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[C Russell <mtbetter AT yahoo.com>]

I thought of you, Gene, when I read this in the NY
Times...  

cathy

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/31/realestate/31brokers.html?ex=1118203200&en=a7ca2340fbe7e342&ei=5070

EDFORD, N.Y. - Earlier this month, Michael Neeley, a
real estate broker in this leafy, upscale suburb,
closed on the sale of a contemporary ranch house. A
few days later, the sellers of that house bought
another, larger ranch house. 

Then, in a chain reaction, the sellers of the larger
house closed on a $900,000 four-bedroom new colonial
house. Mr. Neeley had a stake in all three deals, as
well as the sale of two more homes, both for prices
well above $1 million. In less than two weeks, he said
he cleared nearly $98,000 in commissions, after
splitting with other brokers and his firm. 

bit snipped out

As the housing market has fueled the economy over the
last five years, top real estate agents have been
among the biggest beneficiaries. Until recently, the
neighbors who drove the best cars, wore the best
clothes and gave the best dinner parties were doctors,
lawyers, bankers and stockbrokers. But now, with house
prices skyrocketing and homes in the hottest markets
selling in a matter of days, some real estate brokers
are enjoying incomes and lifestyles that approach
those of their wealthiest clients. 

Their success is inspiring a new generation of
prospective sales agents, although the likelihood is
high that many of them will not earn a decent living
at it. Already, there are too many brokers. But the
best and most experienced ones with proven track
records are having a run beyond their wildest dreams. 

...large bit snipped out

Some agents are finding that their social status has
risen along with their newfound wealth. "You see it by
the places they dine at, the clothes they wear and
what they perceive as their familiarity with clients,"
said Hilah R. Iaulus, a real estate lawyer and an
adjunct associate professor at the New York University
Real Estate Institute. Clients see their brokers "much
less like a person who is serving them and much more
like a comrade or friend." 

Such camaraderie has not changed the general
impression that the public has of real estate agents.
While the National Association of Realtors cites a
survey it commissioned of public perceptions showing
that Realtors rank higher than lawyers, a Harris Poll
last year found that real estate brokers ranked the
lowest of all professions, below accountants,
stockbrokers and journalists, in terms of prestige.
Such a poor image likely comes from the fact that
agents earn their livings from commissions on closed
deals, sometimes creating the perception that they
will say or do anything to sell a house.

(not you, of course, Gene)



                
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