QUESTION: Rltr. Petalcorin, please comment on this article titled How to Find the Right Real Estate Broker in a magazine Real Estate World (Dec 2012 issue) that says: "Meet agents in their working milieu, not in their offices. Good agents spend very little time at their desks. They are most likely to spend their time doing field works rather than staying in their offices doing nothing. So you must meet agents out in their working environment, not in their offices."
ANSWER: What? Meet the real estate agents outside, and not in their office? Well, it depends. Basic common sense in DUE DILIGENCE would practically incline to saying that first meeting MUST be in the office of the agent so you will know if he/she is lawfully obedient to the law governing the real estate profession. Having a PRC license card as a Broker or PRC registration as a Salespersons is NOT ENOUGH to be considered legitimate. The Real Estate Service Act of 2009 (RESA) requires Real Estate Practitioners (Consultants, Appraisers, Brokers and Salespersons) to have a Principal Place of Business where they are supposed to display their licenses and registration certificates where customers can see. Aside from having a professional license, having an Office shows that the agent is legitimate, active in the service, dedicated business-wise, and a successful practitioner because he can afford an office. An Agent who does not have an office means that is a mere "OPPORTUNIST". If the Agent cannot afford to maintain an office, where would you find that Agent later on for accountability or for help if something goes wrong with the deal? Successful Brokers have private offices as a Broker. So I repeat, as a consumer rights advocate, listen to me, the first meeting must always be (as much as possible) inside the office of the Broker and never outside. The second and subsequent meeting can be anywhere else.
Before you even talk to the Agent (Real Estate Broker or Real Estate Salesperson), know his/her full name and verify his/her professional status in the website of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) if he/she is legitimately licensed. If the agent is not licensed, don't deal with him/her -- 95% of the agents roaming around "outside" are colorum (unlicensed) and it is not good for you to deal with them.
If there is anything else important that I forgot to include in this article, or if you experienced a real estate transaction that is anomalous, scam, fraudulent scheme that you want me to document and expose for others to be warned, or if you want to donate to the war chest of real estate consumer rights advocacy, please feel free to email me at JohnPetalcorin@Gmail.Com. If you want to comment about this article, there is a provision for this purpose that you can find below.
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