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Jim - While this is a humorous list, there's far too much truth in it.

HA.  Thanks for the chuckle.  I've experienced a few of the items in the list.  I was with Mt. Vernon when Weichert took it over in the middle of the night.  Talk about experience.

Ouch, Jim!  LOL  Like John said, it would be funnier if it weren't so true!

Ha!  That was a good list for a chuckle, but also hitting a little too close to home!  But it's either cry about it or laugh about it!  I especially like the "running out of reduction signs" one...

Ha Ha I especially like the 2 year listing.  I have never had to take one.

Jim,

A few of those signs I have are getting pretty faded!

You forget to put lockboxes on your listings and nobody notices?

Jim,

Maybe the GOLD star will help...do they have an exchange rate...LOL!

Jim - I love the humorous spin you've put on this list.  I find myself doing more of #3 lately....Carry price reduction forms in your car for your listings has become a normal part of your routine.

You can always fall back on writing the top 10 lists for David Letterman if your real estate gig falls apart!!!

Fun post...Good one Lane!

I did LOL on 14 and 15. I have a guy trying to set me up on a meeting this week for "the latest-greatest" sales products. I told him I wasn't interested. It never ends.

Um, so does that mean I should cancel my broker's tupperwear party? I really need new tupperwear :)

These made me laugh so hard! Thanks for the laugh Jim! :)

Hi Jim -- a humorous take and good we can still laugh.  I think Price Reductions have become a normal part of listing presentations!

Sue of Robin and Sue

Jim,

See it as a game.....who will be last Realtor standing?

......thank you for playing our game.....

Jim, should I laugh or cry?

One more for the list:

You have time to make lists of nonsense instead of selling homes. (tee-hee-hee)

Very funny. Sadly, some of these things are true across the country. So glad that's not happening in my office!

Those are pretty funny.  I'm glad we are not to that point yet in Arkansas.  But your state of Georgia may be worse.

Oh no I am 15 out of 20 of what should be funny Jim!

John Mulkey, Housing Guru (TheHousingGuru.com)  These are all based on stories I've heard agents share.  These are not made up!

Jim, those are all great, but too many of them are unfortunately true. You have been observing quite well what is going on currently!!

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate  Lenn I was thinking of that as I wrote this.  It is funny how in this market there have been a lot of small brokerages that have failed, and so far no major ones.  In Atlanta, Jenny Pruitt Realtors was consolidated into Harry Norman Realtors.  Both companies are owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Lina Robertson, ozarks-realestate.com, Springfield MO Real Estate For Sale (RE/MAX Solutions)  It seems to be happening more and more.  Busy work - doing work for nothing is the quickest way out of real estate.

Emily Lowe - Nashville TN Realtor (The Lipman Group Sotheby's International Realty)  All you have to do is go to the local Realtor Store and see what they are selling.  "New Listing" signs have been replaced on "New Price" and "Reduced!"

Tim Lorenz (TIM LORENZ of Keller Williams Realty)  I have 2 listings approaching the 9 month mark.  I have never had that!

Lori Cofer ~ REALTOR® -- Pullman WA Real Estate -- 509-330-0086 (Beasley Realty)  In 1992, I speacialized in expired listings.  The signs were faded a lot.  Many listings were on the market 2 and a half years!

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty)  Lane I like that.  Too true!

Lori Cofer ~ REALTOR® -- Pullman WA Real Estate -- 509-330-0086 (Beasley Realty)  LOL!

Amy Law (Alliance Properties)  I'd like that one!

O.K., Jim. Things aren't as bad as I thought! LOL.

Donna Bigda, REALTOR®, CDPE, e-PRO Branford Connecticut Homes and Condos (RE/MAX Alliance)  I was reading a statistic yesterday that over 40% of all listings have had at least 1 price reduction.

Kathy Batterton (RE/MAX Infinity E-PRO GRI)   I liked it a lot too!

Steve Kappre, Gloucester County, NJ Loan Officer/Mortgage Planner - 856.419.3561 (Treasury Mortgage)  There is always someone trying to cash in on the bad times and sell nonsense to real estate agents.

Rita Fong (RE/MAX REAL ESTATE TODAY)  Sadly, too many are true.

