In all the years I’ve been involved in real estate, there has been a common thread: people like to talk about their experiences. Especially the bad ones.

I heard a bad one last night and it just reinforced the opinion of the greater population that real estate agents and builders are the enemy.

In this case, it was a builder. The neighborhood next to mine is gated, with larger homes and decent-sized lots. I’ve been through several of their quick inventory homes and their models. I have been less than impressed. Homes in the $500k range should really not be equipped with the crappiest of wanna-be brass lighting fixtures or laminate countertops. At least not here in Phoenix. But shelling out the cashola for the slightest of upgrades was pretty much at the bottom of this complainant’s “this builder sucks” list.

The story of the builder and their complete and utter lack of competence unfortunately wasn’t surprising to me. Like I said, I’ve heard my share of stories over the years. So I get it why some people really equate real estate agents to lawyers.

That sentiment only made me work harder as an agent (when I was working actively as one). And now when I write for agents, I really want to help them come across as the professionals that most agents are. It’s imperative that agents establish themselves as knowledgeable, helpful and ethical…because those bad apples really make it tough for the rest.