What Real Estate Agents Wish You Knew About Their Job, Part 1

As a real estate industry insider over the past several years, but never a broker or a real estate agent, I've always thought most consumers have no idea what it's like to be a real estate agent. We all know that people resent the hell out of real estate agents/brokers and have little respect for them. I mean, to be ranked below actors and union leaders -- that's just harsh.

Real estate is a weird business. It's a major pillar of the American -- nay, global -- economy, as the current malaise shows, and yet so few people understand it.

Buying a home is the biggest financial transaction for the vast majority of Americans, and yet because they do it so infrequently, most consumers don't have a clue about a process that could put them into debt for the rest of their lives. And people's impressions of real estate agents is formed more by movies, TV shows and commercials than reality, because they simply don't interact with them often enough to gain an informed opinion.

Think about it. You see your doctor a few times a year. You see your accountant at least once a year. If you have a lawyer, chances are that you see him or her at least a couple of times a year. You see a real estate agent once every seven years, if you're the average consumer.