A new low for Brokers?

That's just bizarre. Can you share more of the message? I'm curious how the broker tried to sell the idea of writing her into a deal for no reason.

This is what they sent (taking details out)
Here is an Open House Schedule for this Sunday, 3/29 for properties similar to (blank):
List of apts (all of which I have already seen on SE)
Followed by:
Please provide me with any feedback you have and please sign in my name or "other agent's name" on the sign-in sheets as your “broker/agent.”
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Agent Blank

If it's a simple matter of fact that you got that email, why don't you just name the broker and firm?

They all do that so not so bizarre - that's all every broker I've dealt with does. Maybe not unsolicited, but it's certainly the extent of their efforts on the buy side. I'm not sure what the purpose is do they get credit/cash for how many of their 'clients' go to open houses. So far i find them veritably useless in nyc as i've yet to see any value add.

Alanhart - no need to name names
nyc - I agree. As a buyer, I only see brokers as an obstacle for getting a good deal done at a right price!!

ncy10025: A broker who sends that sort of e-mail is counting on you not understanding the significance of writing her name on the sign-in sheet. Once you do so, she effectively owns you with regard to that property. If you buy it, her firm will probably claim half the commission; and in all likelihood, because of the strange etiquette of the business, the listing firm will pay the split.

agreed on not naming names -- i'm waiting for the first slander suit from this site (and surprised SE doesnt bar it anyway), because of the wild slurs people put on here sometimes

I think it's only slander when it's specious or somehow false or unproven. If you have the e-mail, you have an electronic record of what was sent to you. You have every right to repost what was sent (spammed) to you verbatim. If they accuse you of slander, you have sufficient proof that this was sent to you in an unsolicited manner.

Please post this for all the world to see! That should be sufficient deterrant to keep others from trying to pull this kind of corrupted scheme.

how can it be a slur to copy an email in its entirety and post it here or anywhere else? quite different from saying so and so (agentrachel) is a piece of lying scum.

@columbiacounty: LMAO!

"how can it be a slur to copy an email in its entirety and post it here or anywhere else? quite different from saying so and so (agentrachel) is a piece of lying scum."

Hahaha....BTW, columbiacounty - it's also only libelous if the statement is untrue (which it's not);)

This happens all the time - why are you so shocked? I called one a few years ago (Haltsead btw) about a listing that absolutely did not exist and was simply a lead generator ... we spoke for 5 minutes whereby she (it was a she - working for a male broker who had the original bullshit listing) proceeded to pitch me 3 apartments all of which I had ALREADY seen (and rejected). She had seen none of them and kept pushing the virtues of these places that she had zero knowledge of (my fav was "this is the best priced 1,300 square foot place in the village" despite my correcting her that I had been there/measured the floor plan and it was LUCKY to be 1,100.) Then she said, "put my name down at any open house you attend, otherwise I won't get credit for the sale". I wanted to die laughing - why would she deserve credit for any sale? She had spoken to me for 5 minutes about a bullshit listing, then demonstrated zero professionalism by literally pushing apartments with which she was completely unfamiliar and she somehow thought she deserved credit for a sale.

That didn't shock me then ... nothing would shock me now.

Lazy fucks. They do that to get the commission without having to get their lazy asses over there. I' send her an email back saying that you're notifying the New York State Attorney Geeral's Office.

Its slander only if you knew it was false and intentionally smeared him/her.

This is probably worth negotiating over. For a broker you don't really know (and if you don't have an eventual broker in mind), one might as well say, "sure I'll put your name down for 1/2 of the 1/2 of the commissions you're angling for".

2/3rds of your half and you have a deal

Further, if you have some eventual brokers in mind and are doing a lot of work yourself, like with SE, why not pay yourself by starting a bidding war amongst these eventual brokers?

I have a buyer's broker who showed me a bunch of places. I decided to make an offer through her on a place listed by another RE company. She put one bid in that we had agreed upon. The seller's agent came back with a counteroffer. She then raised my bid without consulting me or with my permission. This was not cool with me. If I now want to deal directly with the seller's agent, do I have an out, or do I have keep dealing with my buyer's broker because she showed me the place first?

you can fire your broker at any point. Tell the selling broker (in writting ) that you are no longer working with her and negotiate the property on your own.

Would a restaurant review site be at risk for "slander" for posting negative reviews? If I could remember the name, I would happily name the Halstead duo that I referenced above. But it was a few years ago and I can't.

Don't be afraid of honesty (and that means naming names) ... that is exactly what the media (which includes new media) is for.

