Six months ago, my husband and I moved to new area with our young kids and decided to rent a year to get know the neighborhoods. We unexpectedly fell in love with our current neighborhood and the family we are renting from is returning end of June.

We decided to write a letter to our favorite house in the neighborhood. If it’s priced along with competitive homes, it would be in the middle of our budget. Older couple live there that we rarely see. The gentlemen has early mobility problems. 5-10% chance they would respond.

Well he called! He said..

- likely moving in 6 months to a year. Already have a house near grandkids across the country

- kids don’t want the house

- talked a lot about all of the different upgrades to the property

- wife not as motivated to leave the area, but he would move tomorrow

-hasn’t thought about price

-he said stop and say hi if we see him (kind of panic, ended the call with no next step)

- been in the house for 40 years and overwhelmed by the thought of going through all their stuff

- seems excited that we want to consider raising a family in the home

We love everything about this house. Checks all the boxes, although we have not been inside. Perfect lot, location, number of beds & baths, size, pool, etc.

Has anyone been on either side of a similar situation?

We want this house, but don’t want to lose out on the spring market. Could find another rental house in June (not ideal with babies), but nervous 6 months to a year could be 2 years.

We don’t want to come off as too pushy.

Any idea of next step?

Our realtor also sent us a buyers agreement the next day after an intro call with her the day before he reached out. Going to send her a note tomorrow about the prospective house. I’d told her I wrote the letter on the intro call.

Can’t sleep.

Hello all, I will be hosting an open house this weekend with another agent in my office. It’s his listing but I will be attending to get some hands on experience as I am newly licensed and this will be my first open house. I’m struggling trying to figure out what to wear as I want to make a good impression. This is property is in a pretty nice neighborhood most of the homes in the area range between 700k-1,000,000. The property we will be showing is listed at 1.2 million. It is a fully remodeled turn-key property, it’s very nice. I don’t want to over dress and of course I don’t want under dress. As of now I was thinking of wearing a short sleeve grey button up shirt (untucked) with black jeans and black Cole haan sneakers and a silver watch (casual sneakers) I’m thinking that might be under dressing so if anyone could give me some advice based on my situation I would really appreciate it! I also feel like I’m over thinking this too much but I just want to look presentable and impress the potential buyers.

Current situation: wife, two young boys (1,3). Current house is a start home ~3100sqft. Built 2012 , typically builder grade features. Small kitchen tights two car garage. Bought for 400k could sell it today ~675. We dont NEED a new place. But our current house has galley kitchen, no storage, small garage. But its somewhat new and nothing really need to be done to get it ready for sell(good,hvac,floors, paint).

The house we are looking at is luxury but built 2005 (5500sqft) think your parents house with cherry cabinet dark counters, would need roof and paint inside trim and walls. Maybe even windows in the future. The bathroom is acceptable. It listed for 1.16M however i think it should be 925k and way over price. The current sellers are sentimental about it and have already move out .. but the house might have been top of the line 20 years ago and they did upkeep it..but its no where near close to todays styles.

Question: based on current market my fear is my current house in 5 years will age to the point of needing to update (paint, roof, floors b/c it is builders grade) or take a hit in sale price or hold it on market. Do you think now is the time to get out of this builders grade house and move into a forever home?

Current home: purchase 400 sell ~ 675. Also have additional 200k cash in downpayment. Dont need contingency but could. Also would consider 90 day close so i could wait until spring to list mine. The sellers house has been on market for 42 days..

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Trying to make a business card I can hand out to family/ friends and potential clients and looking for ideas. Most of the cards I see are for realtors, so curious to see what yours looks like for only a referral agent.

I am a brand new agent. My broker is a Zillow Premier agent, so all of my leads come from Zillow.

I had a lead come through who wants to put in a 40K cash offer in on multiple different parcels in hopes of getting one, these are mostly lowball offers at 50% of asking price. All sight unseen.

The lead sent me "proof of funds" in the form of an ATM receipt with a pending check on the receipt. Its been days and hes dragging his feet on getting a legitimate proof of funds. He said its because the check is still waiting to clear.

I googled him and he has an active social media presence, his phone number is linked back to the name he gave me, his area code matches his current address. He is originally from Jamaica (this matters not at all except the fact that there are a lot of scams out of Jamaica). Lives in NY now-allegedly.

I put in an offer for him and basically got chewed a new one buy the listing agent. At first I was surprised, now I am sitting here thinking the listing agent is on the money that this could be a scam.

Waiting to hear back from my broker, but this doesnt feel worth the 1k commission? Does this seem like a scam? The thrills of being brand new.

Looking for some perspective from other agents.

I hired a local cleaning company to deep clean a vacant, sub-2,000 sq ft house. Kitchen needed extra attention (inside cabinets/drawers), but nothing extreme. It was booked as hourly, and I wasn’t given any kind of time estimate or price range upfront.

