#1 ·
With respect.
I’d like to share my perspective—and a bit of firsthand experience—regarding the current state of the real estate market here in the States.
With the hope that things will eventually shift... For the better.
I am currently living in Canada. I am of Canadian descent—writing in English, so please excuse any inevitable errors.
I’ve been reading up on how one might actually jumpstart the real estate market here in America—though, frankly, I'm skeptical. We're looking at a country where people are constantly moving away, the elderly population is passing on, and birth rates are cratering. It's a tough sell.
The headlines are nothing but a relentless stream of fraud stories... How can anyone be expected to buy property when that's all they see? It makes you wonder if someone isn't just quietly sweeping up everything on the market while everyone else is too distracted by the scandals to notice.
Some properties just sit there, gathering dust for years. There’s this segment of people who seem to hold onto this delusion—this hope that foreign investors are just going to swoop in and buy everything up. But honestly? I wouldn't want those outsiders moving in here anyway... even if they did end up settling in the States.
"Bring your money here, spend it with us, and then... just go back to where you came from." And don't come crying to anyone if you end up getting scammed.
How exactly do they plan to jumpstart a dead real estate market when agents just list properties by saying "it's in this area," and then I'm left to go scout the neighborhood myself?
I've been trying to scout the neighborhood using Google Earth street view—since they won't give me the actual address. It’s a bit of a guessing game... usually ends up being somewhere else entirely once you actually find out where it's located.
I'm trying to picture myself living there—but honestly, there aren't enough photos to go on. Not that they're "bad" per se, just insufficient. It’s impossible to get a real sense of what the property actually looks like when you can't see the layout.
It is incredibly rare to find an agent who actually bothers to include a floor plan, property boundaries, or deed images... And even when I take the time to write them a formal letter, I often get absolutely nothing in return.
I’m honestly at a loss—not even sure if I should bother writing this in American or English.
It’s the same story every time—the moment I start speaking American, people immediately assume I’m some kind of fed looking to exploit their information.
Actually, I’m doing my own due diligence—gathering as much intel as possible on every property that catches my eye.
Once I head out to California—a place I've visited plenty of times before—I’ll aim to review the properties I'm interested in as quickly as possible.
I’m an hourly worker—not exactly rolling in vacation days. If you aren't aware, in Canada, you only get two weeks of annual leave... that's it.
Not everyone is a millionaire... though it feels like in America, they’re the only ones anyone bothers looking for. And frankly, we still don't have the infrastructure to support them—just look at how things run in places like Beverly Hills.
So many agents give you that same canned response—"we'll show you some properties"—only after I’ve already pinpointed exactly which one I'm interested in. It's a tedious dance.
An agent reached out regarding that property I inquired about—one he’s currently listing. We’ve settled on a time—he's picking me up tomorrow.
It keeps showing me all these random properties... I try to correct it, telling it I’m only interested in one specific listing, and it just acts like—fine, fine, see you tomorrow. I've never actually seen this thing in person.
He didn't show up—didn't even bother to reach out. I was honestly close to putting certain representatives on my blacklist... those I refuse to deal with moving forward. No point in wasting my time.
An agent spent two days showing me various properties—not bad, per se, but they just didn't click for me. She certainly had the experience and knew the legal side of things inside out, though.
I had intended to stay in touch—keep her in my orbit, so to speak—to potentially bring her on as an advisor down the road. I’ve already reached out via email and even suggested we grab a coffee to catch up.
I wanted to send her $100—a small way to repay what I learned from her—but she never replied to my letter. Then, just as I’d already hit the road... she calls.
A contact from Santa Monica provided me with some location details... after four months, I finally followed up with a formal letter. We met, and I’ve since inspected the property.
She didn't even want to believe I had shown up... she just claimed everyone is out there stealing "listings" from one another.
I can finally see the actual situation on the ground—the internal dynamics between brokers isn't my issue... nor is it the customers' issue...
They act like they’re selling you a lemon... but they won't show it up front... only once you arrive... and then it's "buy it immediately, don't browse"... "don't waste the broker's time"...
Some other brokers drove me so fast—I was following them in a rental car—that I almost lost track of where I was or what I had even seen... and eventually, they just left me stranded in some desolate rural town...
The entire day was a wash, honestly, because they actually managed to leave me completely disoriented...
Fortunately, I used to ride in junior cycling championships back in California when I was younger... so I didn't wreck the rental... I didn't buy a property, but I certainly walked away with an impression...
And there are two names on my blacklist (since they were brother and sister brokers from a small suburb near Chicago)
"I realized that I was the one with the problem"—because I know exactly what I want to buy... at what price... and I refuse to be cheated... I've read the laws... and I am not paying
3% to both brokers; the time will come when they realize that if you want money, you actually have to work... and be honest... there will come a time when every single listing will have a sign out front
displaying the full name of the specific broker responsible for that property—and in the event of a sale, those two brokers would split that 2-3%, much like how it works here in Canada
It would also make finding a home easier for buyers... since they could just walk through a neighborhood they like and call the agent listed on the sign... (which means everyone wouldn't have to waste money on advertising)
And ultimately, it wouldn't be radical to send American brokers here to Canada to take their exams and earn their real estate licenses
And to teach them that commission is only paid once the new owner actually gets the keys... and the property is officially deeded to the new owner...
