Real Estate Agents Are Bailing Out of the Market

[hausdok]

This Christian Science Monitor article run on MSN Real Estate kind of sums up the situation with real estate agents across the U.S.. Inspectors who've built their businesses solely around referrals from the real estate sector have got to be feeling the pinch of this by now.

To read more, click here.

[dbyers]

No matter who your referral sources are, homes sales have/are declining, and the number of referrals from these sources decline. The article points out what markets tend to face when in decline, attrition. Those without experience and whatever it takes to survive may leave. This usually strengthens the industry in the end.

[John Dirks Jr]

My goal as a newbie is to spend as little a possible to just exist. I'm hoping to be positioned to shift into gear when the market picks up.

It has been a slight let down to have no work after being excited about starting a new business. [:-weepn]

[Eric B]

John,

You can blame your let down on the false promises and short sightedness of others. I think that if you talk with any long time inspector you'll be told that there are many considerations to be made before getting into our business. But the training schools don't mention most of these.

As you know, many inspectors saw training as a way to supplement their income. But the over-hype has mislead new inspectors as well as flooded our field with too many people. To a large extent, we have shot ourselves in our own foot.

[ozofprev]

Eric nailed it!

Dave is right as well but once things pick back up, the HI schools will push it all over again.

[sepefrio]

I actually disagree with some comments slightly. I think this is a GREAT time to get into the business if your prepared. I agree 100% on the HI schools, but any decent HI should be able to figure that out by themselves after completing the course. But as for the market, yes it is tougher now than before, which makes winning even more satisfying. HI's and agents alike are bailing left and right and when all is said and done, those left standing will be stronger for it. If you get referrals from an agent (without selling out) that can survive it, odds are you will too. Especially as a new HI, it can't get any worse than it is now, which means it can only get better. I mean heck, a new HI starts by doing 0 inspections a week until the marketing starts to work. Even then, even you old time studs admit, hoping for 50-100 inspections in the first year is a lot. I think it would be worse for those with 2-5 years average as they have settled into a routine and are now seeing their inspection numbers decrease and that is hard to handle.

Do your job, and do it right, and do it right all the time and the rest will fall into place.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by Eric B

John,

You can blame your let down on the false promises and short sightedness of others. I think that if you talk with any long time inspector you'll be told that there are many considerations to be made before getting into our business. But the training schools don't mention most of these.

As you know, many inspectors saw training as a way to supplement their income. But the over-hype has mislead new inspectors as well as flooded our field with too many people. To a large extent, we have shot ourselves in our own foot.

Hi Eric,

Actually, if I'm remembering this correctly, John came here and received some pretty straightforward warnings about how this was probably not the best time to be diving into the home inspection field and not to believe everything he heard at the schools.

Am I right about that, John, or am I misremembering that.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[sepefrio]

arrow meet bullseye!!

This site has probably saved me thousands of dollars already. From advice and tips and how too. Between the mistakes I can now avoid, the aspirin I won't have to buy and the lawsuits I probably avoided, yup.

[John Dirks Jr]

Mike is correct. There were some that gave fair warning. However, from this same location there were also others who made contact, and not always publicly, to give encouragement.

The positive influence won over and I trudged forward. To this day I trudge on. I'm not complaining, just facing reality. Even those who gave positive push mentioned that it wouldn't be easy.

I do not believe I was mis-led by anyone. I just entered at a challenging time. Don't worry, I havn't quit my day job so to speak.