtors are licensed to uphold this code of ethics and make sure the client's interest are always put first. But for me to represent my client in Real Estate, means I have to understand construction and know more about real estate than anyone else in the room. I have to understand how a house is built. I should be walking EVERY house that I sell with my buyer and our inspectors to learn everything that I don't know today about that house and how it is put together. And I need to understand why the inspector says one thing and the HVAC tech or the Electrician says something different. I should know why code that was written in the 60's or 80's is different from today's building code. I should understand the differences between R22 and 410A HVAC gas in my HVAC system. I should know the difference between Masonite and Concrete Fiber Siding. I should be able to recognize (by sight) the difference between a tab shingle roof and an architectural shingle roof and which one is better. I should know the difference between cheap laminate, high grade laminate and engineered hardwood. And glue-down vs floating floors. I should know when houses stopped using iron pipes and aluminum wiring and started using PVC and grounded copper wiring. Do I need to be an inspector or a licensed contractor to do that? I don't think so. Not if I am paying attention and learning my job anew every day. There are a ton of things I should know, BECAUSE I AM A REALTOR AND THIS IS MY JOB. I say these things with pride, not with anger.
I am not an electrician, but I understand hot, neutral, ground and control wires. I understand the difference between GFCI and AFCI. I know how to wire fans and lights and GFCI switches. I know the difference between a GFCI outlet that is in-line on the circuit vs a stand-alone GFCI outlet or a GFCI breaker. I did not learn most of this from my father, but I did learn it from walking hundreds of houses with inspectors. By listening. By asking questions. By looking up the answers. By reading about loads and power coming into the house and how that has changed over the years. I learned these things so that I could be the expert that my clients expect me to be.
I am not a foundation expert, but I know how to tell if a foundation is significantly un-level or broken. How did I learn this? By talking to foundation experts about this differences between a problem and normal deviations. By learning what do they look for and what simple tools they use to make quick judgements about what is most likely a problem and what is not? I asked questions like: How common is "corner pop"? When is a crack in the masonry a red flag and when is it a sign of something much more significant? What should I look for and why are those things red flags?
I am not an expert on mold, but I know when you are framing a house and a hard bundle of wood sits in the rain for a week before it is used to frame the house, you may start seeing mold inside the house. This situation left UN-addressed, can be a BIG problem down the road for your NEW HOME construction. (Yes, this has happened to one of my clients recently and had I not found it while the house was being built and stepped in to represent my buyer, the builder would have missed it or ignored it and this builder was ready to cover up the mold in the framing with sheet-rock and we would not have known for many months, or even years why the residents of the home were getting sick; hell, we may have never known why they were getting sick and we may have never thought to tear open the walls to look at what may be causing this problem and we certainly would not have been able to get the builder to take responsibility for the remediation. Because I was fortunately enough to find it, and ask the right questions, call the builder VP of construction and let him know about the proble--we were able to get the mold remediation and tested before the sheetrock and insulation went up. I could have plead ignorance and not gotten involved, but that is not my job. My job is to look for problems and help my clients get to solutions. My job is not based in the foundation of not being an expert. My job is to get an expert. One who knows more than my clients and often as much as the industry experts who get paid to be subject matter experts in their field.
I am not a plumber, but I know how plumbing works. I have plumbed sinks, facets, water filters, and I have fixed problems in my property. Do I do all of my own plumbing--no. Do I try to understand a problem before I contract a plumber to fix a major problem--absolutely. What kind of Realtor would I be if I did not know the fundamentals of the business?
I an not an licensed HVAC tech, but I know enough about the fundamental of the technology, zoning, SEER rating, gases, changes in federal law, costs and technology to help my clients sort through the pro's and cons of each.
