CyKat

Don't forget the Obama is a SSMS (SuperSecretMuslimSpy) conspiricy.

Why is Obama so dead set against being associated with the Muslims? Is he ashamed?

Does he think there is something wrong with being thought of as a Muslim? I doubt it.

Bush has said on 9/20/01, in a speech after 9/11, "I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends."

It just makes me think that Obama is trying too hard to disassociate himself from the Muslim faith.

Me thinketh thou protesteth too much, Mr. B Hussein Obama.

His campaign manager should have told him, "it is better to be thought of as a Muslim, than to speak and remove all doubt".

Cykat

It is Obama-Biden...

Obama-Biden Looks alot like Osama bin Laden

CyKat, just stirrin' the pot alittle.

Ok, let me step in here a minute. As a former real estate agent, if you aren't an agent, you don't understand an agent's FIRST responsibility is a fiduciary responsibility to his client. That's the FIRST thing - the VERY first thing you learn in real estate school. So if he is with a client, turning off his phone is part of his job. I would do the same - then check the messages as soon as I got through with the closing, showing the listing, taking the listing - whatever.

You can't really pass judgment on a person unless you have walked in their shoes.

That being said and done - yes, some realtors really are Aholes, but I don't think the original poster is one of them.

Papi,

You missed the entire point of my post.

CyKat

Your right once again BryanS, I wanted to weasel my way in the deal. Of course, if you remember I said I would step out of the way for the client if he wanted to see the home but he chose not to because of the other agent(i told this to the agent as well). So, the agent screwed himself and way more importantly his client out of a potential deal if in the end the client would have bought the property.

Just do your job, don't expect the listing agents to do it for you, and you'll not run into this type of problem again.

The Realtor ranks are full of lazy agents who want the co-op agent to do their work for them, weather it's a buyers rep coaching his client to just get the another agent to open the property, then promising a "rebate". Or.........a lazy, flat fee listing agent, making the buyer's rep do double work to get a home sold to his buyer.

I don't blame the listing agent for doing what he did, considering there are too many lazy Realtors out there, and you must have known when your client did this, that this Realtor might have figured you to be just another incompitent agent (Not saying you are, just that was probably his POV). Foreclosure agents regularly add in the comments, "if the buyers rep is not present at first showing, then commission will be reduced toX%".

CyKat

OH MY GOODNESS, THIS HAPPENED TO ME THIS MORNING!!!!!! This is so ironic because I meant to post about this here when I got to work this morning but because of work, I couldn't . Anyway, a SUV slammed on his breaks when the light turned yellow and all I could do was yell NOOOOOO at the top of my lungs. When the light actually turned red, we were already at a complete stop. Thank God I had enough room to stop without rear-ending him. UGHHHHHHH!

For every positive about those cameras, there is a negative. Besides, the streets are apparently no safer because the city is making revenue from the cameras which means people are still running red lights. This was all about money.

OK, I'm done.

I wonder how many people issued tickets by way of the red light cameras were also involved in an accident at the same time.

Has anyone seen stats on weather or not they actually work in reducing accidents. Do you believe the stats?

CyKat

Ummm...isn't that par with any trailer/RV park? (other than the ones filled with members of gangs).

Sounds like (if it's even real) there are some pissed off locals who don't like the big developments coming in and it may be tied to the bear/body parts thing.

I know it's been a while, and I haven't been out that way lately, but does anyone know if the trailer park is coming to that area, or if that land has been sold or if there are any plans for that land?

CyKat

Sarah,

Who are the builders you're looking at and why? I'm curious because Fieldstone seems to have 300k-350k priced homes as well as homes in the 120s all fairly close together.

kcoole,

Do you think that should be a concern for a potential buyer out there?

Okeydoka

I don't care who you are, that right there is funny !!!

I'm just glad I could contribute.

CyKat

It seems to me that someone on that blog just made that up. If you go on to HAR there is no pic that looks like that. I also checked the PAR, the property archive reports, that's where a realtor can check the prior listings, and there are no photoshopped pics there either. Not a very credible blog post if you ask me.

Cykat

Looks like they paid apx. 2m for it in 2002. Not a bad return on their investment, if they can get it.

