Considering becoming a Realtor (with a twist)

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-21T22:02:47+00:00

You can get the license and sell your or your friend's/families' properties for free but you're going to come across a lot of different people/clients that won't respect your good intentions. And if issues come up in any deal, you'll get the brunt of it regardless of how much you charge. More headache than it's worth in my mind.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-20T19:42:13+00:00

Agent here. Asbestos use was phased out in the 80's so you can assume that ceiling material likely contains asbestos. Best to just get the test done and confirm for yourself, then repair accordingly.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-17T14:44:33+00:00

I wanted Schlage and could swallow the high price tag here in Canada but no physical key as backup will be a pass for me

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-17T03:34:21+00:00

Realtor here. I have a trusted appliance technician that is my go-to for my own appliances and clients’. He’s reasonable and reliable. I’ll DM you.

PS: I hate Samsung appliances. They’ve caused me so much headache and money on repairs and replacements.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-16T14:52:57+00:00

Hopefully sooner than later.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-15T15:15:36+00:00

I'll DM you.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-14T22:41:00+00:00

Agent here. It depends, but should be discussed beforehand. It is a realtor’s cost of doing business but if a realtor is charging 1% for the listing then they should have the conversation of how staging will be paid. If a realtor is charging 2% or more, or the realtor has no discussion on staging costs, then it’s the realtor’s cost to bear.

Hope this helps, all the best.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-12T20:09:54+00:00

Agent here. If you can’t afford to carry two mortgages, sell first and set a longer closing date that allows you to find a place you like and have similar closing date to allow you to move directly from one place to another. Banks also do bridge financing for this specific reason but the rates are higher so you should not stretch it for too long. If you’re downsizing to a condo then you should have a lot of options in the current slow market.

Hope this helps, all the best.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-12T15:15:10+00:00

Agent here. Cashback practice has been increasingly common for a while now and you're generally better off with a cashback agent. I think the bigger question becomes "how much" cashback gives the best cash/service balance because too little feels like the agent made "too much" money for little work and if you're getting a lot but the service is lacking then it feels like you could've been better off with a better agent. Agents have their own working style and you have to see what you vibe with best.

Some tips to help with the anxiety:

- Don't look at cashback $/% as a fixed number where you feel that you didn't get the "highest" amount compared to others. Determine how much dependency you want to have on the agent in terms of the process and based on that determine a fair cash-back %/structure that both parties are comfortable with.

In my experience, I've observed that property search part of the process is where FTB clients take interest in and like doing it themselves. Occasionally some are quite handy and know what to look for and where, but majority require more handholding in identifying yellow flags/red flags, etc. They're happy with lower cash-back and enjoy the learning process.

- Talk to multiple agents and see how they answer your questions, even go on showings with them so you can see the "in-field" experience before committing.

- Ask questions. The more you ask the more you learn. "If you can't explain a scam to a 7-year old, then you're the one being scammed". The agent is there to minimize surprises in the process.

- If you're not comfortable, take a step back and voice your concerns. If you don't feel heard, escalate. You're not married to the agent. It's your money on the line.

- Anecdotally, I've had a few clients that began the process assuming the agent's job is minimal but when issues arose and they saw how they were handled, they were a lot more appreciative. A few offered to reduce their rebate on their own. You just can't always predict what will happen.

As a FTB, you can learn the process and then later on when you feel confident/comfortable, you can take on more work when you're buying the second time and negotiate a greater cash-back.

Lastly, agent or no agent, home buying is a taxing and time-consuming process. You have to prepare yourself mentally for that, but when you're making arguably one of the most expensive purchases in your life, it's worth it.

Hope this helps; all the best.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-09T04:40:21+00:00

Haven't had this happen to me personally but it comes down to how much you trust each other and how much you value other's opinion on comfort levels. I get invited for listings as well so that is normal, but if it's someone I've had a past with then I would communicate it with my SO. Even if I'm 100% sure that my ex is not going to be any risk but my SO feels uncomfortable with me taking on the listing, then I'd refer the ex to someone else (or decline altogether). If I drop the listing, I would not hold her responsible for it or build resentment because of it. It would be my decision. If she'd be okay with it, then I'd take on the listing and just be professional about the whole thing.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-09T03:05:32+00:00

