Stuck in the middle: Realtor blues

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Good morning, Dennis Dixon.

The Los Angeles Times today explores the current plight of Realtors -- stuck in the middle between picky buyers and unrealistic sellers, and fed up with both breeds:

‘ATTENTION, you picky buyers who think you have all the time in the world to house hunt before you ink an offer. (And this goes double for those of you who think that a listing price is just some silly number pulled from the air and that you can offer 30% less.) Listen up: Agents are mad as hell and aren’t going to take you anymore.’

Story says realty agents (we sometimes say ‘Realtors,’ knowing full well that only some agents are Realtors) are looking for flexible sellers and real buyers, and brushing off the rest. One guru is quoted as saying agents should skip repping buyers entirely, and spend their time looking for motivated sellers. Another agent, Valerie Van De Zilver, advises straight talk to unrealistic sellers: ‘Sometimes, I have to tell a client that he just isn’t going to be able to meet his price goal in this market and that maybe he should think about holding off on his plans to sell.’

Our take: That sounds like a nice enough brush-off, but we wonder if it is helpful. We’ve talked with agents who see it another way entirely: ‘The longer you sit on a price that’s too high, the weaker the market will get, the lower your eventual selling price will be. Prices are falling; the smart time to sell is now, not later. Being stubborn -- or unrealistic -- will cost you money.’

Your thoughts? Comments? Insights? E-mail story tips to lalandblog@yahoo.com.