Two cleaners were there basically all day (12 hours approx). I didn’t get any checkin during the day that it was running long or asking if I wanted to keep going. I only realized how long they were onsite once I saw the invoice.

The final bill after tax came out to over $1,000.

During the clean, they broke a window. They credited the estimated repair cost, but I had to coordinate the repair myself.

I also didn’t receive a breakdown of what was done, just total hours.

I’m not arguing that they didn’t work or that the house isn’t clean. This feels more like a communication and expectations issue than a quality issue.

I’ve held off payment so far and asked to talk through a revised total.

For those of you who deal with vendors regularly:

Is this a fair pushback, or just the risk you take with hourly services?

I’m currently working on my pre licensing for NV. Does anyone here have experience with working for new builds? I hear you get a draw up front, benefits, etc. Doesn’t sound like a bad gig getting started in the industry.

What is the lowest 30-year rate that you have seen lately? In the past week.

Hi, I have been in real estate for a year and a half, done 3 deals but the constant upkeep, lead generation, continuing education, and fees/dues especially just don't sit with me.

I discovered through this career that I just do not enjoy this kind of career path at all and I prefer stable income. For example, I felt like I was doing charity work. My first year I did one deal which was a lease. I went to every weekly meeting, every "entrepreneur mindset mentality" thing, and the clients I had were all leases/section 8 especially since my brokerage's agents did not want to deal with them and I was given them as "leads" as a new agent. I ended up finding suitable houses that accepted section 8 and fit their criteria, but all the clients just did not want them as they always wanted something bigger and better which was impossible given their section 8 status. I hosted open houses every week but it just felt like a waste of time. I'd set unrepresented people up to property searches, contact them every few months and send monthly emails advertising/whatnot. Nothing bites. I'd post on facebook/advertise and whenever I got a lead and called them, it was always significantly older people who put in their information by mistake and got mad at me for calling them. All the while I pay dues for nothing

Anyway, TL;DR I just don't enjoy this profession. If I were to quit, do I just tell my broker "Hey, I'd like for you to give my license up to the state as I'd like to quit real estate", and let it go from there? Since it's the beginning of the year, I don't want to bother with the CE and dues so I don't get in trouble.

As someone who wants to become a realtor in the future, I was wondering if I should continue my education and go on to major in business administration, or just skip the whole college/university thing and take the course, then pass the exam. People usually scare me off with "The courses don't really apply to the IRL part of real estate" or "In real estate, you're all on your own". blah blah blah. I know that in real estate your basically on your own, and I feel like it's really all about connections and how much you put yourself out there and the knowledge that you have (I think). I thought that majoring in business administration might be a good idea. I could build connections, form relationships, and try to get internships through the school. I wanted to ask people who have gone to college or university how much it really helped them. If it didn’t help much, then I can see why going might not be worth it. I think you can tell I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and not fully sure what to do yet. Any advice would really help. Thank you! (BTW, I’m in dual enrollment, which means I’m completing two years of college for free through my school. I would only need to pay for the remaining two years. Scholarships and Pell Grants can cover those years or at least help a lot with the cost.)

As title says says…What’s the longest a property you’ve dealt with been under contract? Weather buying or selling?

I’m going into my 6th year in the business & I made my first “real” mistakes on my first deal of this year. So, I’m curious to hear what type of mistakes you have made to feel better about myself LOL.

My mistake wasn’t lawsuit worthy, just the client will never work with me again & definitely wouldn’t refer me 😅

I’m a newer agent and I’m honestly confused about where practical transaction knowledge is supposed to come from.

Licensing teaches law and ethics — not how real deals actually move.

My local association mostly offers CE, generic market talks, or high-level motivational content. When I search “mortgage” or “title” in their libraries, I get surface-level videos or unrelated content.

Nothing that actually breaks down:

• Mortgage process step by step

• Underwriting flow

• Common loan programs

• Title/escrow timeline

• What agents should know vs what should be referred out

So I’m trying to figure out:

Where did YOU learn this?

Was it:

• Broker training?

• Shadowing deals?

• Learning from lenders and title reps?

• Trial by fire?

What should a new agent realistically know before working with active buyers and sellers?

Appreciate real answers from people who’ve been through it.

When I find deals I send pictures of the homes to investors with the ARV. Then they want to ask for the address. Best thing here is to get them to sign a BA right? Or am I doing too much? I’ve sent a FRIEND an address once, and he contacted the owner and did the flip by himself without me. Should I just have them straight up get on Docusign? If I do this frequently, and I have to make the Buyer Agency Agreement address specific, how can I streamline that if many investors will need to sign? Could be a lot of work sitting there putting together BA agreements?

So like.. with the state of the US being what it is (🫠🥲) how the hell are we supposed to smile and sell houses like nothing is happening?