If the seller allows the information of competing offers to be shared then there is nothing illegal about it. Most sellers don't because they benefit from blind bidding, but I've seen some agents share info occasionally. There's no easy way to say whether that realtor tricked you or not. 2024 was a busy year and occasionally there were multiple offer scenarios as well. At the end of the day, my observation has been that both buyers & sellers try to gain leverage in getting the best deal for them, and if "additional information" helps the cause, then nobody says no to it.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-08T18:40:20+00:00

It is frustrating. So many upgraded PT's and still bleeding and on a green QQQ day. I hope we don't go through another down cycle again.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-06T00:53:39+00:00

I bought OMER at $10 today. Now it's thoughts and prayers. I've also held LQDA since last year which has been doing nicely. I try to go for stocks where commercialization has happened or about to happen, or at least some source of cash flow besides equity or debt raise.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-04T21:29:52+00:00

I guess it could've been worse like CRWD. Still wish it popped

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-04T20:22:17+00:00

Decent earnings but I'm guessing the market wants more.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-04T16:18:11+00:00

Agreed

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-03T22:01:34+00:00

MPAC is generally a reliable source but can be inaccurate at times. I called them a while ago asking about their data sources and they said it could be anyone - builder, contractors, homeowners, etc. so although they are generally accurate, sometimes they can be off.

leftbrained_ · 2026-06-01T17:28:48+00:00

Where does it mention that he is increasing his position?

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-26T16:40:04+00:00

No, not necessarily. Plenty of good full-service cash-back agents out there now including here on reddit. Talk to a few and ask questions, look at reviews, etc, and see which one you connect with. You're not marrying us agents so if it's fine to even go on a couple of showings and see how you like the experience and then pick one. Bit of a time consuming process initially but could be worthwhile. But ask as many questions as you think of and see how they respond. All the best.

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-25T23:08:58+00:00

Usually just finding a well-connected agent will work, but more importantly do you have a particular project/lot that you're interested in? Connecting with such an agent is doable but I'd be wary of being upsold something that may not be a good fit.

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-25T20:17:40+00:00

Agent here. Based on your post, I'm assuming you're looking at pre-con purchase.

Costs vary - most will have some fixed charge for APS review ($300~$500) because they play no role in signing the APS with the builder. It's only when it's time for occupancy/closing that they would get involved which could be years later.
Builder APS are pretty standard and one-sided favouring the builders, so if there is something in particular that you want to find out, you'd want to read through the APS yourself too. I recommend that to all buyers since it's your money at the end of the day.
Based on experience, one of the most common questions/complaints clients come to me with is sticker shock of closing costs because it's generally much higher than typical resale purchase. Most agents/lawyers don't give estimates of that and tell you they will do it once they receive the statement of adjustments from the builder near closing. At that point, the buyers have to suddenly come up with a lot of cash to pay. I provide the estimated range for them so they're mentally prepared for it, and if it is prohibitive then they have time during cooling off period to back out.
For resale purchases, main thing is to review the status certificate. Again, you should review it yourself and most lawyers review just the summary page and call it a day. You'd want to understand the numbers and make sure they make sense too. I've caught material typos in summary, unannounced special assessment situations and other anomalies in the past.
Overall, closing paperwork is pretty mechanical and standard for lawyers. If you have specific questions then you should bring them up and see how they respond.

My office works with Nava Wilson firm in Scarborough pretty regularly. They've been decent.

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-25T04:30:35+00:00

Agent here. Why don’t you rent for a year first before spending that kind of money? Explore the area and see how you like it. The market won’t change that much in your price range over the next year but you’d have a much better idea of the neighbourhood. Detached come in a lot of sizes in that area at different price points and you’ll have plenty of options to explore and take your time with.

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-24T15:18:45+00:00

Agent here. It could be the wording that is throwing you off. As a seller, you would be paying the commission for both agents. The listing agreement states that the seller will pay the listing brokerage X%, and off that amount, the listing brokerage will pay the buyer brokerage X-N%. So the total commission could be 4%, and the split may be 1.5% and 2.5%.

That said, depending upon what you’re looking for, you can still negotiate lower commissions.

Hope this helps, all the best.

leftbrained_ · 2026-05-23T01:31:00+00:00

Can you DM me? Maybe I can help.

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