And ditto - if you work with a broker who exhibits genuine professionalism and assists you in your home search - you should name that person as well.

Don't let the uninformed and unintelligent dictate what appears in the free press.

let me begin--agent rachel is a useless, uninformed liar

"If I now want to deal directly with the seller's agent, do I have an out, or do I have keep dealing with my buyer's broker because she showed me the place first?"

It sounds like she was negotiating on your behalf, got the other side to agree to a compromise between your number and theirs, and now wants to know if the compromise is cool with you. This is pretty normal. It's not like you gave her power of attorney and she entered a contract on your behalf for more than you authorized her to agree to.

BUT if you really want to ditch her, yes make it clear to the seller that you're no longer using her. When I first started looking in early 2008, a sales agent told me that once I signed in with an agent, that agent would get the commission from any sale I got in the building no matter what. But that's just industry practice, not law. Nowadays, sellers are so desperate, they'll go along with whatever you want to make the sale.

"ncy10025: A broker who sends that sort of e-mail is counting on you not understanding the significance of writing her name on the sign-in sheet. Once you do so, she effectively owns you with regard to that property. If you buy it, her firm will probably claim half the commission; and in all likelihood, because of the strange etiquette of the business, the listing firm will pay the split."

Not true: and also why I don't allow brokers to "register" their buyer's names with me when making an appointment: a buyer can, at any time during the transaction, choose to be represented by any broker who he so chooses. A lot of broker don't know/understand this, but with out a signed "buyer's broker" contract, the buyer can choose who they want to when they want to.

And it's mostly BS from the brokers wanting to "register" their buyers "just in case" they happen to show up at your open house that weekend. I remember a few year ago I had a listing on Riverside Drive where 3 different brokers all called and tried to "register" the same buyers: and they had already seen it and were biding on it hru a fourth broker.

Unless you do not live in the city you are hoping to buy in, and need someone to scout out listings when you are 3000 miles away, I don't believe ANYONE should EVER use a buyer's broker. Period. Buyer's need to be informed about the process and learn the ins and outs themselves (negotiating techniques, board packages, legal stipulations on specific property types, etc...) Buyer's have to be as versed in the nuts and bolts of the process as any professional they hire. Especially these days, with forums such as this one, information is readily available and the "expertise" a buyer's broker offers (when they have any ability at all) is almost unnecessary. A good lawyer should be the last line of defense. Buyer's brokers, in my opinion, only clog up the process and potentially even mislead their clients. Keeping everyone "on the sell side," (except your lawyer, of course) keeps the perspective clear and leaves more negotiating room for the buyer.

I've been looking to buy my first home for two years, I've done all the homework and thanks to streeteasy I know just about everything that's on the market in my price range. (all the interesting listings I've viewed at least once). I've done a lot of research and feel I know what I'm doing. I also have a trustworthy real estate attorney.

Now I'm seriously considering to make an offer (need to decide for one out of two) for listings I found myself and almost every broker I met (or sent an e-mail) keeps stalking me offering their precious advice.

I have never heard anything I didn't know already, from a broker. I have heard many things I knew were not true.
I actually got the impression that many brokers know less than a well informed potential buyer.

I've got all this : "List me as your broker everywhere you go, at every open house you attend. That's important. I will protect you. They won't take you seriously without representation. I can guide you through. It doesn't cost you anything" - stuff. I got warnings that I would be lost without a buyer's broker. I always politely replied that I was confident I could handle it myself.

Now that I'm about to make an offer for a condo it got out of control. Everybody wants to be my buyers broker.
(All cash, Condo I found myself, so there really wouldn't be much "work" for the buyers broker. No board package, no showings, no mortgage delay..)

A few days ago I met a broker who seemed really nice and decent. I didn't like the apartment he showed me, but told him about my plans to make an offer.
He managed to convince me that he could be a good buyers broker. (promising a lot of stuff like finding out about negotiability which would help me with my offer.) We had a nice conversation and met the next day to view an apartment in a building I'd told him I like and know very well. Surprise! My potential buyers broker changed his attitude. First of all he kept pressuring me to decide immediately and make an offer for the apartment I had told him about. (and suggesting that this offer better be good - he suggested close to asking - and that I made up my mind fast. Then he kept pressuring me to make an offer on the unit he showed me. (Do you like it? You like it? So make an offer! Tell me how much you would pay!)
He then suggested to make an offer about 30% above what comparable units sold. (broker : Yes, but years ago!) I told him that the last closing was only two weeks ago. (broker: It's different now, it's a sellers market now, you've missed the bottom!) When I asked him about his research regarding negotiability for my favorite so far (like he had promised earlier) he told me that there was no way to find out unless I made an offer, so why I didn't tell him right away to make an offer? (Which I'm actually capable to do by myself.) I asked him 2, 3 more questions and he either told me that there was no way to find out (i.e. final selling price for closed sale that did not show up on Acris yet), or he ignored my question. Then I got some more pressure to make up my mind fast and tell him to make an offer.