Jackie Connelly-Fornuff (Coldwell Banker Residential - Babylon)  I know for a fact this goes on in many real estate offices.  I once had a lawyer try to get me in.  The sad  thing is that many good agents will be turned off by this.  As if things are bad enough....

Robin and Sue REALTORs® Hendersonville & Western NC Real Estate (Prudential Lifestyle Realty in Hendersonville, NC)  There was a time if I had the right price....I never asked for a reduction.  Not any more.  There is no guarantee it will sell.

Cute post today, I enjoyed it very much. I needed to chuckle.

Patricia/Seacoast NH

Julie Chapman Realty Homes Brunswick Georgia  That is how I see it.  No one knows where this will all end...

Linda Lohman Cary NC Real Estate Broker (Fonville Morisey Realty) (I have a lot of free time to make lists!) I think agents taking over priced listings, or doing them for nothing...is really sobering..yet it is an  everyday event.  The listings should either be short sales or bank owned. 

Christianne Gordon, REALTOR®, e-PRO CDPE Carson Valley Real Estate Specialist (Carson Valley Homes and Land - RE/MAX Realty Affiliates)  Well there are a lot of offices where it is happening.

Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR (RE/MAX Advantage)  There are offices that have closed, and were pad locked when the agents went to the office.

Paul Henderson, Realtor ® Lacey & DuPont Washington homes (RE/MAX Professionals & Four Seasons Inc.)  15 out of 20 is way too many Paul!

Ha! wish these were not so funny. Things are indeed TOUGH around my neck of the woods. THank God we're fine...

Gary Woltal - Associate Broker REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth (Keller Williams Realty)  Unfortunately, this ere very common events these days.  I expect some major real estate company closures in the next 6 months.  There are not enough sales to keep the doors open.

Gregory Bain (BayShore Agency)  I'm happy for you!  :)

Patricia Aulson, REALTOR Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes (PRUDENTIAL VERANI REALTY - Portsmouth NH Real Estate )  We all need a good laugh these days!

Erica Ramus - Realty Executives / Pottsville PA Real Estate  It is tough here in Atlanta, but I am grateful we are holding our own also.

That is too funny.  It has turned a little in the Metro Detroit area but it is going to get rough again next year.

Jim:

The list is very funny,  but it is sprinkled with lots of truth.  I try not to list homes where the seller can't pay me unless I know it's a short sale when we list it.  I gotta eat, too!!!

Oldies but still goodies...so true these days....

thank God I don't live in atlanta. That sounds miserable.

Russ Ravary - Michigan Homes for sale - Michigan Real estate & Mortgage info (Remerica Hometown One)  I hope it has turned for the better. 

Carol Pease, ABR, CRS, CRB, (512) 721-6320 ( Keller Wiliams Realty)  A lot of agents are not asking the right questions before listing.  That is a very expensive mistake.

Claude THOMAS (Smokies Investors)  I agree.

Overland Park Homes for sale and Real Estate :: Michael Russell (Overland Park KS Realty Executives )  It isn't just Atlanta.

It's not great in Florida either, Jim. We take 12 month listings on our high end homes because it will that long to sell them.

Sounds like funny list but unfortunately we already experineced some of them in Arizona.

Jim:

That is a great list.  LIke Amy (#11 above), I think you should submit the list to Dave Letterman.  The #1 then could be - Gave up my Real Estate job to write for David Letterman.

I also enjoyed Lane's (#7 above) comment.

Jim,

That list makes you relax. They closed the real estate office and didn't tell you, sounds familiar. This mirrors the mortgage side as well. So, you have company.

Frank & Sharon Alters, CDPE-Short Sales Jacksonville-Orange Park-Fleming Island (Watson Realty -)  I can beleive that!  I am seeing some listings here on the market over 3 years on the upper end.  The agents try to keep repackaging it as a new listing.

Jim: Wow! It is quite an interesting list.  We should ask ourselves, "How did we get here?" Most of the perpetrators of this problem are still at large. This is just the beginning.   

Megan Izdebska & Hanna Manoufar Phoenix Real Estate (Prudential Arizona Properties)   I think these are more common than most agents or brokers would like to admit.