My latest inspection story is one that defies (my) imagination. A plumber who thinks he can hear a leak though the walls and through ceilings and can look at a toilet and tell that it is seated correctly (even though it was missing one of its plastic bolts and was literally spinning on the one remaining bolt). Do you have to be a "master plumber" to know how to replace a $12 wax seal on a toilet and replace a broken bolt or to know that once the was seal is disturbed the toilet will start to leak--whether it is leaking today or not? I don't think so. Do you have to be a plumbing genius to realize that unless your plumbing is leaking at a rate of 1 gallon per minute, the likelihood of being able to "hear a leak through the walls of ceiling" has a smaller chance of success than winning the Texas Lottery? I think not. I don't think you have to be a master plumber to figure out the logic in this scenario and I think any Realtor who can not come to a similar conclusion is either not trying very hard, or simply does not care.
Am I an expert? I better be. I better know more than my client on every aspect of home buying and selling and new home construction. That is exactly why my clients hire me--because I take my business and my clients seriously. Can I learn more? You bet! I better be learning every day and during every inspection and from every builder, every lender, every title professional and attorney I meet each day. If I am not learning, I am making excuses for not knowing something that I should have probably seen, known or read. I strive to always be the smartest person in the room when it comes to my business, as I hope you do as well.
NOTE: This post if filled with disclaimers! You don't have to scroll to the bottom to see what I am not and what certifications I do not possess.
When Realtors get in a bind or don't know how to negotiate a fair settlement over issues that arise from a horrible inspection, the fall-back position and statement too often seems to be this phrase: "I am not a ________ expert--are you?" You fill in the blank:
- I am not a master plumber...
- I am not an electrician...
- I am not a General Contractor...
- I am not a foundation expert...
- I am not a roofer...
- I am not a builder...are you?
- I am not an electrician, but I know how electricity works and how houses are wired and I know enough about the practical fundamentals of residential electricity to know when I am being told something that is just not remotely true.
- I am not a plumber, but I know how a house is plumbed for water, for gas, for HVAC and sewer water. And I know when a plumber is quoting me more per hour than my attorney charges that I am probably being taken for a fool and I am talking to the wrong person.
- I am not a foundation expert, but I can see the red flags of a foundation problem and know when to call in an expert and I know what to ask him when he gets there.
- I am not a roofer, but I have seen more roofs and been on top of enough roofs to know that rotting wood, broken vent hood seals, raised nails, tree abrasion, and pockets that catch rain may not be causing visible leaks today, but a hidden leak or future leak is not a possibility--it is a high probability future event. Been there. Seen that.
- I am not a General Contractor, but I have studied every aspect of home construction and I have worked hands-on in many of the various fields since I was young; my understanding of real estate goes well beyond the confines of the classroom and well beyond being able to fill out a legal contract and then making an excuses for not knowing more about the various tradesmen who surround our profession.
- I am not an attorney, but a big part of what I do for a living is negotiate legal contracts. If I don't understand the law and the legalities of the contracts, how valuable can I be to my clients?
- I am not a mortgage broker, but I understand the various types of mortgage vehicles, interest rates, the role of the federal reserve, how to calculate a monthly PITI payment on a financial calculator. PMI. APR. The difference between mortgage Brokers and mortgage Bankers. How appraisals work and the impact on the transaction. Taxes in Texas. I know a lot about banking and mortgages--because because my clients expect me to know about mortgage banking so I can help them.
Realtors are licensed to uphold this code of ethics and make sure the client's interest are always put first. But for me to represent my client in Real Estate, means I have to understand construction and know more about real estate than anyone else in the room. I have to understand how a house is built. I should be walking EVERY house that I sell with my buyer and our inspectors to learn everything that I don't know today about that house and how it is put together. And I need to understand why the inspector says one thing and the HVAC tech or the Electrician says something different. I should know why code that was written in the 60's or 80's is different from today's building code. I should understand the differences between R22 and 410A HVAC gas in my HVAC system. I should know the difference between Masonite and Concrete Fiber Siding. I should be able to recognize (by sight) the difference between a tab shingle roof and an architectural shingle roof and which one is better. I should know the difference between cheap laminate, high grade laminate and engineered hardwood. And glue-down vs floating floors. I should know when houses stopped using iron pipes and aluminum wiring and started using PVC and grounded copper wiring. Do I need to be an inspector or a licensed contractor to do that? I don't think so. Not if I am paying attention and learning my job anew every day. There are a ton of things I should know, BECAUSE I AM A REALTOR AND THIS IS MY JOB. I say these things with pride, not with anger.