CyKat

I think the basics are the most important. Clean, clean, clean and get rid of clutter. mulch the flower beds, do what flipper said and turn on the lights and open the blinds. Also important, LEAVE during showings.

Price it right, and in most cases you'll sell it.

Easier said than done.

It doesn't matter how much you owe on it, or how much you paid for it, or how much you need for your next home.

I saw a TV show where the sellers were letting potential buyers spend the night in the home, kind of like a car dealer letting you take a 24hr test drive.

CyKat

.

Came to found out the Buyer's Rep Agreement is barely worth that paper its written on. It's nearly impossible to enforce.

Why do you say that?

CyKat

I guess I feel the same way as when I go try on clothes, I don't intend to buy them all, but I do need to try on first, the same way I test drive many many cars before I plunk down big bucks, and the bucks are even bigger for a home, as is the commission.

Nothing wrong with that. When buying our first home, my wife and I looked at about 50. Our Realtor was comfortable with investing that much time in us because she was smart enough to have us sign an exclusive Buyers Representation Agreement, and to have us get pre approved for a loan. In other words, she was a Professional.

CyKat

No it is not standard practice for buyers agents to collect a retainer and the 6% commission is generally paid by the seller.

True, collecting a retainer is not a common practice for agents, but it's actually quite smart on the Realtor's part. Why should the Realtor be out the expense for YOUR home search if you don't end up buying? They're not tour guides after all.

CyKat

I'm guessing you're looking at "For Sale By Owner" properties or a lot of foreclosures if your Realtor wants a retainer. Either that, or (s)he doubts your qualifications to buy and wants to secure some kind of payment if a deal falls through because you cant get a loan.

In a standard transaction between two Realtors, the commission will be paid by the seller. The rate may not be the 3% your Realtor wants, but that information is plainly disclosed in the seller's agreement. So, if (s)he doesn't read it when you're researching the property, too bad.

As a former Realtor, I once sold a home (listing agent) on which I had only listed 5% commission -- 2.5% per side. I got an offer from an older Realtor representing a first-time buyer who loved the property and put in a full-price bid to lock it down. When I corrected the old guy's expected commission (he had expected 3% and we were well into the deal at this point) he accused me of being unscrupulous and said, "if I had seen that earlier, I never would have brought my client to you."

That's sad, but true. The only way I was able to get the listing price where it would sell quickly, was to reduce mine and the buyer's agent's commission. This put the home squarely into this first-time buyer's price range, which she eagerly bought. For 1/2% this other crotchety Realtor was willing to keep this home from his client, who loved it so much, she didn't even want to haggle on the price.

Talk about unscrupulous.

Interesting. Because of your inability to negotiate your comission, or because of your desperation to secure a listing, the buyers agent had to suffer as well? Not always.

That's a perfect example of why a good buyers agent will secure a Buyers Representation Agreement. With one, in this case, the buyer would have to pay the other 1/2% . And this is a perfect example for the origional posters question, about when or why might a buyer be expected to pay a comission.

With out a BRA, a buyers agent would be ethically required to show all properties, regardless of compensation offered.

After securing a BRA, then it's the buyer decision if he wants to look at, and make offers on listings that have less than a 3% co-op offered.

So now you know, when you list with a so-called discounter, you may be shooting your self in the foot, if he's passing the discount on to the co-op agents, as dalparadise did.

Remember in a previous post I said that the Realtor AND the buyer have a decision to make at the start of their relationship.

If anyone would like to see a BRA, let me know and I'll have my wife send one your way.

CyKat

Do not have to pay a retainer fee for a buyer's agent. You can tell them you're not paying it and you can find another agent if they insist.

And for the 3% - tell them to kick rocks. If I were you, I'd walk away from this agent and their broker... There are plenty of buyers agents that wont even approach you with this...

I am a licensed real estate agent in Texas (inactive).

That "retainer fee" is to keep people from just riding around looking at houses... "Buyers are liars" is the saying. But if you're a serious purchaser, they won't care about the fee (except that more money is always desirable.)

The 3% from the BUYER is something i've never even seen or heard of. walk.

The 3% from buyer has always been addressed in the Buyers Representation Agreement or BRA.

