Real estate agent

“ They serve the same purpose in locating teachers—and a legitimate purpose it is, that a real estate agent does in buying or selling real estate. The dealer in real estate brings the buyer and the seller together. He serves both, and if a man of honesty and principle, may be of service to both and his business in every way a creditable one. ”

“ From the county agent the settler gets the true condition of the land, climate, and possibilities in general, of the particular region into which he is going. Too often, though, the settler is met at the train by the real-estate agent, and this agent does not let his prospective buyer get in touch with anyone else until after he has been sold a piece of land. After the settler has bought his land the real-estate man thinks that his connection with him has ceased, and he is no longer interested in him other than to see that the promised payments are paid when due. ”

“ I should like to sell the plot if I could get a purchaser."
"If the Northern Pacific Railroad is ever completed, the land will be valuable," replied the other.
"True; but will it ever be completed? That date will be very remote, I fancy."
"I don't think so. I would buy the land myself if I had the money, but just at present I have none to spare. How much did you invest?"
"A thousand dollars."
"You might sell, perhaps, through a real estate agent?"
"The real estate agents here know very little of Western property. I should not know to whom to apply." ”

“ A real estate agent was offered fifty dollars, less two and a half percent discount for cash, for an option on a piece of property. Being a poor mathematician and wishing to conceal his ignorance of arithmetic from his customer, he excused himself for a minute and sought his new stenographer. ”

“ As a rule, a house or estate agent has no authority to receive payment on behalf of the principal. Where he is employed to procure a tenant, he must use reasonable diligence to ascertain that the person to whom the property is let through his agency is fit to be a tenant. He does not, however, in any way guarantee the payment of the rent. A house agent may not, for or in expectation of payment, prepare any deed relating to the sale or letting of real or personal estate. ”

“ Thus an agent who is appointed to execute a promissory note, or to sign a subscription agreement, or to execute a deed, may appoint another to do these things. Likewise an agent who is authorized to sell real estate with discretionary power to fix the price and other terms, may employ a subagent to look up a purchaser, or to show the land to one who is desirous of purchasing.
When a person is really acting as an agent, but this is not known by the persons with whom he is doing business, he is liable to them as if he were the principal. ”

“ Capital assets play no greater part in his service than in that of the lawyer, doctor or office worker. Services of the real estate broker, if not strictly fiduciary, are at least those of a trusted agent and, oftentimes, advisory as to values and procedures. I am not persuaded that fixing uniform fees for the broker's labor is more offensive to the antitrust laws than fixing uniform fees for the labor of a lawyer, a doctor, a carpenter, or a plumber. ”

“ The agency through which the purchase is made may be either the real-estate dealer of the same national group, or, more commonly, the building and loan association. The real-estate agents to whom the foreign-speaking immigrants go are like the steamship agents, the immigrant bankers, the keepers of special shops. Those who are honest and intelligent render invaluable services ”

“ I'd been offerin' it for two-fifty an acre.
“Yes,” I says. “I'll sell fast enough if I get the chance.”
“Well, I've had inquiries,” says Silas.
You see, he was a real-estate agent, though he'd never sold any land. But it's easy to be a real-estate agent. You can start with a sign. And Silas had started twenty years before. ”

“ The quantity in market was enormous. All the real-estate agents had large books filled with descriptions of farms and fancy country-seats for sale, some to be had by paying one-fourth of the purchase-money down, and some which the owners would exchange for merchandise, or traps, or houses in the city. ”

“ Of the realty companies, the Park Realty Company was organized to 'work, develop, sell, convey, mortgage, or otherwise dispose of real estate; to lease, exchange, hire, or otherwise acquire property; to erect, alter, or improve buildings ”

“ The real estate man usually knows who wants to sell property, knows something of the value of property, looks up the title and records, and then brings the buyer and seller together, or takes charge of the details entirely. ”

“ Why, fifty per cent of the inhabitants of the Queen City are real estate agents professionally, and most of the others are amateurs. Be a little original, outside your art anyway, old fellow. I don't [Pg 14] want anything to do with real estate, except in acre blocks beyond the city limits, and a jolly long way beyond at that!"
"Is that so?" asked a mellow voice from behind the last speaker. "Then, my dear sir, Messrs. Dewd and Cruickshank can fix you right away. ”

“ The "realtors" prefer to speak of their trade as a "profession" or "calling," not a business or trade, for they claim that an up-to-date real-estate dealer is a community builder and leader whose preparation requires a good general education and a special training, pointing out that a number of the best colleges in the country are giving courses in the real-estate business. ”

“ There are, in addition, those cases that have found a protectable interest in favor of a real-estate broker who has gained a prospective interest in a commission by introducing a buyer to a seller of property. ”

“ Don't disparage a piece of property with the naive idea that by so doing the price will be lowered. You only arouse resentment on the part of the owner.
Don't make a pest of yourself by too frequent visits to a place that attracts you.
Don't try to eliminate the real estate broker. If he really knows his territory, his services are worth far more than his fee which is paid by the seller anyway. ”

“ Here as an operator in real estate he has remained in business continuously since, and his careful investments, his active promotion of building and real-estate projects have brought him a meas- ure of success that enables him now to live practically retired, giving his at- tention largely to the control of his own properties. ”

“ The Real Estate man knows them all, and caters for all. His voice quivers with sympathetic sentiment when he dilates on the ideal situation of the lot for a home—five minutes from a projected public park or recreation ground, and only three minutes from the street car line. ”

