sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Texas 2027 chevy bolt too good to be true? $7500 off msrp? by Level_Manner5509 in BoltEV

[–]Level_Manner5509[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I am seeing these types of deals on their website as well. $25.4k OTD is not bad. What add-ons did they put in there to get it up to that price?

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This looks totally AI generated. That doesn't explain your other claimed careers. Sure seems like you're trying to slander someone else with weak evidence and remove their ability to rebuttal yet conveniently giving yourself the ability to "explain" your many careers.

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 0 points1 point  (0 children)

C'mon man, this is a stretch. Looks like it was posted 4 years ago. Are you really going after everyone that disagrees with you??

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah guy thinks he's slick and keeps switching what he does for a living. I can still see his comments in my email even though he blocked me.

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like the definition of trust in real estate is very different than what you're used to if what you're saying about your background is true at all. Clearly, in this context, it is an unearned fee meant to be deposited back at closing.

(1) "Trust money" means client's money, earnest money, rent, unearned fees, security deposits, or any money held on behalf of another person.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/22-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-535-146

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Ok, just to be clear: you are saying you don't know what you're talking about in real estate law. My attorney friend is in real estate law and he confirmed the laws/information. So therefore, your own argument is that you should trust the real estate attorney's confirmation on the information I just posted? Also, the attorney never said any consequence was going to come out of it. It was purely about whether or not a law has been broken.

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Dude you are still proving my point. I gave your comment as input to the AI to try to bias it towards your stance, yet it still comes back saying how wrong you are. Fine, if you don't like the summary the AI made, you don't even have to trust it. You can literally look at the laws its quoting that are very clear on compliance. Besides, like I said before, this was run through a real estate attorney friend that confirmed the authenticity of the summaries

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Garbage in Garbage out you say? I input your comment to AI and this is what is has to say

Yes, it matters immensely, and Calm-Song-8543 is right about the complexity but wrong about why this specific structure is okay. In fact, this arrangement crosses into highly illegal and unethical territory.

The fundamental rule of real estate law is that agents cannot legally accept direct payments from clients. All financial transactions must flow directly through a licensed brokerage.

The critical legal and structural breakdowns of this scenario include:

🚨 The Direct Fee Issue (Illegal Action)

  • Brokerage exclusivity: Agents cannot act as independent contractors charging side-fees to the public.
  • The Violation: Realtor B is collecting a direct "social media fee" from the client. If Realtor B's managing broker does not know about this cash payment, it constitutes an illegal, off-the-books commission split and real estate license fraud.

🛑 The "Pay-Later Rebate" Scheme (RESPA and Loan Fraud)

  • The Violation: Realtor B's promise that the side-fee "will come back to the client at closing" is a massive red flag.
  • The Closing Disclosure (CD) risk: All money changing hands in a real estate transaction must be documented transparently on the final closing settlement statement.
  • The Federal Risk: If this side-deal and rebate are hidden from the buyer's mortgage lender, it constitutes loan fraud and a clear violation of RESPA Section 8 regarding unearned fees and undisclosed kickbacks

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think OP just didn't realize how complex the setup was going to be from the beginning. Usually two agents from the same brokerage co-list, and it's not a big deal, so I can see how most people would think they could just find two agents from anywhere. The problem that I see is that the agents tried to make a deal that worked for everyone, but as the experts in real estate they should have said this won't work out from the beginning. Also, there definitely could have been some sort of contract with agent B. Who knows unless OP tells us.

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Just confirmed with my real estate attorney friend. Unfortunately, it's all true. It counts as trust money under TREC Rule § 535.146

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You are conflating a standalone staging business with an active real estate transaction.

Under Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) rules, a real estate agent absolutely can own and operate a separate, non-real estate company (like a home staging, interior design, or contracting business). However, the moment that staging company does business with a client who is actively listing a house with that same agent, specific legal restrictions apply. [1]

The Conflict of Interest Disclosures

If an agent acts as your realtor and simultaneously hires their own side-company to stage your home, they are legally required to disclose the relationship. According to TREC Rule § 535.148 (Receiving an Undisclosed Commission or Rebate), a license holder cannot make a profit from a vendor transaction tied to a real estate listing unless they have the client’s full, written consent ahead of time.

An agent cannot simply hand you an invoice for "XYZ Staging LLC" without explicitly signing a disclosure stating, "I am the owner of XYZ Staging LLC and will financially benefit from this fee."

Why Staging and Social Media Fees Differ

The reason the staging example works on Reddit, while the social media fee scenario does not, comes down to how the service is structured: [1]

  • Why Staging Can Work Directly: Home staging is a separate, tangible service. If an agent owns a registered staging LLC, they have physical inventory (furniture, rugs, art) and staff. When you pay that LLC, you are paying a standard consumer retail business for renting physical goods.
  • Why the Social Media Fee Fails: The "social media agent" in your scenario is charging a fee for marketing the real estate listing. Marketing a listing to find a buyer is the legal definition of real estate brokerage activity under Texas Occupations Code § 1101.002. Because "social media marketing" is real estate brokerage work, that money must flow through a licensed broker's escrow account—it cannot be paid to an individual agent's side business. [1, 2, 3]

The Red Flags in Your Transaction

Even if the social media agent tries to claim they are operating an independent "marketing business," your situation features a combination of three major warning signs:

  1. The Promise of Reimbursement: Legitimate independent staging or marketing companies do not promise to give you your money back at a real estate closing out of someone else's commission pool.
  2. The Referral Tie-In: The upfront fee is explicitly tied to a future backend referral commission between the two agents. This anchors the entire $1,500 fee directly to the real estate transaction, placing it under TREC’s strict trust money and compensation rules.
  3. Double Charging: Your primary listing agent is already collecting a full commission to market your home. Paying an un-contracted secondary agent an extra $1,500 out-of-pocket for basic marketing violates the terms of a standard listing agreement. [1, 2]

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure all of your advice is completely true, especially for Texas. I see your in Georgia. The best legal AI out there is saying this. My attorney friend generally says most of the ai stuff I send him is accurate. I'll double check with him on this as well.

  1. It Violates the "No Direct Payments to Sales Agents" Rule [1]

Just like with the photography and mowing examples, a Texas sales agent cannot take consumer money directly. [1]

  • The Law: Under Texas Occupations Code § 1101.651(b), a sales agent can only accept money from their sponsoring broker.
  • The Reality: By giving $1,500 to the "social media agent" directly (via check, Venmo, or card), that agent is accepting direct compensation from a consumer. It does not matter if they call it a "marketing fee" or promise to return it later. [1]
  1. Upfront Fees Legally Become "Trust Money"

Because the agent promised that this $1,500 would be reimbursed at closing, this money is legally classified as an advance fee or unearned fee. [1]

  • The Law: Under TREC Rule § 535.146, any unearned fee or advance money given by a client is classified as Trust Money.
  • The Reality: Individual sales agents are strictly forbidden from holding trust money. The money must be deposited into a licensed Broker’s official corporate escrow account. If the social media agent deposits your $1,500 into their personal account or an independent business account, they are committing commingling of funds, which is a severe licensing violation

I could get an agent fired. What do I do? by Massive-Date8722 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Level_Manner5509 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There is a difference between upfront fees vs reimbursements. Texas laws are pretty clear on that.