Real Estate Agents: Friends or Foes?

Do I count real estate salespersons among my closest friends? No, not really, though I do enjoy close rapport with my boss/broker David Raposa. I make a concerted effort to maintain amicable relations with other agents however; and, often I've used personal capital to give my clients an edge in negotiations. After all, an agent's fiduciary duty to a client is paramount.

It isn't productive to alienate other real estate professionals, because you never know who'll represent the right deal-making property or clientele. Still, in some of my circles, real estate rivalries do exist and bad relations between agents are common.

Even with my peacenik posture, there are a couple of agents I'd rather not enter into a/nother transaction with. Neither fortunately, are currently active in my sphere. One, in our first go-around, failed to disclose known material, value-affecting facts (though I suspect incompetence, not malice). The other, with whom I came closest to real antagonism, was simply unbalanced.

Some agents can be positively unhelpful too. One long time area broker, remains nearly silent whilst exhibiting or viewing properties, and responds to most questions with a shrug.
Another agent, balked at showing his University Hills listing by appointment. "If I have to drive there," he explained, "it's an hour out of my day."

Some agents skip showings altogether, recruiting junior staff to sit open houses, and deploying lock boxes (or electronic key boxes) to allow others entry.

If I can't service a listing personally, I don't take it, and I never use lock boxes.