There are several things I consider maddening when it comes to real estate transactions. Have you experienced any of these real estate pet peeves of mine?

^[2]From a real estate seller’s perspective:

• Real estate agents who charge an arm and a leg to sell your home.
• Agents who parade people through your home unannounced.
• Having to keep your home spotlessly clean 24-7.
• Agents who won’t return your phone calls.
• Being constantly told, “We need to lower the price.”
• Everyone has their hand out.

From a real estate buyer’s perspective:

• Not being trusted with that blasted MLS book … unless it’s 2 months old.
• Constantly reminding the real estate agent that your price range is 40% less than what she’s showing you.
• Realizing there’s a reason the real estate broker wants you to only use their home inspector.
• Finding your home on your own but having to use an agent anyway.
• No one will return your phone call after you’ve viewed 10 homes that weren’t a match.
• Everyone has their hand out.

Yes, buying AND selling real estate can be a pain in the neck but when you do find a great agent, things go so much more smoothly. When we bought our current home, our agent had shown us 40 different houses and she was beginning to tire … it was written all over her face! She even had her assistant show a few houses to me but in the end, we found a home without her. She said it was the first home she had sold that she had never darkened its doors.

I recently ran across a company called Zip Realty ^[3] that only operates in select markets in a few states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington). They seem to be on top of the frustrations that I and many other sellers and buyers experience when we begin looking for a real estate agent.

As a real estate buyer with Zip Realty ^[3], you get:

• Search and access to over 1.3 million listings updated throughout the day
• See up to 10,000 photos of homes
• The ability to search for New Construction, Fixer Uppers, Priced Reductions and Foreclosures
• Save the homes in a personalized “Favorites” list for viewing later
• Get email updates on the listings that you are interested in

As a real estate seller listed with Zip Realty ^[3], you get:

• Your house listed on the MLS with multiple photos
• Your home posted on top real estate websites such as Google, Realtor.com ^[4], and Craigslist
• Professional color flyers showcasing your home
• Open house advertised in local papers and hosted by your agent
• A 360-degree virtual tour and web page on Zip Realty.com ^[3]
• Featured posting and marketing on Zip Realty’s ^[3] website, with information such as:
  • Page views for your listing
  • How many buyers have added your listing to their Favorites list
  • How many buyers have scheduled a visit
  • Popularity of your property against similar listings
• Access your Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)
• Save up to 25% when you sell a house

Right now Zip Realty ^[3] isn’t in my city, but I’m relatively certain that if I were moving to one that had a Zip Realty broker, I’d definitely be using them to help me find a home.The idea of saving up to 25% in commissions is very appealing. Plus, Zip Realty ^[3] offers a satisfaction guarantee.

Check them out and if you wind up using them, come back and let me know how things went.

About the author

Ron has written 1082 articles on The Wisdom Journal.

The founder and editor of The Wisdom Journal ^[5] in 2007, Ron has worked in banking, distribution, retail, and upper management for companies ranging in size from small startups to multi-billion dollar corporations. He graduated Suma Cum Laude from a top MBA program and currently is a partner in a national building materials company.

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