I’d like to share my perspective—and a bit of firsthand experience—regarding the current state of the real estate market here in the States.
With the hope that things will eventually shift... For the better.
I am currently living in Canada. I am of Canadian descent—writing in English, so please excuse any inevitable errors.
I’ve been reading up on how one might actually jumpstart the real estate market here in America—though, frankly, I'm skeptical. We're looking at a country where people are constantly moving away, the elderly population is passing on, and birth rates are cratering. It's a tough sell.
The headlines are nothing but a relentless stream of fraud stories... How can anyone be expected to buy property when that's all they see? It makes you wonder if someone isn't just quietly sweeping up everything on the market while everyone else is too distracted by the scandals to notice.
Some properties just sit there, gathering dust for years. There’s this segment of people who seem to hold onto this delusion—this hope that foreign investors are just going to swoop in and buy everything up. But honestly? I wouldn't want those outsiders moving in here anyway... even if they did end up settling in the States.
"Bring your money here, spend it with us, and then... just go back to where you came from." And don't come crying to anyone if you end up getting scammed.
How exactly do they plan to jumpstart a dead real estate market when agents just list properties by saying "it's in this area," and then I'm left to go scout the neighborhood myself?
I've been trying to scout the neighborhood using Google Earth street view—since they won't give me the actual address. It’s a bit of a guessing game... usually ends up being somewhere else entirely once you actually find out where it's located.
I'm trying to picture myself living there—but honestly, there aren't enough photos to go on. Not that they're "bad" per se, just insufficient. It’s impossible to get a real sense of what the property actually looks like when you can't see the layout.
It is incredibly rare to find an agent who actually bothers to include a floor plan, property boundaries, or deed images... And even when I take the time to write them a formal letter, I often get absolutely nothing in return.
I’m honestly at a loss—not even sure if I should bother writing this in American or English.
It’s the same story every time—the moment I start speaking American, people immediately assume I’m some kind of fed looking to exploit their information.
Actually, I’m doing my own due diligence—gathering as much intel as possible on every property that catches my eye.
Once I head out to California—a place I've visited plenty of times before—I’ll aim to review the properties I'm interested in as quickly as possible.
I’m an hourly worker—not exactly rolling in vacation days. If you aren't aware, in Canada, you only get two weeks of annual leave... that's it.
Not everyone is a millionaire... though it feels like in America, they’re the only ones anyone bothers looking for. And frankly, we still don't have the infrastructure to support them—just look at how things run in places like Beverly Hills.
So many agents give you that same canned response—"we'll show you some properties"—only after I’ve already pinpointed exactly which one I'm interested in. It's a tedious dance.
An agent reached out regarding that property I inquired about—one he’s currently listing. We’ve settled on a time—he's picking me up tomorrow.
It keeps showing me all these random properties... I try to correct it, telling it I’m only interested in one specific listing, and it just acts like—fine, fine, see you tomorrow. I've never actually seen this thing in person.
He didn't show up—didn't even bother to reach out. I was honestly close to putting certain representatives on my blacklist... those I refuse to deal with moving forward. No point in wasting my time.
An agent spent two days showing me various properties—not bad, per se, but they just didn't click for me. She certainly had the experience and knew the legal side of things inside out, though.
I had intended to stay in touch—keep her in my orbit, so to speak—to potentially bring her on as an advisor down the road. I’ve already reached out via email and even suggested we grab a coffee to catch up.
I wanted to send her $100—a small way to repay what I learned from her—but she never replied to my letter. Then, just as I’d already hit the road... she calls.
A contact from Santa Monica provided me with some location details... after four months, I finally followed up with a formal letter. We met, and I’ve since inspected the property.
She didn't even want to believe I had shown up... she just claimed everyone is out there stealing "listings" from one another.
I can finally see the actual situation on the ground—the internal dynamics between brokers isn't my issue... nor is it the customers' issue...
They act like they’re selling you a lemon... but they won't show it up front... only once you arrive... and then it's "buy it immediately, don't browse"... "don't waste the broker's time"...
Some other brokers drove me so fast—I was following them in a rental car—that I almost lost track of where I was or what I had even seen... and eventually, they just left me stranded in some desolate rural town...
The entire day was a wash, honestly, because they actually managed to leave me completely disoriented...
Fortunately, I used to ride in junior cycling championships back in California when I was younger... so I didn't wreck the rental... I didn't buy a property, but I certainly walked away with an impression...
And there are two names on my blacklist (since they were brother and sister brokers from a small suburb near Chicago)
"I realized that I was the one with the problem"—because I know exactly what I want to buy... at what price... and I refuse to be cheated... I've read the laws... and I am not paying
3% to both brokers; the time will come when they realize that if you want money, you actually have to work... and be honest... there will come a time when every single listing will have a sign out front
displaying the full name of the specific broker responsible for that property—and in the event of a sale, those two brokers would split that 2-3%, much like how it works here in Canada
It would also make finding a home easier for buyers... since they could just walk through a neighborhood they like and call the agent listed on the sign... (which means everyone wouldn't have to waste money on advertising)
And ultimately, it wouldn't be radical to send American brokers here to Canada to take their exams and earn their real estate licenses
And to teach them that commission is only paid once the new owner actually gets the keys... and the property is officially deeded to the new owner...