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17 real-estate agents reveal the worst parts of their jobs, from the lack of steady income to being on call 24/7
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We asked agents to tell us about the worst parts of their
jobs.
Several agents said managing clients' unrealistic
expectations was the worst part, while others mentioned dealing
with the frustration of getting "ghosted" by clients and having
to be available 24/7.
Several agents said managing clients' unrealistic expectations
was the worst part, while others mentioned dealing with the
frustration of getting "ghosted" by clients and having to be
available 24/7.
Here are 13 of the worst things about working in real
estate, according to 17 agents.
1. Clients with unrealistic expectations
Eric Goldie, an agent at Compass who sells $1 million to $5
million homes in New York City, said the worst part of his job is
dealing with clients with unrealistic expectations.
"50% of my job is managing expectations," Goldie said. "When a
client wants a two bed/two bath for under $2,000,000 downtown,
it's not fun breaking the news to them that they are actually in
a market for a 1 bed/1 bath in their price point."
2. The endless emails and paperwork
Brian K. Lewis, an agent at Compass who sells $2 million to $10
million homes in New York City, said responding to emails has
become one of the worst parts of his job.
"Although I pride myself in solid, good, and accurate
communication, and although I love technology, emails have become
very burdensome," Lewis told Business Insider. "I spend so much
time on emails - time that would be better spent with people and
the building of relationships - time that would be better spent
marketing for my clients."
Gill Chowdhury of Warburg Realty said it's the paperwork
that gets to him.
"I hate paperwork," Chowdhury said.
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3. The inconsistent income
Noemi Bitterman of Warburg Realty, who deals with homes in
Manhattan and Brooklyn with prices between $500,000 and $1.75
million, said the worst part of her job is the lack of a steady
income.
"Some months are great and some are not, and the volatility can
be hard to budget around," Bitterman said.
4. Mistrustful clients
An agent in Massachusetts who wished to remain anonymous said the
worst part of her job is being mistrusted and dealing with
misconceptions about what real-estate agents do.
"We honestly work very hard, it's a tough field ... so much of it
is behind the scenes, and we take our oaths to our clients very
seriously," she said. "We do a lot of work for free, yet people
think we're just raking in the dough left and right."
Michael Bello of REAL New York, who does $5,000-per-month on
average rentals in the city, said some clients have "negative
pre-conceived notions that all brokers are 'sketchy' and [that]
you're going to take advantage of them."
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5. Getting ghosted by clients
Elana Delafraz of REAL New York (not pictured), who deals with
rentals with $3,200 to $5,000 monthly rent, said the worst part
of her job is getting ghosted.
The worst, she said, is "when you work really hard to find the
perfect apartment for [a] client and then they ghost you like
nothing ever happened."
6. Needing to be available at all times
"The worst part about my job is that it is hard to completely
disconnect," Jared Barnett, a Compass agent who sells homes
between $2 million and $5 million in New York City, told Business
Insider.
"Selling real estate is complex, so if you want to be successful
you have to work hard and be available at all times, whether in
person, via email or on the phone," Barnett said. "Real-estate
deals are very intricate and time-sensitive, so if you're
unavailable to handle a problem that arises, it could cost you
the deal."
Smitha Ramchandani, a broker-associate at SR Real Estate Group at
Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty, who sells
homes in New Jersey and California, said agents "have to be
available during the evenings, weekends, holidays and on
vacations. We have worked from the middle of the Serengeti (not
kidding), Australia and New Zealand."
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7. Letting down clients
"To me, [the worst part of my job] is letting my clients down in
some way or form," Jason Tsalkas of Compass, who sells homes
mainly in Brooklyn that cost between $650,000 and $2 million on
average, told Business Insider. "I'll give you an example: I was
working with a buyer to find their first home in Brooklyn. We
looked at countless options and stumbled upon what I thought was
the best one but he insisted we see some more and mentioned how
it's his first home and he needed to see EVERYTHING."
Tsalkas said his mistake was not putting his foot down at the
right moment and insisting it was the right fit.
"As you might imagine, we lost that one that I knew was the right
fit and he realized it too," he said. "It crushed me to see him
be disappointed. But it also served as an example; he trusted me
from that point on, attentive to my every statement and opinion."
8. Being a 'parent' to clients
Clients won't always accept that a real-estate agent might know
best, Marilyn Blume of Warburg Realty, who sells $2 million to $3
million homes in New York City, told Business Insider.
"It's like being a parent, knowing a great property (or buyer)
that is the right fit, but my client may get dissuaded by an
insignificant factor," Blume said.
"For example, sometimes the first property you take your buyer to
see is the best and they need to act swiftly, but they are not
convinced as they need to see more," she said. "Or if you get a
competitive offer for your client's property when it just hits
the market they may say, well it only just came on the market and
already look at this fabulous offer! Let's see what else we get,
but the first offer had the best terms."
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9. Having to rely on other people
Scot Dalbery from REAL New York, who deals with rental properties
in New York City that are $4,000 a month on average, said the
reliance on other people is difficult to deal with as a
real-estate agent.
"Whether it be having to get keys from someone, have someone meet
you to buzz you into an apartment, clients not showing up to
appointments - as someone who is extremely diligent about my
schedule, somebody unexpectedly not following through can really
impact your day and cause great frustration," Dalbery said.
10. Dealing with New York City co-op boards
Spencer Cutler of Corcoran, who sells homes with an average price
of $6 million, says the worst part of his job has nothing to do
with clients, but rather dealing with co-op boards.
"In New York City, co-ops can require an enormous amount of
paperwork which has to be meticulously put together to present
the buyer in the best light possible," Cutler said. "In some
cases, a buyer is rejected by the board (without any reason
given) and the process starts back at square one."
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11. Working around the clock
Several agents said the worst part of their job is that it never
stops.
Adam Feinberg of Anchor Associates, who sells homes in New York
City with an average price of $725,000, said the worst part of
his job is "working around the clock - 24/7."
Greg Cooper, a broker at Kuper Sotheby's International Realty in
Austin, Texas, who sells homes between $300,000 and $8 million,
described it as "the treadmill that we are always having to run
on. You are only as good as the last month," he said.
12. Dealing with rude people
"You try not to take it personally and some people are just
mean," Butch Haze, a Compass agent who sells homes between $3
million and $10 million in the San Francisco area, said. "It is
an emotional process so you try to give them a pass but some
people are just not good people. I try to run from those
situations. Life is too short."
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13. Keeping their cars shiny
Robin Kencel of The Robin Kencel Group at Compass in Connecticut,
who sells homes between $500,000 and $28 million, said one of her
biggest job pet peeves is keeping her car looking clean.
"Keeping my car shiny on the outside - I'm always battling the
weather and season," Kencel said. "Take this season: I have it
washed at 10 a.m. and by 3 p.m. the pollen has dusted it."
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