A lot of folks in real estate today complain bitterly how hard things are today. Yes there is a lot of change, and both real estate agents and companies are going out of business. In that sense real estate is not different than it was years ago. Today we have incredible mortgage rates, yet agents want buyers to have down payment assistance DPA and 100% financing. Things were not easy for years while buyers had to save their down payments. You had to nurture them along. Your contact manager was a box of index cards with hand written notes,a dn dates on it.
As for doing business...things were much more difficult. The real estate business required a lot more driving while hand delivering contracts, and marketing materials. Real estate back then was a lot more time consuming, and there was even wear and tear on the autos while running errands. There was no such thing as multiple color photos, virtual tours, and BING or Google maps to make your showing day eaiser! We had to drive around wihta real estate map book that more often than not was useless. You had to preview what you were showing! So real estate in the good old days was not as good as many make it out to be. There was however a lot of unproductive wasted time, waiting, and not as much commission from fewer closed sales. It was a lot more costly to market yourself and services. However, I prefer real estate the way it is done today. More closings even is a lousy market is an everyday reality since the advent of the Internet. Despite all the bellyaching, we've never had it easier in the real estate industry. Contracts on-line, PDF files, emails, e-fax, GPS, cell phones, Blackberry's, personal computers, access to the MLS at home and cell phones, electronic lock boxes that notify you when the home is shown, websites, office intranets, emails, attachments, personal color laser printers, label maker printers, and so much more! Do you miss the old days? I don't!
REMEMBER WHEN:
- 20-30% down-payment was routinely required?
- You paid your own closing costs?
- Buyers or sellers walked into your office regularly for help?
- Buyers used to come to agents to buy a home?
- Buyers used to get pre-qualified by the real estate agent in depth before they were given the name of a loan officer?
- Buyers were loyal?
- When Buyers appreciated your knowledge and thanked you for working on their behalf?
- When buyers referred other buyers to you because they appreciated your honesty even if they did not buy?
- When buyers read classified ads and real estate books?
- When buyers asked for addresses to the new listing ads, you did not give out the addresses until you first obtained a meeting with them?
- Desk duty?
- Thermal Faxes that curled up and were almost illegible within a week?
- MLS books, and the black ink on your fingers?
- MLS Map Books?
- Black and white photos?
- Going to the office to use a computer or access the MLS?
- Paper MLS listings you filed?
- When everybody represented the sellers?
- When they fined someone for trying to manipulate the MLS with wrong areas, addresses?
- Pay phones and rolls of quarters.
- Pagers?
- Realtors took the NAR Code of Ethics seriously?
- Multiple offers?
- Loan officers that referred business to you?
- You would get the HUD-1 before closing?
- Merrill Lynch Realty?
- 18.5% 30 year fixed rate mortgages in 1981?
- WRAP mortgages?
- 20.5% Prime Rate in 1981?
- Picking up the keys at an office to show a listing?
- Buying Film?
- Taking pictures of new listings?
- Waiting for the the developing pictures of listings?
- Literally cutting and pasting flyers and photos for a listing?
- Going to a printer for brochures?
- Waiting for printed marketing materials?
- Knocking doors for listings?
- Legal sized page contracts?
- Carbon Paper?
- Bulk mailings?
- Address Labels?
- Postage tongue?
- Previewing homes?
- 2 Page Contracts?
- The days before sellers property disclosures?
- The Days before homes were inspected?
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta 770-238-0122 Direct
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Atlanta Real Estate & Atlanta Homes for Sale 
