Everyone wants to be a real estate agent....

[farmaholic]

....some have probably done so well in the boom they likely had to bring in family members to split income and save taxes.

BOOM! BUST?????

[sawfly1]

I always get a kick out of a occupation that really does not have to exist.
The commercials , basically try to justify their existence.
And their cut.

Maybe they serve a purpose .

Could be wrong

[farmaholic]

What would the fees be on a multi-million dollar farm sale?

Time to write the test for the Realtor's license?

I think I might be late to the party!

[LEP]

I was shocked when I read a year ago that real estate commissions were such a large segment of the canadian economy. Something like 2% of gdp. It is bizarre to me it is that big.

[seldomseen]

I just don't see the need but every town has lots of them. If I ever need to sell I am sure I can do it on my own. There is local papers and kijiji and friends and neighbors.

[farmaholic]

Do they add any value to the deal over and above the commissions/fees?

Is their facilitation of the deal worth it?

Do fees cap out or are they on a declining percentage schedule as the deal gets bigger on the massive sales?

[MBgrower]

I just don't see the need but every town has lots of them. If I ever need to sell I am sure I can do it on my own. There is local papers and kijiji and friends and neighbors.

a lot of land in mb done by tender.

[farmaholic]

a lot of land in mb done by tender.

....easy, "highest or any tender not necessarily accepted".

[seldomseen]

Just use a simple add in a local paper Taking offers on ( Land location ) Highest bid or any offer not necessarily accepted. Then you look at the offers and decide what to do.

All the interested parties would see the add.
If I was selling land I would list it in March or April.

[ajl]

I was shocked when I read a year ago that real estate commissions were such a large segment of the canadian economy. Something like 2% of gdp. It is bizarre to me it is that big.

Real estate speculation is how the majority of Canadians got rich. That and some government scam like green energy. This is because Canada is professional when it comes to printing money. Little of actual value is produced in this country, it is one big speculative house of cards and so long as the B of C prints, it works. Hard work and innovation is for suckers. It will be a shock to many of us, myself included if we ever wake up and find ourselves in a real free market economy. That day is coming.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Thinking back to all of our Real Estate transactions, and we have had quite a few more without realtors than with. Never had any issues.

That said we bought a quarter this spring, and the realtor really earned his keep on this one. I started out with a low ball offer and a long list of conditions. The seller withheld some vital information, and wasn't able to sell it without a lot of creative financing, last resort desperation mortgages, changing title etc. Closing date was extended countless times, many revisions to the contract. The other parties lawyer went on holidays and refused to let anyone else handle it. 4 months later we finally took possession, with some issues still outstanding. Which was great from our point of view, since part of the conditions of the offer to purchase included full access to do anything on the property upon acceptance of offer, but didn't have to make payments for 4 months. Realtor said that was by far the most drawn out sale he's ever been part of of heard of.

Sales people of any type could be eliminated, and society would function just fine. Especially in the information age, the consumer can make an informed decision without the input of a salesperson.

[grassfarmer]

Putting an ad in your local paper is very much limiting the exposure your property may get. Fine if your neighbour wants to buy your land but you may miss out on the the European, or out of province buyer that would pay above market price for it. I've used realtors to buy and sell and feel I have got very good value for money in all the transactions. It's important to find a good one though especially on farm property .....many of the people getting into it as a sideline money maker probably wouldn't have been very effective for me.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Putting an ad in your local paper is very much limiting the exposure your property may get. Fine if your neighbour wants to buy your land but you may miss out on the the European, or out of province buyer.

Perhaps your presence on this forum could be motivating sellers not to pursue those markets? Maybe they don't want a nosy new neighbor who will be posting pictures and descriptions of their practices, while campaigning to increase their taxes and regulations? Our european neighbors have been excellent neighbors, although their farming careers have been shorter than intended.