Interesting read. Maybe this is why my sister divorced her older husband after 27 years of marriage and having everything taken care of for her and then in an effort to support herself after those 27 years of living high-on-the-hog became a real estate agent. I know I will never have this conversation with her, but it does make you wonder!
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First, why are their ages given? Irrelevant. And why are none of the male ages given?
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@CaliforniaVin
Do you really have to ask? Mother Nature made men to be attractive to women who are fertile e.g. young / sexually attractive - a function of age. And women to be attracted to good providers not necessarly a function of age.
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The female realtors I know are great wives and live in the best/nicest residences with their spouses.
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I’m an attorney in NYC and knew a realtor for probably 20 years. He didn’t date his clients, but became lifelong friends and trusted confidante to many. Clients and former clients would seek him out as an informed resource, sometimes years after their professional relationship ended. If an investor was from out of town, they’d have dinner when they came to the City, sometimes even sightsee. We lost him too young and unexpectedly. Former clients called me to talk about him after his passing. People as far away as Rome and Toronto and Hong Kong. He was one in a million. Rest In Peace, Rich I.
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"While psychotherapists are ethically bound to forswear romantic entanglements with clients, real estate brokers must rely on their own moral compass."
From the stories I've heard, I'll take the morals of the RE people over that of the "psychotherapists" any day. Not even close.
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It's a short step from befriending their clients, an insidious habit real estate agents are particularly notorious for, to bedding and then marrying them.
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@ martskers memphis, tn
I have a more charitable view: in all professions, hanky-panky that ends either in tears, bilaterally quiet separations or presumably stable unions is unavoidable.
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Forgive me, but this sounds so pre-Me, too.
It would take a very confident, or brave, or dim-witted man to dare to hit on a woman in a business setting anymore.
And if he did, he could expect to hear from his company.
Not worth the risk.
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@IRememberAmerica
But not the other way around?
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@Matthew
Correct, just like attacking a conservative is fine, but not going after a (good) liberal.
BTW, That may as well be the motto of the NYT
People who date real estate agents are amateurs. If your date is going to take you out for a meal, sure, he may know the best neighborhoods, but what can he tell you about the structural integrity of the building? How can you feel any intimacy with someone with bits of ceiling plaster dropping into your minestrone soup? That's why I exclusively date structural engineers.
Call me old fashioned but I'll never give up my Christmas tradition of having my plumber over to open presents. The radiator next to the Christmas tree is always getting leaks so it's nice to have someone take another look.
Over the long weekend my dentist invited me over to try out his new roller-blades. I'd be a fool not to take the opportunity to get him to check my pesky back tooth.
It's nice that tax season usually coincides with ice skating at Rockefeller Center because my accountant loves to take me there. While we wait in line, he never fails to give my 1099s the once-over.
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@Campbell Watson Insanely funny!
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@Campbell Watson-Your comments made me almost choke on my yogurt! Thanks for a great laugh!
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@Campbell Watson,
so hope this is satire!
I sold an apartment to a long time friend, and during our time looking, he invited me to dinner. I gave it a lot of thought. I could lose a client and friend. I decided to go to dinner! We later married and have been married now for 25 years. I consider myself blessed to have found such happiness.
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Ahh yes. Tis true. My partner and I were looking to buy a house, until I discovered he was e mailing, swapping photos, and speaking with the agent on the phone about non-professional subjects. Since the agent was married, and there was a large age gap, I concluded she would do anything for a commission.
Naturally I refused to buy anything from her.
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ann einarsson - So sad to hear your partner was forced against his will to correspond with the evil realtor. Oh wait - it wasn't against his will?
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The gender balance is very interesting to me, an evolutionary psychologist. Men with resources meet attractive (in the eyes of the beholder, of course) women who subsequently become attracted to these resourse-rich buyers. I am betting that men who are real estate associates or brokers constitute less of a proportion of male sellers marrying female buyers. And if the female buyer has a high socioeconomic status, she will not choose the broker, unless his wealth exceeds hers. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
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@Xtine
Wait, one if the stories was about a female doctor falling for her agent.
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Xtine, not true. the female ER doc went out with rookie realtor. also, why assume the femaled realtors dont earn as much or more than the male clients?
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Why can’t realtors charge fee for service? My dentist doesn’t charge me thousands for a check up based on the value of my home. The entire operation is a cartel devoted to price fixing. I was shocked that some states have passed laws restricting entry to those wishing to charge lower rates for selling homes. Based on lobbying muscle. It’s anti competitive.
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@Xoxarle There are ways around it in a hot market like Seattle. Hire a real estate attorney to draw up the papers then go to the escrow company. They also have access to the MLS if you are selling. Use Zillow and other online sites. Even Craigslist. We've sold a rental house that way and saved a ton. When the market is high there is no reason for a agent. We had them calling us and begging to handle the sale for a fraction of the normal commission. And we had multiple offers just posting online ourselves. When the market is down, I can see using an agent who will work hard for you.
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@Xoxarle
Kind of like tipping at an expensive restaurant...does it really require 5x the effort and talent to carry a fancy meal to a table as it does a waffle breakfast?
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@Donia. well, yeah, it can be much more difficult to work in a restaurant environment with high expectations, little room for error, and a clientele that can sometimes be very specific, condescending, and hard to please.
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