So that's the broker I found the nicest and most helpful on day one (my very best broker experience so far) and that's how he turned out to be on day 2. When I returned home after this bizarre experience and checked my e-mails I had two more requests from brokers to represent me. (Both had e-mailed me if I was still searching and my reply was that I would see a few more apartments, but that I was about to make an offer on a condo) One of many requests:
"If you are representing yourself, may I suggest that I assist? I have jumped into a negotiation for a buyer before. I will be able to do a market analysis and find out what the apartments you are interested are worth..."

I have decided to return to my previous plan and proceed without a buyer's broker. I couldn't agree more with mlondoner and everybody above who suggested to avoid dealing with buyer's brokers. The easiest way to get rid of them is to tell them you've already got one, so they can save their speech.

But why not find a buyers broker who will simply let you "run the show" and the broker can be a supporting character? Work as a team to get the best possible results. Then at closing your broker can rebate you approx. 67% of the commission they receive.This represents a known quantity, rather than expecting a discount for going in unrepresented.

Find the right broker who can offer you a menu of services, from flat rate fee's or rebates to meet your particular requirements. Telling "most" brokers that you are about to make an offer(unrepresented) is like throwing chum into a school of barracuda, rational behavior will not prevail.

KeithB, Supporting in what way? So far brokers have wasted my time and I wouldn't use a buyer's broker if he payed me for it.
It's bad enough that I have to deal with the seller's broker. I have heard the usual NYC broker speech so many times that I just wish had a remote to mute them. If they would just give the potential buyers some space, let them look at the place, let them ask, instead of throwing the usual phrases (and exaggerations and lies) at them they've heard and read a thousand times already.
The percentage of decent people among them can't be high. I've met so many and didn't find an exception (that lasted more than one day, see above..) To find a decent broker would certainly take much longer than to find the apartment itself.

I should have disclosed to you I am a broker, many here know my handle. Well best of luck, you certainly don't have to have a broker to purchase.

If you are an informed buyer, there is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO HAVE A BROKER. Let's make an all-out attempt to get rid of them forever by agreeing to never use them again. Deal?

153 - while I feel for you for what the brokers put you through, I have to say I love the war stories. Keep 'em coming!

Broker behavior is a never-ending source of amusement and amazement. That they think buyers are so stupid is really a measure of how stupid the brokers themselves are. I agree that in almost all cases we aren't talking about high caliber individuals here, either in terms of intellectual capacity or ethics. Note that KeithB and 30yrs are rare and notable exceptions to this rule.

153...."So far brokers have wasted my time and I wouldn't use a buyer's broker if he payed me for it".

HE DOES PAY YOU!!!I don't think you understood Keith's comment. Keith is a full service licensed broker who lets the buyer pick and choose the services you want. No wasted time, No interference, Only participates in the areas you choose. Plus he rebates you 1-2% of the purchase price. This will be $35-$40,000 in my case.

why wouldn't you use a broker who will rebate 67% of buy side commission? if you like use them in name only. consider west 81.

NYCDreamer, I understood his comment perfectly well. What I meant to say was : not even when he pays me. (and I stick to that)

@153 Once a long time ago I found loft on Greene Street that my client wanted to rent, interesting kind of socially awkward internet whizkid type who had just sold a tech company for a a kings ransom . And up to this point said very little. I liked him very much, even more after his comment regarding paying a fee after being told what it was;

"I would rather stick needles in my eyes than pay you that amount of money for renting me an apartment".

So,

"Not even if he pays me". I respect that. lol.

KeithB, thanks, I like your humor and your attitude.
I actually never had the opportunity to decline a proposal like that (buyer's broker offering to share commission). The best offer I got was: It won't cost you anything..

Why not just "No, thanks"? Just as with any rep trying to sell or give you something you don't want?

If I were buying again my problem would be deciding who to throw the 3% (or whatever they end up with) to. There're brokers I'm friendly with in real life, plus those I know and like from here. I don't know any who're just coasting along, what with having to act as broker, lawyer, educator, forensic accountant, go-fer, purveyor of common sense, etc., all rolled into one.

NWT, I've tried "no thanks" . But then you get the propaganda speech...

Nwt is right - cry eye - man or woman up.