Bob Force (REALTOR®) Gaithersburg, Md. (Prudential Carruthers Realtors® - Gaithersburg)  It would be nice....:)!  I like Lane's comment also!

Esko Kiuru - Las Vegas NV Mortgage Consultant (FHA, VA, Conventional, Refinance, Jumbo)  I agree. I do not feel unique or alone in this market!

That's pretty creative Jim. But not all that far from the truth.

C Lloyd McKenzie, MBA, e-PRO, CDPE (ALLSTAR REALTY, LLC)  I agree with you.  The bottom of this is not in sight yet.

Tigard Oregon Real Estate >> Wayne B. Pruner, GRI (Oregon First)  I really based this on a lot of things that have occurred, what agents Blog about, and what agents talk about back in the offices...  There should be no surprises here.

Great list Jim! Like many others said, some of these aren't that far from the truth! I like this one best "15. Your broker tells you they're thinking of getting a full time job." that just cracks me up. I would switch brokers that instant if I heard my broker say that! Thankfully though, the brokerage I'm under is very well run but I guess there are many out there that are not. :)

Ouch. I'm thinking, unfortunately for many, there may be a little too much truth in this list.

LOL Jim, I am currently deployed to Iraq.  I was looking over our offices listings over the past year on the MLS and noticed that my office went from 20ish agents down to four.  I guess on the good side even though I am a new agent I am now the third most senior agent in the office.    Well maybe thats not such a good thing.  My Broker (president of company) and his son (VP of company) have been doing construction jobs on the side. 

yeah . . .Im laughing and crying.

I think this would be a lot funnier if it was not so true.

Yikes, Jim... I will stay where I am... for starters, it is only lawful to list for one year here!  However a few do look a little familiar.  Hopefully things will pick up soon.

Well I seriously hope you didn't get those from your own recent personal experience. LOL

Jim - This made me truly laugh out loud. One of the agents that I work closely with just had #20 (Broker takes job with a competitor) happen to her. She's not happy.

Kathy

Jim...

This is hysterical .... and it's funny with just enough truth to make you uneasy. Thanks for the chuckle, now I have to go to work and see if the receptionist is still there!

Jim, this is hilarious...but true...which is why I laughed.

Signs fading, and two years listings. Well I am taking at least a year now.

You come up with the most interesting lists.

LOLOL, #10. You bring a caravan of friends and relatives to your listings to show sellers some interest.

Jim~ So True!! I love the one about the ACAI berry 'business opportunity'! I think that I have 4-5 friends that are taking it to the next level!! :)  Thanks for posting!!

I really loved the list and humor....trouble is it is scary too.

Laughing is better than the alternative!

How about:

You carry a flashlight with the assumption that the home you're showing won't have electricity. Or:

When your listing began your MLS input used words like "Lush Landscaping" and "Occupied". On the third extension that becomes "Yard Has Tons Of Potential" and "Vacant"

Are these copyright protected?  :-) Good fodder for raising the spirits in the office!

Thanks for the chuckle Jim! Stefan

Jim: Thanks for this. It makes me want to post a signs the mortgage industry is in trouble blog! Seriously, almost all the points you made have probably come true for quite a few of us. The only saving grace is this too is a cycle. I see us working our way out of it although it still may be  a little slow next year. Take care.

Jim, I just got a call from a realtor to show my listing saying that her buyers just have to buy. I asked her how long she had been working with them. The answer was over a year. I told her that yes patience is a virtue, but they don't take virtue for payment at WalMart.

The homes I see on the market here for over a year are those that started out too high to begin with and had owners who refused to recognize what the market was doing and therefore refused to lower their prices to a competitive level. Homes are selling in this market, but they have to be priced according to the competition, not some pie-in-the-sky notion or the desire to pay off the RV or credit cards. Sellers' wants and needs are trumped by what the buyers will pay for similar homes in any specific market.

How about, Don't even wait to use the price reduction forms just put in auto reductions in the listings....

All good humor has some truth in it.  I am afraid yours is too funny because it is so true.

Jim,

             So funny and yet so true. Don't forget all the agents who are selling energy drinks, Acai,jewelry and Mary Kay. Now I am being hit not only from real estate marketer's but my own
 peer's as well. Just say No.