I am not an electrician, but I understand hot, neutral, ground and control wires. I understand the difference between GFCI and AFCI. I know how to wire fans and lights and GFCI switches. I know the difference between a GFCI outlet that is in-line on the circuit vs a stand-alone GFCI outlet or a GFCI breaker. I did not learn most of this from my father, but I did learn it from walking hundreds of houses with inspectors. By listening. By asking questions. By looking up the answers. By reading about loads and power coming into the house and how that has changed over the years. I learned these things so that I could be the expert that my clients expect me to be.
I am not a foundation expert, but I know how to tell if a foundation is significantly un-level or broken. How did I learn this? By talking to foundation experts about this differences between a problem and normal deviations. By learning what do they look for and what simple tools they use to make quick judgements about what is most likely a problem and what is not? I asked questions like: How common is "corner pop"? When is a crack in the masonry a red flag and when is it a sign of something much more significant? What should I look for and why are those things red flags?
I am not an expert on mold, but I know when you are framing a house and a hard bundle of wood sits in the rain for a week before it is used to frame the house, you may start seeing mold inside the house. This situation left UN-addressed, can be a BIG problem down the road for your NEW HOME construction. (Yes, this has happened to one of my clients recently and had I not found it while the house was being built and stepped in to represent my buyer, the builder would have missed it or ignored it and this builder was ready to cover up the mold in the framing with sheet-rock and we would not have known for many months, or even years why the residents of the home were getting sick; hell, we may have never known why they were getting sick and we may have never thought to tear open the walls to look at what may be causing this problem and we certainly would not have been able to get the builder to take responsibility for the remediation. Because I was fortunately enough to find it, and ask the right questions, call the builder VP of construction and let him know about the proble--we were able to get the mold remediation and tested before the sheetrock and insulation went up. I could have plead ignorance and not gotten involved, but that is not my job. My job is to look for problems and help my clients get to solutions. My job is not based in the foundation of not being an expert. My job is to get an expert. One who knows more than my clients and often as much as the industry experts who get paid to be subject matter experts in their field.
I am not a plumber, but I know how plumbing works. I have plumbed sinks, facets, water filters, and I have fixed problems in my property. Do I do all of my own plumbing--no. Do I try to understand a problem before I contract a plumber to fix a major problem--absolutely. What kind of Realtor would I be if I did not know the fundamentals of the business?
I an not an licensed HVAC tech, but I know enough about the fundamental of the technology, zoning, SEER rating, gases, changes in federal law, costs and technology to help my clients sort through the pro's and cons of each.
My latest inspection story is one that defies (my) imagination. A plumber who thinks he can hear a leak though the walls and through ceilings and can look at a toilet and tell that it is seated correctly (even though it was missing one of its plastic bolts and was literally spinning on the one remaining bolt). Do you have to be a "master plumber" to know how to replace a $12 wax seal on a toilet and replace a broken bolt or to know that once the was seal is disturbed the toilet will start to leak--whether it is leaking today or not? I don't think so. Do you have to be a plumbing genius to realize that unless your plumbing is leaking at a rate of 1 gallon per minute, the likelihood of being able to "hear a leak through the walls of ceiling" has a smaller chance of success than winning the Texas Lottery? I think not. I don't think you have to be a master plumber to figure out the logic in this scenario and I think any Realtor who can not come to a similar conclusion is either not trying very hard, or simply does not care.
Am I an expert? I better be. I better know more than my client on every aspect of home buying and selling and new home construction. That is exactly why my clients hire me--because I take my business and my clients seriously. Can I learn more? You bet! I better be learning every day and during every inspection and from every builder, every lender, every title professional and attorney I meet each day. If I am not learning, I am making excuses for not knowing something that I should have probably seen, known or read. I strive to always be the smartest person in the room when it comes to my business, as I hope you do as well.
NOTE: This post if filled with disclaimers! You don't have to scroll to the bottom to see what I am not and what certifications I do not possess.
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