Are Real Estate Agents Sexist?

Hi Selina – and welcome to the forum. I think it is not that they are sexist, but ignorant …. Seriously, there are many girls/women right into property investing and construction in a big way nowadays, and it would be an idiot to overlook that.  I think you will find that it is natural people tend to focus there attention on the older person sometimes however. Maybe next time you are in earshot  of the re agent, with your dad try saying ' would you like me to buy this one for you dad?
IT's ironic that the average RE agent would have about 1/4 the properties you do too isnt it!
And I've just replied and notice you addressed your post to ladies – of which I am not – sorry!

Cheers

Hey, my cousin had a similair experience in ballarat when looking at a property with her husband. my cousin is  the one who does all the buying and renovating, her husband has his own seperate business. As soon as the agent spoke to her husband he said, 'there's no point talking to me mate, she's the one who will be buying the property'.

having said that, I have bought all my properties  as a single woman or divorced woman and have found the agents to be very happy to talk to me. On the one occasion when I did have my now ex husband with me, the agent spoke with him which left me completely free to look at the property without the agent following me around, being annoying! LOl.

i think some agents are not proared for the woman to be the negotiator, I don't know whether this is an advantage or disadvantage.

personally, i think car salesman are more sexist than real estate agents!!

cheers

Sonya

sorry for the double post!!
cheers

Sonya

Salina, maybe next time you need to play with their heads instead of letting them play with yours!! 

Afterall who are they to judge your wealth? 

For all they know you could be a cashed up multi-milionaire and I'm sure a few choice words directed to them by your tag-along-Dad will have them falling over themselves to talk with you!!!!

Play with 'em and have some fun!!  

Vicky

Hi Salina,

Yes, they seem to be. Whenever me and my wife go to a viewing, agents always talk to me and generally ignore my wife. The fact that she's small and asian also seems to reinforce this attitude.

This is great ! As people have already mentioned, you can use this to your advantage. Once we realised this, my wife would walk around taking notes on whatever she wanted, knowing that she wouldn't be bothered. My wife also does all the negotiations when we do property deals, this is what she does for a living and generally deals in figures far larger that the average property during the course of her work. To be honest, I think she enjoys playing with the estate agents.

I suggest you try and take advantage of this. My wife always says that she never actually says anything to reinforce this stereotype, she just let's people jump to their own conclusions based on the assumptions they make due to her physical appearance (small, petite, female, asian). She then knocks them out when negotiating. It's also fun for me, watching the estate agent having rings run around them………

Funny Salina,

Yes but you need to play back … I don't have a 44 but I do have a pair of 38s so I wear a nice tight shirt and my push up bra and get the attention I need.

There is one thing I have noticed, most male agents are very poor on the property knowledge while the girls learn every aspect back to front and guys don't get back to you because they are intimidated by "Intelligent" women.

My boss is a master practitioner in NLP and a wonderful teacher in real estate negotiations, using the correct language into another persons brain alters their bio rhythms … take a look at a bloke when he sees a girl walk in the room with 6 inch heels and a sexy top …

Salina learn to play the game to get what you want.

Bit of background on agents- they are not all the same

There are many differing types of agents and levels of training they have within the industry

There are sales Registrations- where the poor agent , or someone from any background wantin to give real estate a go- simply does only 2- 3 days training couse and then their boss throws them on open homes with no training, support etc and often pays them nil commissions for months only a basic wage or debit/ credit system so they often struggle for a few months, and then leave the industry fro a 9- 5 job that is easier and better paid.

or you have the highly trained Agents / Principals that have maybe a degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, Valuation, and highly trained in negotiation, sales, building, project marketing- these agents do not work on open homes under 500k at all, or day to day opens, they ony focus on selling development sites, properties over 500k , large subdivisions, bulk sales for developers- eg 50- 100 homes/ blocks of land, commercial/ industrial and they are earning approx 150- 1- 2 million per annum, often they have 1- 2 P/As and have worked their way up very quickly. These agents will not work on open homes or deal with stock that does not sell in less than 4 weeks as they are highly sought after for their skills.

So you can't really put all agents in the same categories, and sometims I feel sorry for some of the agents at open homes as they have been through only a 2 day course and told by their boss get out there and bring me a contract asap, they are not given
any training, support, often do not even own their own car let alone 1 property- but they are good if you get on their side as they will try hard for a sale, and often you can say here is a list of questions, go find out for m and Ill call you tomorrow, and tell them you are a serious buyer and want to do a deal, as often they are eager to please their boss or get some commission- so you have to really understand where they are coming from also.

I have a Y chromosome, and  I have sometimes found the exact opposite.

 I get ignored while my wife is fussed over and shown the beautiful benches and the lovely shower or bath or the wall oven or bla bla bla which I think springs from the view held by some RE Agents  that if they can get the girl to fall in love with the property then she'll convince/nag/hound her hubby to come around to her viewpoint and buy it for her (and do the Agents work for them far better than they could).  Which is just another probably sometimes effective sales method I suppose. 

Anyway , on those occasions I can have a proper look at all the rotting timbers and crumbling gyprock and rusted out gutters in peace. Then pour cold water all over wifey's temporary little dream.

I too have to say I felt a bit sorry for you "wifey". Gee with a husband like you who needs enemies.

I view my other half as the other half of my team. Most real estate agents just either see the woman as either the ball and chain who will say no, or the one to try and convince as the wife will convince the husband.

I have to say though, that our current agent who selling one of our properties has never really spoken to my other half and only generally rings me. They are not all the same, once they get to know you.

D

haha. After I posted I thought that may have been the case. Haven't had a chance to check back.
 You're forgiven then.

Sometimes agents ring my hubby. He just tells them to ring me. He knows how many houses we own but that's about it.
He'd die if he knew how much we owe the bank.