Jim ~ Yes its funny but also sad that its the truth.  I have not heard of some of these yet... I said Yet.  

With average DOM in our market now running near 700 days for luxury property, a two year listing agreement is getting to be standard equipment...

Jim -

Many thanks. Some sayings come to mind..."The truth hurts"..."It means the most when it cuts closest to the bone" ..."A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down"..."humor heals", etc.

We've seen all of this in west Florida - and the jury is still out on how much was self-imposed by somebody's greed, and how much by not watching the store, or being honest with customers and self about what will work and what won't. If we don't take care of ourselves, we're not able to help others. I ask my customers if they want me to tell them what they want to hear, or what they need to know. 

Thanks for sharing - and I like the idea of sending to Letterman - with the addition of new posts - it could be a week's worth of lists with a real estate focus...here's to humor!!

I thought these were funny until you said they were true stories.  Wow, if they fire our receptionists, i'm gonna start sweating!

Jim:  I knew my old RE/MAX office was in trouble when the Broker told us at a sales meeting that she had canceled the local Fort Worth newspaper... at $3.35 a week... because of the "expense."  Ooops.  This was back in 2005... when we still had actual advertising in that same newspaper... and it WAS making the phone ring.

Jim...the tough markets eliminate the realtor competition.  Just hope our profession learns something valuable from adversity...like working together when our signs are faded...

Jim,  You nailed it.  Thankfully real estate is not in that much trouble...at least not here.  Thanks for the smile.

Jim - you made my day!  I loved the "back to basics" for the 5th time.  Thanks for the chuckle.

Some of those are too true to be funny!  I just sold a house where the listing broker had to go to the local library to get his emails because his phone (and therefore his Internet access) was turned off for non-payment of the bill! 

Thanks for the chuckle Jim.

You should add " . . . listed stuff on ebay" the next time around. I am guilty of this one once in a while (I have some collectibles that are too 'girly' for my sons . . . ) But it does help to get the clutter out in case you have to add ". . . . listed house for sale this week"  to the list.

Have a great week.

Hey Jim here in Michigan I for sure have seen quite a few of these. The good news is our board has 60% less agents, our MLS inventory has been slashed in half and bank owned are down 55%. Things are looking Up

I'm sure more than one person can relate to your list.  Seven through twenty have hit more than one brokerage in the last year.  Both big and small companies are consolidating their operations. 

all so true these days.

We are living history, in 10 years these will be survival stories, the humor is appreciated.

Thank you

Jim

That's OK. I still love real estate, bring it on!

Ty

Hi Jim, Greqt list and I notice that most of the commentors can still enjoy a good laugh.  Have a terrific Thanksgiving !

OMG, hysterical! my fav's are;

Where did you find these Jim?

Gina Tufano (RE/MAX Select Properties, Inc.) Brokers have to pay their bills and so do we.  I would like to avoid the risk of a brokerage failing and I do not have a back up plan.

Christine Donovan Costa Mesa Real Estate Broker/Attorney 800-610-7253 DRE01267479 (Donovan Blatt Team - Donovan Group Realty)  These 20 points were all based on stories in todays market.

Nicholas Bush (Total Auction and Realty)  Be safe in Iraq!  I think most real estate offices have undergone some major changes.  They can't avoid it.

James Lyon (Vista Pacific Realty)  Unfortunately, it is a sign of the times...

Debbie White (Prudential Southeast Alaska Real Estate)  I am staying put.  I love your new photo!

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant)  No, by the Grace of God!  These are occuring in my own market area, and in those of many friends of mine across the country!

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC)  A very common scenario.  Several friends and a broker of mine in KW became brokers in REMAX.    I think there is a lot of back and forth these days.

Richard Weisser Coweta Fayette Real Estate ERA United Realty  Richard we must poke fun at this because it is happening.

Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams-Ann Arbor)  It's what I do!

Get Us A Home Realty - Frank & Jodi Real Estate Brokers That is way true in real estate.  I knew an agent that used to go around with her team members trying to pass them off as buyers on a listing appointment!

Stephen Arnold ~ CRS,GRI,ABR (Gary Call Real Estate)  That one seems to be high on the radar list these days.

