Screaming that you're mad as hell and you're not gonna take it anymore won't get you anywhere. It doesn't solve a thing. The guy who screamed that speech died from a heart attack in 1977. If you want to end up like Peter Finch, just keep screaming. Because you're gonna end up there anyway, dead, I mean. Sooner or later, we will all die.
Isn't that a cheery way to start a Monday morning?
I talked with potential clients yesterday who are looking to move to Sacramento. One of the things they told me was they have worked recently with more 30 real estate agents and were disappointed. I mention this because there is a lot of talk on ActiveRain about whether real estate agents are better or worse than a slew of other professions.
Now, I don't have any stats to show you, just life experience, but I'd say that agents are no different than anybody else regarding competency. I don't think you'll find more stupid or inept people in real estate than you will in a profession that requires a degree. Any more than you'll find corporations that stay in business because you can't figure out how they do it. How do they manage to stay in business when they are so incompetent?
You'd think because a corporation is a multi-billion company run by a manicured CEO that the company runs like a well oiled machine. It probably doesn't. In fact, I'll bet most of them are a mess because I've peeked inside the inner workings of many corporations. I recall one of my first jobs. I worked in 1973 at Ralston Purina Company in Denver. I was the production assistant for packaging. It shocked me to learn that the plant was filling bags of cat food with a product that differed from the nutritional content printed on the bags. It didn't seem to shock anybody else at the company. You run out of bags, you use something else.
The clients I spoke to yesterday called me back later in the afternoon. They decided to work with me. I'm different, I suppose, than the other agents they called. See, I welcome comparison. I don't have to be the first agent somebody calls. As long as I'm the last, I'm happy. I provide great customer service. That's my goal.
I wish we could improve customer service in the retail sector. We'd probably have to be willing to pay more for products. That would be the logical solution, but because corporations are formed as a soulless entity designed to enhance profit, the CEO's salary would probably just go up and stockholders would simply get bigger dividends. Customer service is not going to improve. In fact, I predict it will get worse.
I ordered a swimsuit from Macy's last month. I mean, who doesn't want to look 10 pounds thinner in a swimsuit? Macy's website features these special type of swimsuits. I think they are made out of whalebone and they scrunch everything into place. OK, maybe heterosexual guys don't give a crap, but many of us women do. It arrived; I tried it on, and it was too big.
That would be a good thing except for the fact that manufacturers have been increasing sizes over the years. What used to be a size 6 is now a size 2. Because women will buy a size 2 with glee. Argh. I sent the swimsuit back to Macy's on December 5th, figuring I'd have plenty of time to get a replacement before I leave for Hawaii. It dawned on me yesterday that I have not received the replacement.
I called Macy's. After getting disconnected in the middle of a conversation, I called back. The clerk told me the swimsuit was on back-order until December 31st. When was Macy's planning to tell me that? Never, that's when. The clerk suggested I try my local store in Sacramento. Where the hell was she, I asked? Because our local store has replaced its resort-wear department with winter coats. She was in the Philippines.
See, the person I blame in this is me. I should have known that the only place I will find a swimsuit right now is in Hawaii. And with any luck, it will also make me look 10 pounds thinner. Because getting ticked off about it doesn't solve anything. There is incompetence everywhere and yes, even in the real estate profession.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