“ It is also a matter of luck when buyer and seller deal directly with each other to mutual advantage. For that reason it is poor economy to try dispensing with the services of a real estate broker. A reliable one is an invaluable guide, mentor, and friend to the lamb fresh from the city. Let him know what you want and what you are willing to pay and he will do his best to find it. If a place interests you, look it over well but don't insist on so many showings that you wear out the patience of its occupants. Never, never belittle any property in the hearing of its owner. ”

“ The land agent naturally resides as a rule in the vicinity of the estate. Therefore he knows everybody by name; knows all about the incumbrances, the resources of every tenant, the length and breadth of every field, the price of produce, the probable value of the harvest; all the threads are in his hands; the landlord counts upon him, approves everything he does, upholds his rigours, and submits to his tolerance. Is he not himself at his mercy? The agent keeps all his deeds of property ”

“ Even in transactions where the Company is really nothing more than a real estate agency, it will temporarily appear as a purchaser, and will be set down as the momentary possessor in the register of landed property. ”

“ Improvement Company. We’ve decided not to confine ourselves to our flat scheme alone. We’re going to handle big real estate schemes wherever we see anything good enough and big enough to make it worth while. ”

“ While these institutions loan in the aggregate enormous sums on farm property, their chief field of operations is urban real estate, and particularly the industry of residence, or as we would call it in this country, apartment-house construction. ”

“ The Broadway Realty Company was formed for the purpose of owning, holding, and managing real estate. It owns an office building and certain securities. The office building is let to tenants, to whom light and heat are furnished, and for whom janitor and similar service are performed. ”

“ Conveyances of real estate are simple in form, and are often prepared by those who have had no professional training for the purpose. Printed blanks, sold at the law-stationers, are commonly employed. ”

“ The sale and purchase of real estate in large towns is always effected through house-brokers, but fields change hands very commonly by direct communication between the parties interested. The legal rate of commission to the broker is one per cent of the purchase price of the house, and is paid by the seller. ”

“ Much more so is this true when the effort is to ascertain the value of real estate in the country, where sales are few, and where the elements which enter into and determine the value are so varied in character. ”

“ Under this system, it is customary for landlord and tenant each to receive one-half of all sales. As each owns one-half of all the live stock (teams excepted) , each shares equally in all increase. The landlord pays for the cost of permanent improvements such as new buildings, fences, repairs and drainage. The tenant, in making these improvements, in some cases, agrees to furnish two days’ labor for one day’s pay. The theory is that, while the increased value of the real estate is of advantage only to the landlord, the improved facilities are of some benefit to the tenant. ”

“ This mode of selling real estate in the United States is a very common and favorite one, and the principles governing the contract, both in law and equity, are more fully and perfectly settled than in England or any other country. ”

“ To buy, sell or otherwise acquire, hold, own, use, manage, improve, maintain, develop, rent, mortgage, or otherwise encumber, and to transfer and to exchange real estate of every kind or any interest therein, to trade real estate of every kind and of any interest therein, and to trade in real property improved and unimproved in the state of California, and elsewhere. ”

“ Back in 1928, a man bought a comparatively new house and eight acres of land for a sum far below the prevailing prices in the vicinity. The grounds were attractive and the lawn well shaded with fine old maples. He acquired this "bargain" in the late fall without benefit of real estate dealer. In fact, he boasted of his acumen to a broker who had originally shown him several other pieces of property in the section. ”

“ In a Real Estate man’s eye, the most exclusive part of the City is wherever he has a House to sell. ”

“ Strengthen the securities market for the purchase of housing, including the provision of first and second mortgages, facilitate the sale of securities issued for housing operations, including common and preferential stock in property development companies, mortgage bonds and debentures, certificates of real estate shareholdings, supplemental letters, promissory notes and other documents related to rentals with an option to buy. ”

“ We shall not find it amiss either, to know something of the character of the owners of the adjoining property, for if they are real-estate men there is a probability of their putting up houses built to sell. Non-resident owner may be expected to allow their vacant lots to remain unkempt and to object to all improvement assessments. ”

“ It is not only Real Estate men, however, who talk Real Estate. Everybody talks it. In the hotel, at the street corner, in the departmental store, on the railway, you hear Real Estate, Real Estate, Real Estate all the time. It is a subject of the most thrilling and never-fading interest to the Canadian. You meet men everywhere who have been dabbling in lots, and to a certain extent they confirm the Real Estate man’s rosy pictures of the money to be made out of this form of speculation. ”

“ Where a real estate development enterprise develops real estate in phases, the amount of phased investment shall be commensurate with the scale of the project and the capital shall be put into construction of the project on schedule as agreed upon in the contract for granting the land-use right. ”

“ Five years from now those who fail to invest in this class of residence property will be regretting it as keenly as do those now who made the same mistake about $50 and $100 lots five years ago. The increase in real estate values is best shown by the city assessment roll. ”

“ Nor had he been successful in acquiring any of the premises on the first floor. They were held by three very old established businesses—an estate agent, a firm of land surveyors and the offices of a valuer. ”

“ In the case of which I speak, the philanthropist is the manager of the property of a life-insurance company which owns quite a large amount of unimproved real estate in a Western city, and had a surplus capital on which it desired to realize. ”

“ Think how you would complicate the real estate business, when you came to turn out the mistaken people who had occupied, improved, and sold your property during your brief absence. Think of the difficulties that would arise from the increase in the size of your families, which would probably have taken place while you were sleeping out in the open air, and for which you would have to provide, although you had not been consulted in the matter. ”

“ People are now flocking in here in considerable numbers, either to settle or to make investments in real estate, in the hope and expectation [Pg 225] of realizing a fortune by the rise in the value of property. We have dally stages from the east and south, and they generally come loaded inside and out to the extent of their capacity. The land-office is crowded both by settlers and speculators eager to enter the choicest lands remaining unsold. ”