Dennis Duvernay/ Broker Owner (Hillview Realty)  We have to sit back and have a good laugh at ourselves in theis business.

Pat Palmer-REALTOR, Upland, CA 91786 (Forefront Real Estate/ Forefront Mortgage)  You are right!  I showed a home today and the electric was off. 

Tony Marriott, Associate Broker, CRP, CLHMS, CRB, CRS ~~ Phoenix Arizona (Keller Williams Realty Professional Partners)  My posts are always copywrite protected, but you have permission to post at office.

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru)  Glad you enjoyed it!

Paul McFadden Mortgage Loan Officer Bellevue Washington Home Loans (The Legacy Group)  I showed a commercial property last year, and it turned out to be a mortgage office that stopped on a dime.  They must have had over 150 loan officers.  They left everything inside office, computers etc...  It was very sobering to see.

Joe Pryor.com Realtor Oklahoma Investment Properties (Redbud Realty)  It is scary, but without real relocation buyers we tend to all have to work local buyers that can take forever to make up their mind.

John Elwell (CENTURY 21 Bill Nye Realty, Inc)  I shouwed quite a few homes today, but it was interesting to see how how many homes were just fishing for a price.  No upgrades, paints or improvements.  Then you see a great home, priced well and loaded!  The agent?  She is very experienced and gave her sellers the right advice.

Jackie Cross (All Florida GMAC Real Estate)  You are right.  We are really shooting a moving target in this market.

Gene Riemenschneider East Contra Costa Home Sales 01492725 (Area Pro Realty People's Choice)  I base this post on real estate current events.  Maybe that is why this one is popular!

Rita Legan - We are getting loads of requests for items like this also ...we also just say "no!"

June Tassillo Your Go to Girl & Realtor for Life! (Classic GMAC Real Estate - Franklin, NC 28734)  I think this is qunique in any market, but I do think some markets are much worse than others.

I solved most of those problems by being a 1 person company.  I am the owner-president-broker so I don't have to worry about other people's decisions.  I don't have to meet anybody else's expectations or put up with their failures or peculiarities.

Business is slower but there are always opportunities for those who look beyond the current situation.  This market is an opportunity to increase market share as realtors and brokers go out of business.
I see it as a time to obtain and increase referrals from people who don't have their previous realtor anymore. 

I concentrate on generating activity even though its harder to get closings.  The activity (listings and showings) will eventually generate closings.  My activity from earlier in the year is now bringing offers.  Activity that began in 2008 is now bringing closings. 

The more realtors and brokers that quit, the better for the survivors and I'm working diligently to be a successful and prosperous survivor.

Mark Cohen, Broker, Eyemark Realty, Gainesville Florida USA  www.EyemarkRealty.com and www.GainesvilleFloridaHomes.com

Tim Bradley, CCIM Jackson Wyoming Commercial Real Estate (Contour Investment Properties)  I mentioned earlier that there are many properties in Atlanta being marketed as new listings, and they have been on the market for years.  There are loads of expireds and withdrawn listings that no one wants to talk about.  I pull them all the time before writing an offer.

Marge Coffing  Thanks!  I am glad you enjoyed it!

Joetta Fort - Realtor Denver Colorado Real Estate (The DiGiorgio Group) A lot of offices in Atlanta have cut out all weekend hours.  So weekend staff was first to go.

Fort Worth Real Estate - - - Karen Anne Stone (New Home Hunters DFW)  Karen, I really feel sorry for many brokers because they have to make decisions...that I know many would like to avoid.  However they are responsible to their own bottom lines.  My hat is off to them!

Cherise Selley (Selley Group Real Estate, LLC)  I think it will!

R. Greg Osmond Realtor, St. John's, Newfoundland, Real Estate (Sutton Group-Capital Realty Ltd.)  I have heard things are going well on the "Rock!"  My family is from Newfoundland, and most of my relatives are all still there.

Jim I am sure that quite a few of those items on the list have already happened!

Sharon Kolb (Atlanta Decatur Homes)  I think a lot of offices are just repackaging their seminars with new 'Buzz words!'

Kate Wheeler CCIM Murphy NC Real Estate for Sale (Country Homes and Land Murphy NC Realtor )  I know many brokers and agents that have lost their own home and investment properties this past year. 