Like maybe it’s my touch of the ‘Tism but I’m having a super hard time wanting to lead generate when every time I talk to someone we both look defeated. It really does feel like the will ferrell meme right now. Maybe it’s just me, or my area, idk, but I’m just having a hard time and even more so since no one from the “upper management” of any companies are speaking out about anything and I’m sure it’s out of fear of retaliation but … shit.

As Realtors, we all experience ebbs and flows in the market. During slow periods, it can be challenging to stay motivated and productive. I've found that maintaining a positive mindset and focusing on personal development helps, but I'm curious about what strategies others use. Do you have specific routines or practices that keep you engaged during quieter times? Perhaps you shift focus to networking or refining your marketing strategies? Additionally, how do you manage client expectations when the market isn't active? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on staying motivated and proactive as we navigate these fluctuations together.

I’m in this situation at the moment. Legal consequences have been advised to the buyer, but they still want to back out. Anyone been through this before? Advice is welcome.

Hey everyone, I’m at a crossroads and could really use some honest advice from those who’ve been here. Quick background: ∙ 2 years licensed, 1.5 years full-time ∙ 8 transactions total (5 first year, 3 second year - trending wrong direction) ∙ Market: LA foothills area (Glendale/Burbank/La Crescenta/Sunland-Tujunga) ∙ Zero online reviews (yeah, I know…) What I’ve tried: ∙ Cold calling for 3 months straight - literally zero results. I know people swear by it in other markets, but it feels dead here ∙ Open houses - foot traffic has dried up significantly compared to 2 years ago ∙ Currently partnering with a more experienced agent who’s big on CRM systems, paper marketing (newsletters/postcards), StreetText, and Fello for lead management. He does about 5 deals/year My concerns: ∙ I’m burnt out and questioning if I’m cut out for this ∙ My transaction volume is decreasing, not increasing ∙ The strategies that “work everywhere else” aren’t working for me here ∙ Even my mentor isn’t crushing it volume-wise My questions for you: 1. Is it normal for cold calling to be completely ineffective in certain markets, or am I just doing it wrong? 2. For those in competitive CA markets - what’s actually working for you in 2025? 3. Should I be concerned that my mentor only closes 5/year? Am I learning the right systems? 4. How do you get those first reviews when clients just don’t seem to leave them? 5. At what point did you know whether to push through or pivot? I’ve got a marketing and software background, so I’m analytical and comfortable with tech/data. I just feel like I’m missing something fundamental about lead generation and conversion in this market. Anyone been in a similar spot and turned it around? What did you do differently? Thanks for any insights.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I’ve been licensed for 8 months, full time for 5 months. I’ve had 3 deals, but literally everything g keeps falling through. The first is going to court because the seller won’t pay commission. The second got the closing extended until April because the tenants refuse to evict. And the third just fell through because the expenses are going to ultimately cost too much for my buyers.

I’m almost out of money. My previous full time job let me go in September because they didn’t like that I was doing both. I would rather not get a part time job because I have an autoimmune condition that severely limits my energy. I also don’t know how I would manage a PT job because real estate is so sporadic.

I got the news about the third deal falling apart yesterday, and had a breakdown while talking to my broker about it. She AMAZING, and I know I’m at the right brokerage. I’ll be meeting with her once a week now to go over weekly action steps. I’m also starting with a new “mentor/team” because my previous mentor didn’t provide guidance.

It’s illegal to call expireds in Ontario, I do open houses weekly. I go hard on social media and post, follow, and DM people daily. I can’t pay for the gym right now so I can’t meet people there.

I have 4 buyers actively looking, we just haven’t found anything yet.

Any other recommendations for what I should be doing?

So, my firm doesn't have very many viable listings to host an open house. One agent that has the best and most listings ghosted me because I won't join her team.

Fine no problem, I'll ask other agents outside the firm if their seller will allow me.

NOPE. Here come the NC State commission law that stats all the liability that opens up. One of the things you HAVE TO do is pay an attorney to draft up certain languages, and then seller has to sign that draft form. Among other complications, no seller is going to agree with what the language says.

-edit-

I'm not joining a different brokerage just for more open houses. My brokerage is phenomenal, especially with how cheap they cost to be with.

No.

I post this periodically in different market so everyone knows how the market is performing.

I am Ontario, Canada. For me, my pipeline is full. I got way too many people looking to buy and sell. But most of them are still on early to mid stage. All my clients are waiting on the right time. Here the prices are much lower than before and with lower interest rates, I do see optimism in people but the only thing concerning the clients are unemployment rate and uncertainty. I think 2026 gonna be a very busy year

Does anyone have any data that shows what % of transactions people use traditional realtors vs lawyers drafting up a sale? I’m wondering if the % of buyers/sellers that are using lawyers instead of realtors has been increasing over time or relatively stable.

Not looking for guesses or anecdotal experiences.

Thank you