When we bought our California place last year, the real estate person we used for the transaction was the friend of a relative who came highly recommended. She worked for the largest agency in town. In addition, she was their top-producer, with the preferred parking spot to prove it. Since we were getting new construction direct from the builder, there weren’t a lot of potential issues that sometimes come with buying an older place. Nothing wrong with the (brand new) continuous flow water heater, or the (brand new) gas range, or the (brand new) whisper-close drawers and cabinets. What could go wrong, right?
I had come across this place on my own by walking the streets near where I worked. Into the model I went, and almost immediately, I was hooked. Later, when the agent took me around in her late-model leather-interior SUV to look at places on her list, she saved this one for last, figuring it was right up my alley – the coup-de-grace. And she was right, it was. After the financing worked itself out, we closed. That was about a year ago.
Not long after move in, I got an online survey from the real estate agency. It asked me to rate my experience with the agent. The whole process had taken no more than a couple of weeks. During this time, even if she had worked exclusively for me (she didn’t) and put in 16 hours a day, 7 days a week (I doubt it), her commission when pro-rated hourly amounted to more than I make – by a lot. I figured, satisfied or not, she already had her reward. Hey, that African-safari vacation? I paid for part of that! Ditto her Apple watch or Fitbit or whatever. So I was not inclined to spend too much time writing reviews or giving out stars. Does this make me a bad person? Go ahead. Sue me. See if I care.
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A recent NY Times story by Joanne Chen of Wirecutter is titled “Stranger’s 5-Star Review.” It outlines some of the many factors involved in today’s ubiquitous landscape of reviews for products and services. For whatever it’s worth, I give it 5 Stars.