 Angela Penkin (RE/MAX Plus)  The E-bay idea is a good one!

Ed & Cindy Knight (Realty Executives e-Group)  I wish I could  say the same here!

Cindy Jones-Northern Virginia Real Estate & Military Relocation Services (RE/MAX Allegiance #1 RE/MAX Company in the World)  We had 15 offices at one time, and we are down to 9.

Envelope Real Estate Brokerage Inc  Same here!

Bill Gillhespy Fort Myers Beach Realtor (Century 21 Tripower Realty)  A lot on Active Rain know it is true because if it has not happened ot them, someone has shared it here. Happy Thanksgiving to you also!

Mike Warfel (Bauer-Reno & Assoc.)  I'm sure for many they are not.  I bet they hit too close to home.

Brentwood TN Real Estate/Homes - Vanessa Stalets REALTOR® (RE/MAX Elite)  A few of these were on the evening news.  Ouch!

Eyemark Realty, Inc.  My next step would be to own a small sole proprietorship.  I think it makes a lot of sense.

Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate (RE/MAX Executive Realty)  All of these have already happened! :(

Once you have gone through the RA-RA franchise programs they all become the same, I find being a sole proprietorship to be great. I'm not interested in sales meetings or listening to everyones war stories, I don't want to go on the tour bus, I prefer to power tour on my own with one other colleague, we get a lot more done.  I'm no longer in the agent recruiting frenzy and now focus on my clients, that is a lot more satisfying.  Great Post!

Jim,

Oh I wish none of these are true but most are.  Two years on the market, nothing in the White Mountains, some have been on longer than that.  I am now taking year long listings and many are expiring before they sell.  Office are disappearing right along with the agents.  I don't know what they are doing since there aren't any jobs. but they are going away.  Is this nightmare ever going to end? 

LOL!  The part about Amway......I know a company that has a pyrmid scheme going......a sign of the times.

Jim:

That was the best!

Richard

Joy Caldwell (Coventry Glen Realty)  That is how I view it.  Plus...no commission splits!

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI (Aspen Properties, Inc. in Pinetop, AZ.)  Sandra I don't know.  M own thoughts is that we are going to slide deeper into a recession.  I am not pessimistic, but informed. What we are witnessing now is the government bailouts ( an intervention ) putting a safety net under the economy.  There is no such thing as a "Jobless recovery!"  People do not buy when they are not earning an income. 

FDR believe at putting people to work first.  This government is counting jobs saved. That is nonsense!   They neglect to tell us that 95% of the jobs saved are 'public sector jobs.'  In other words... US, state, and municiple governments.  How bad was this, that none of the politicians knew or shared this was coming?  Instead they used it as a political tool to gain an advantage. 

Kay Van Kampen, CDPE, Broker, Springfield Missouri Real Estate (RE/MAX Solutions)  There are a lot of schemes right now, and all I want to do is avoid them.

Richard Stabile Bergen County New Homes Builder Realtor (REMAX real estate associates)  I am glad you enjoyed it Richard!  Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family!

if you don't laugh, you have to cry.

i had a friend call  and tell me that her brokerage that she had been with for 14 years had cut her split and raised her desk fee.  she said they didn't even ask for her input.  the office lost five agents that day she thinks.  i gained one.  your list is amazingly accurate.  groan

Michael Ford (EncinitasHomes.com)  Michael it is amazing in this industry how many persons do not know what is really going on, nor do they want to know.  This list was based up things I hear everyday in my own market.  If you read Active Rain on any regular basis, these stories are the real thing.

I loved the one the office has been closed and there is yellow tape blocking. LOL.  2 year listing agreement..ouch

Real Estate is in trouble when I just realized I spent about five hours on Rainmaker!!!!

Stan Stepak Avon Lake Ohio Real Estate (Avon Lake, Bay Village, Westlake, OH) (Howard Hanna Gold- Avon Lake, OH)  It is!  I heard of a group of agents in one office locked out and they wanted to get possession of their computers, euiqpment and files.  It was very frustrating.

Manny Gonzalez (Negotiable Realty LLC)  A sign of the times.

Jim,

I especially liked #14, I've had too many people talk to me about MLMs recently!

