What’s the idiom or saying that works best with today’s post?

“Desperate times call for desperate measures?”

Maybe.

Or perhaps, “Think outside the box” is more apt.

It depends on whether you want to reward certain behaviour, or whether you want to critique it.

The market has changed and along with that change comes both the good and the bad.

In previous market declines, the part-time, fly-by night agents seem to fade away.  It always starts with that innocent bartending gig on weekends that’s just for “extra cash,” but ultimately the real estate career takes a back seat, and eventually, these folks find their way out of the business.

Then again, in changing markets come opportunists, and I’m seeing a lot of that right now.

Here’s an ad I saw on Instagram the other day:

While you and I see this and think it’s too good to be true, and know it comes with fine print, asterisks, or just downright lies, there are bound to be people who are in a tough spot and end up filling out this form.

“We Can Buy You Home”

Call a spade a spade here; these are not English Literature majors.

“Tell Us The Price You Want”

This feels so dirty, I don’t know how anybody can take this seriously.

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So that was on Instagram, but what about other mediums?

Newspaper, admail………..billboards?

Here’s one that a couple of people sent me, and I simply can’t believe this:

Alright, where do we start?

First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this.

“Thinking About Firing Your Agent?”

Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.  What’s the message you’re sending?

But more importantly, the irony of the statement below is not lost on me:

“Not Intended To Solicit Buyers Or Sellers Currently Under Contract.”

But it is!  It’s doing exactly that!

“Fire your agent, hire me.”  That’s the message being sent in this billboard, and it clearly contradicts the RECO rules about soliciting buyers and sellers under contract.  Just because you write, “Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers under contract” doesn’t negate the fact that it is intending to solicit buyers or sellers under contract.

It’s like advertising “Free Alcohol” and then right underneath, noting “Not Free.”

I don’t recall seeing such an incredible contradiction in a marketing piece before, be it real estate or other.

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This next one is an ad in British Columbia, so it doesn’t fall under RECO, and thus I don’t need to blur out the names and contact info.

Have a look.

And if you don’t see it, then look again.  Many people miss it the first time.

Yikes!

I mean, the market is tough out there, but to execute somebody?  That’s aggressive!

They should have started with prosecute first, then maybe move to execution.

When I first saw this, I just assumed it was an ad from somewhere in the United States where an execution would be one of many unspectacular shootings on that particular day, but alas, it’s from B.C.!

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How about we talk about attention to detail, for a moment?

Here’s a message I received on Instagram:

I don’t know that it gets any worse than that.

So, what do you think I did?

Answer by writing back, “270 Briar Hill Avenue?”

Nope.

I sent a screen-shot of that image above but with a superimposed red arrow pointing to the address.

Because I’m like that…

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…here’s another one:

I mean, is it just me?

How in the world can an agent like this wake up, dress him or herself, and get on with their day?

I don’t understand.

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We run across lockbox issues in this industry all the time.

In some buildings, lockboxes are hard to identify, so putting a red ribbon on the handle is a good way to differentiate them.

However, in a worldwide pandemic, this is the last thing somebody wants to see on a lockbox:

What is with people?

Seriously.  Where’s the common sense?

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Speaking of common sense, how about common courtesy?

How about common decency?

My colleague sent me a text message from a buyer agent, who didn’t know how to read an inspection – but that’s another story.  She was representing an estate, whereby the owner had passed away and the property went through probate, and then was listed for sale.

When the buyer agent read the fine print in the inspection, which always reads there “could” be things not detected during the inspection, he told my colleague that there was lead and mold in the house.

She responded with the following, which solicited an unbelievable response from him:

I don’t know what to say.

But this is what’s out there in today’s real estate industry, folks.

These aren’t two friends telling jokes over drinks.  This is a listing agent, representing an estate, and a buyer agent, representing a buyer, neither of whom know each other.

And THIS was the message that the agent thought to send?

People are crazy.  That’s my conclusion.

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People are crazy.

Wait, did I already say that?

Read this comment below, which recently appeared in a neighbourhood Facebook group for a well-known residential area:

You can’t make this up, folks.  You just can’t.

People are crazy.

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People.

Ugh.

They’re the worst.

So, last but certainly not least, I give you my absolute favourite ‘musing’ of 2022 thus far.

My favourite?  Yes, seriously.  This is the best.  You simply cannot make this up, and it doesn’t get any better.

The Toronto Real Estate Board will issue “member alerts” from time to time, if there’s a fraudster making lease offers, or a person harassing women at open houses, etc.  But the following “member alert” is so incredibly embarassing that this is a low-point for TRREB.

I can’t explain what you’re about to read…

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My favourite part: “Ignoring his gut instinct…”

This is written like a bad John Grisham novel!

How would TRREB ascertain this person’s “gut instinct?”

And why do we need a member alert because one agent in Toronto is a moron?

“…the two got caught up in the moment.”

Really????

You can’t make this up!  This is gold, Jerry, gold!

This might be my favourite musing of all-time, seriously.  I’m going to print it and frame it.

Have a great long weekend, everybody!