***Official Real Estate Thread***

Random Guy

Duke status
Jan 16, 2002
32,285
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Real estate agent = narcissist

nobody dreams of being a real estate agent when they are a kid

they go into it bc they can’t really do anything else

bet 90% of the agents cannot write a coherent email to their client
disagree
i know people who do it and seem to love it
and my wife would like to
ive also considered it, but I like a steady income

i never dreamed of being in the career I’m I now as a kid. i never even knew it was a career until I was out of college for a bunch of years
 
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PJ

Gerry Lopez status
Jan 27, 2002
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Shrub Oak,N.Y.,USA
Ended up being the condenser drain line getting plugged and secondary cutoff switch cutting the power. Fixed the drain line and I am back to happy wife happy life mode.

I did learn to meter the pins on the thermostat for 24V to troubleshoot the thermostat vs power.

also learned the house blower fan door has a cutoff switch and can vibrate open and lastly to check the drain and if a cutoff switch is tripped.

$340 later, I feel my “hvac troubleshooting 101“ course was well worth it and have a good tech i trust if I need to get on with “hvac troubleshooting for novices”.
On the central AC I replaced myself 5 years ago (1962 Worthington unit in the attic - still running after 55 years with its 3-ton Carrier Commercial Condensing unit outdoors - built like a Brick Sh*thouse - had to cut it up in place with a Sawzall) I had a real slow Freon leak. There's oil travelling around and around with the Freon - I think the leak was in the evaporator indoors and the oil was getting into the drain which would clog. I started using anti-clog pads or pills you put in the condensate drain pan - good for a season. They have a new in-line one now as well (link below). Also, if you can, prime the drain trap with water at the beginning of the season. If the trap is dry the unit will pull air in trough the trap and if it pulls enough it can pull the water in that's trying to go through the trap as well, overflowing the pan or getting water into the fan. They should usually self prime but if you're in there changing the filter anyway might as well.
Drain Guard
 
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Havoc

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
May 23, 2016
7,853
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in da hood next to paradise
disagree
i know people who do it and seem to love it
and my wife would like to
ive also considered it, but I like a steady income

i never dreamed of being in the career I’m I now as a kid. i never even knew it was a career until I was out of college for a bunch of years
you clearly have not dealt with real estate agents… :roflmao:
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,709
14,438
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One of the most successful one bought a multi unit structure on the border of the Mission Dist and The Castro and in early 2000s was netting $18,000 a month....at least that is what he told others just before he quit.
Lifetime move right there.
 

r32

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 1, 2005
18,176
9,969
113
Cambria
Here are the people behind the huge land purchases SW of Sacramento around Travis AFB base.

Aside from Hoffman (co-founder LinkedIn) and Powell Jobs (Tech Titan), Flannery’s (former trader at investors reportedly include Marc Andreessen (VC Titan) of the private venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, former Sequoia Capital partner Michael Moritz (VC Titan) and Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison (billionaires), as well as entrepreneurs Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross.

The group is said to be led by Jan Sramek, a 36-year-old former Goldman Sachs trader who has spent the last few years securing funds from Silicon Valley luminaries for the project.

They plan to build a whole new city from scratch.

1693250063225.png
 
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npsp

Miki Dora status
Dec 30, 2003
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imo, there was a certain point even as a rep of the buyer, they are basically making sure the deal goes through for sake of their commission - buyer with cold feet or not.
To some degree, yes. That goes for the sellers agent as well, both want to get paid. The point of no return is when the buyer releases all contingencies by the agreed upon deadlines.
 
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npsp

Miki Dora status
Dec 30, 2003
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Real estate agent = narcissist

nobody dreams of being a real estate agent when they are a kid

they go into it bc they can’t really do anything else

bet 90% of the agents cannot write a coherent email to their client
I'd say it's about 70%.
I didn't set out to become a pump salesman and my wife certainly didn't set out to become the owner of her own real estate brokerage. After getting her MBA, she had other successful careers and was already working for herself as a consultant (along with being a "stay at home mom") when she decided to get her license so we would not have to pay buyers commission on our next house purchase. She learned that she really liked it. Fast forward 20+ years and she's doing pretty darn well.
 

Bob Dobbalina

Miki Dora status
Feb 23, 2016
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No offense to any real estate agents out there,

But there are some really dumb, ambulance chasing-style agents out there selling real estate that simply puppet what other RE influencers tell them, with zero analytical considerations for what they do.

That being said, you could probably say that about __________________ industry as well.
 

Havoc

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
May 23, 2016
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in da hood next to paradise
most real estate agents, before getting into the industry, had 3 options after getting their GED:
1. porn
2. mcdonalds
3. real estate agent

when they need to advertise that they are a college graduate to set themselves apart from the other agents, you finally understand what you are dealing with...

that being said, the good ones who can write a coherent email and not speak in internet slang usually take a majority of the market share as seen by npsp's post.
 
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sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
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San Diego
I found it helpful when buying my house that my agent had a brokers license.

I would never use a random friend with a RE license. The brokers hold the power and can grease a square peg through a round hole, imo.
 
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npsp

Miki Dora status
Dec 30, 2003
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first real estate transaction was with a friend.

Second was with a well known company and the two experiences were very different.

I will never go with a friend or acquaintance again.
When you are making one of if not the biggest financial decision of your life, it's prudent to thoroughly vet your representative.
 

sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
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San Diego
Early in her career, my wife cut her commission to help the buyer close on a house. I gave her a ton of crap for that. You negotiate on price, not your commission. In the right market, if you're buying, your agent should be working to get you repair credits which are a form of a rebate.
My agent also managed to save me a ton in closing costs by pushing some things onto the seller that I had expected to be on the buyer or a 50/50 split.

My inspectors report was a thing of beauty and gave me multiple outs. Ghosted them for 48hrs and got a pretty chunk back despite the bidding war. The seller told me on keys day they fully expected me to walk after seeing the inspectors report.
 
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