Surprisingly enough, I've had one of my best years ever in home staging! This market has made agents look for ways to differentiate themselves, and I've been blessed to help a lot of their sellers get their homes sold.

On number 14 you can add "pre-paid legal and Fortune High Tech Marketing" hahahaaha

Michelle Yackel, ASP, President-Elect IAHSP Atl (Divine Redesigns)  MLM is not one of my favorites.  I feel like I am being cornered by a not so good snake oil salesperson!

Sandy Aichner ~ Broker REALTOR® www.SandyIsYourAgent.com (RE/MAX Executive Realty)  I love it.  Anohter thing that is big here in Altanta is something with natural gas!  Everyone is trying to recruit someone for something.

There are 12,000 realtors in Northern Virginia. As I remind my wife when she points out 10 of the items on your list..."Well hon, we do not have to be the fastest when the bear is chasing us, we just have to be faster than the folks behind us (hopefully there ARE folks behind us!) The standard stuff is not enough and has not been for 4 years. I am grateful for discovering Active Rain...the talent here is tremendous, the ideas for improvement and the willingness to share them have been truly encouraging. Thank you all

Steve Bachman (RE/Max Gateway)  Actually that is not too bad.  It is interesting, I am licensed in VA.  In Atlanta, we have over 33000 agents, and probably the same amount of sales you have.  It is sad, but it is a raw survival game.

Jim, I do not know whether to laugh or cry.  Thanks for the entertainment!

Jirius Isaac (Isaac Real Estate)  I think we are all in that state of mind.

Jim, You're spot-on with #14. After 22 years in community banking, I'm sick & tired of MLM spiels (Acai Berry, Amway, Ignite Gas, yada, yada, yada). 2 weeks ago I accepted a lunch invitation from a Certified Financial Planner I had met through BNI. I had believed this person to be a well-respected professional. Upon arriving at the restaurant, following very small small talk, it became clear that his purpose was to recruit me into his Ignite natural gas pyramid.

To me, MLM is an immediate & almost irreversible reputation killer. I would've had more respect for the CFP guy if he'd told me he'd taken a night job at Lowe's (or washing dishes at Hooter's) to make ends meet.

Strangely enough, I was intending at that time to switch natural gas marketers, but I never even looked into Ignite's price per therm because it's MLM-driven. I refuse to do business with anyone who has no real product (or service) to sell. Entrepreneurial spirit is NOT a component of MLM. It's simply preying on your family & friends in return for pie-in-the-sky goals.

Clark Blackwell, Community Banker, Cherokee County, GA

Jim, You're spot-on with #14. After 22 years in community banking, I'm sick & tired of MLM spiels (Acai Berry, Amway, Ignite Gas, yada, yada, yada). 2 weeks ago I accepted a lunch invitation from a Certified Financial Planner I had met through BNI. I had believed this person to be a well-respected professional. Upon arriving at the restaurant, following very small small talk, it became clear that his purpose was to recruit me into his Ignite natural gas pyramid.

To me, MLM is an immediate & almost irreversible reputation killer. I would've had more respect for the CFP guy if he'd told me he'd taken a night job at Lowe's (or washing dishes at Hooter's) to make ends meet.

Strangely enough, I was intending at that time to switch natural gas marketers, but I never even looked into Ignite's price per therm because it's MLM-driven. I refuse to do business with anyone who has no real product (or service) to sell. Entrepreneurial spirit is NOT a component of MLM. It's simply preying on your family & friends in return for pie-in-the-sky goals.

Clark Blackwell, Community Banker, Cherokee County, GA

Clark Blackwell (Crescent Bank & Trust) The Natural gas thing is the latest in a long line of distractions for agents in our marketplace.  I have agents turn down business to attend these events.  Let me see.  A real buyer with the potential of make 12K or waisted pep rally whose empty promises will never materialize.  Agents need to wake up and realize that there are no magic bullets for easy success.   If it was that easy, no one would have to work!   Why would they even sell it if it was that good?   I've seen dozens of these things come and go over the years.  They never deliver, and no one ever learns.

Should it be scary that you were able to creat a top 20 list instead of a top 10 or that so many people have been able to relate to this.

This shows how responsible we are to keep things positive and to be proactive in what's happening.