Special offer

Spam prevention
Rainmaker
608,881
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Personal experiences are always helful but not always neccessary. If you sold your home through an agent rather than FSBO chances are the agent took care of everything for you. How would that qualify you to sell someone elses home?

To expand on what Gabe said just because I may have had surgery doesn't mean I'm qualified to perform surgery on a member of the general public.

Jun 20, 2015 03:06 AM
Rainmaker
2,817,671
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

I'm not a realtor, but I have to say this is a ridiculous question.  The key is to understand the market, the client, the process, the players, etc.

I used to work at P&G, one of the top marketing companies.  Do you think that men shouldn't be allowed to work on the Tampax brand, or would it be fair for people who still have their teeth to work on denture products? Would it be fair to ban people who aren't parents to work on the Pampers or Luvs brand?  For a while, they had Iams so maybe those wo/ pets would be unqualified.  I could go on and on.

BTW, sometimes, the best managers and marketers are those that can detach themselves and really seek to fully understand their target customers...regardless of whether they use or have tried the product.  Same goes for houses.  It's all the same stuff...listen, observe, solve, communicate.

Jun 20, 2015 02:02 AM
Rainmaker
7,835,323
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Buying a home does not qualify you as a real estate agent.

Jun 20, 2015 01:48 AM
Ambassador
1,452,669
Susan Emo
Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON
Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

I'm going to ask the local funeral director that question!!

Jun 20, 2015 02:48 AM
Rainmaker
4,800,082
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

By the same reasoning, doctors should not be doing surgery unless they've had surgery performed on them; lawyers should not engage in a lawsuit unless they've been sued, etc.

It is the training and education that makes a Realtor qualified to assist in the sale and purchase of property and not their personal habits.

Jun 20, 2015 02:06 AM
Rainmaker
5,104,931
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

That's a very interesting question. I suppose training and experience at some point might overtake the lack of personal experience. But the personal experience does sure bring credibility to the table.

Jun 20, 2015 12:48 AM
Rainmaker
1,683,912
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

If I was a heart surgeon and never had a heart surgery, what makes me think I can perform heart surgery?  I would call it Education and experience!

Jun 20, 2015 02:04 PM
Rainmaker
212,755
Stefan Winter
Real Estate in IL & NV | Owner of Real Estate Web Tech | Daily Vlogger - Las Vegas, NV
Owner - Winter Group & Real Estate Web Tech

Education, and just being professional. Buying and selling Real Estate is completely different once you are an agent to when you are the buyer/seller is you ask me.

Gabe Sanders - Love those comparisons.

Jun 20, 2015 03:05 AM
Rainmaker
657,208
Martin E. Kalisker, Esq.
Natick, MA
Real Estate Law From A Practical Perspective

i often hear this stated the other way - "how was I supposed to know...I've never rented an apartment (or bought a condo) before." While the COE doesn't require that you have actual sales experience, it does require that you have the requisite competence. If you don't know about the intricacies of a particular transaction because you haven't "lived" through a transaction - you might want to team up with someone who has!

Jun 20, 2015 12:55 AM
Rainmaker
4,882,355
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

I would bet most surgeons have never been operated on but they still know what they are doing.

Jun 20, 2015 10:13 PM
Rainmaker
4,571,917
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

I don't think that's a fair question.

If I haven't given birth to a child -- should that eliminate me as an obstetrician?   

 

 

Jun 20, 2015 02:41 PM
Rainmaker
2,443,250
Evelyn Johnston
Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN
The People You Know, Like and Trust!

Taking a Real Estate Course, passing it and then passing the State Test.

Jun 20, 2015 01:59 PM
Ambassador
6,392,929
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I believe that that license from the state qualifies most agents to try to sell, though most should get a whole lot more training before they think they are ready.

Jun 20, 2015 12:06 PM
Rainmaker
3,988,007
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

I just sold a house to a set of buyers that had bought and sold 2 previous homes. They seemed to know nothing about the process so just because you have be in the market personally doesn't mean you are gaining experience or know what you are doing.

Jun 20, 2015 11:08 AM
Rainmaker
699,277
Chris and Dick Dovorany
Homes for Sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida - Naples, FL
Broker/Associate at Premiere Plus Realty

The license that your state gives you after you qualify.  Can't that same question be posed for almost any profession?  Can a non drinker be a bartender?  Can I vegan work for a steak house?

Jun 20, 2015 07:10 AM
Rainmaker
634,482
Kathleen Luiten
Resort and Second-Home Specialist - Princeville, HI
Kauai Luxury Ocean Home Sales

Knowledge, training, experience, professionalism, the same things that make any good business person qualified in their field. Selling or purchasing a home for yourself gives you a personal perspective but certainly doesn't qualify you as a professional. 

Jun 20, 2015 06:29 AM
Rainmaker
1,435,300
Yolanda Cordova-Gilbert
Richmond, TX

You know I think it depends, I agree the training and education help but id you have personal experience that helps, I do remember refusing to buy a home from a 20 something who lived in an apartment and was chomping on her bubble gum, what did she know about selling 500-1M dollars home...I can tell you she had no clue!

Jun 20, 2015 03:45 AM
Rainmaker
58,349
Jennifer Provencio
San Diego County and Central Valley - Oceanside, CA
The Reverse Mortgage Speciailist

I would think personal experience is very helpful. However, I think that with training (hands-on and otherwise) a person could be a competent realtor.

Jun 20, 2015 01:39 AM
Rainmaker
1,543,586
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

I think it's easier to trust a Realtor that does or has owned property and it certainly can help the Realtor be more relational than transactional. It's a tough question for me to get on the other side of because I had rented and purchased prior to getting licensed. But, I do believe experience elsewhere, training, competence & character trump owning a home as a pre-requisite. And maybe that Realtor will be a future buyer, but their skill set doesn't come wholly from owning a home...as we all know. It just gives them an advantage (another arrow in a quiver that should be full) and makes it easier to relate to what the buyers and sellers are going through.

Jun 20, 2015 01:11 AM