If I were a Realtor, I would not work with a buyer who would not sign one. Why would I want to risk wasting all my time and money helping to find someone a house, only to have them use their newly licensed brother inlaw, or just buy a FSBO. The Realtor AND the buyer have a decision to make at the start of their relationship. All Realtors are not desperate, although it doesn't take much looking to find one who is, if that's what you want.

Cykat, who loves his Realtor. he's married to her.

That's what I am used to. I am being asked to pay a retainer fee up front, to be returned if I close on a house within 120 days. Also that I, the buyer would be reponsible for 3% of the cost to be paid to the realtor, if they cannot get it from the seller. Is this normal for the Houston area? I have never seen this on a contract before. The form says Huston Area Realtor Assoc. on it.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

If the Realtor represents you, and the seller isn't going to pay, do you think your Realtor should work for free?

Sounds like a sound business practice to me. All he/she is doing is protecting him/herself. Nothing wrong with that, especially since it's agreed upon beforehand.

And yes, it's normal for the Houston area.

your a/c is has a warranty for 10 years.

LLLegalien: You've got to be kidding. You think the builder should be responsible for a few roof nails popping up?

Bruno: How do you know what his ac warranty is?

CyKat

Chenevert, Kat, you do realize that the cost of knocking it down exceeds the net present value cost of maintaining it as-is in perpetuity, right?

How do you figure that, without taking into consideration the future income generated from some other venue, say a parking garage, for example. I wasn't aware that it's actually being used a few times a year.

Leave it to a government agency to screw things up. I wonder if any private entities have made offers for it, only to be refused because of the politics involved. I'll bet Tilman Fertita (sp?)wouldn't mind having it as one of his future casinos. After all he is amassing quite a portifolio, ready to go online the day casino gambling is made legal in Texas. But then again, maybe that's what the current owners are counting on as well.

Cykat

Do you foresee another Houston ISD where they built schools for whites only to see them dump the school within a few years for other districts?

No, I don't. I think building a whites only school would be illegal, wouldn't it? Although I hear there is a high school for homosexuals in New York, so nothing surprises me anymore.

Whats the highest and best use for that property? I'd say tear it down. It's obsolete. I don't think it's historical value, if it actually has any, is anything close to what we're paying for upkeep.

Maybe they should look at it from the point of view of a private owner, who would have, I'm sure, scrapped it long ago. If there was any use at all for that place, It wouldn't still be vacant. I believe the only reason it's still standing is to placate the crowds who say it has historical value. But mark my words, after it sits vacant a few more years, it will be imploded. Just have to wait out the historical nuts. Maybe a voter referrendum is in order, if anyone actually cares. It's a political hot potato as well.

Cykat

Be wary of Ryland. They were in our former neighborhood, and they are pre-fabricated homes. The home comes in a large pile of pre-constructed parts. Some of them sat out in rain and sun for months and warped. Then they would put them together (watching them put the warped ones together was fun) and sell them. Don't ever buy one.

I doubt it. I doubt that they built with warped framing, and I doubt that you watched them. The frame packs don't usually sit outside for more than a day or two before they are assembled, and that's not enough time to warp, even in a downpour. Also, I don't think you would be able to tell if they were warped, just by looking at them from the street.

Cykat, calling you out.

How can you folks stand the traffic up there, with the one lane roads approaching 290.

When are they going to widen that road between Kroger and Home Depot? I was up there last summer and that was a royal PITA.

Cykat

. . . just how many 'foreigners' there are living in Katy.

No kidding! When I moved to Katy from the left coast, friends back in the SF Bay Area asked how I liked living with Texans. I had to answer that I hadn't met any Texans yet since I was living on a street with Nigerians, Ecuadorans, a metric ton of Brits and Scots, Chinese, Italians and one Good ol' Boy from Louisiana!

Since then of course I've met plenty of Texans and I'm proud to count myself among them. It's a state of mind more than anything else!

Houston (and Katy) are cosmopolitan cities, and the new Fiesta is going to pull in customers from the yuppies in Rancho Dinero looking for ethnic flavor to the 'scary brown people' from north of the freeway looking for bargains and a taste of home, and more power to them.

Amen, I agree. The 'scary brown people' from north of the freeway. That's funny.

As for me, I'm more concerned about the crazy teenage drivers from Seven Lakes and Cinco Ranch High Schools than those "Scary brown people".

Cykat