Why People Don’t Like Realtors. The Do Not Call Registry.

What to know about Realtors and the national do not call registry

Why people don’t like realtors. Hello everyone. My name is Kevin Monson and let me say right up front that I am not a realtor. However, a few years ago my wife came to me and said, and I quote, I want to get licensed to sell real estate in the state of Alaska. My face must’ve turned white. Is that thought of the implications? And I said, you can’t. And she asked why? To which I replied, because people don’t like realtors. My mind immediately went to any number of career choices she could make. That would be one step above being a realtor. Why don’t you become a Proctologist? How about an IRS agent, a personal injury lawyer, a tax assessor, a telemarketer, anything but a realtor? Well, a lot has happened since that conversation took place and it led to the topic of this video. Today I would like to talk to you about why people don’t like realtors. There are many reasons why people don’t like realtors, but for the purpose of this video, we will use one example and it’s a doozy. Are you ready? Fasten your seat belts. And here we go.
Okay, so today’s topic, the do not call registry. Did you know if a realtor does not know you or have any kind of relationship with you, it’s illegal for them to call you if your phone numbers are registered with the do not call registry? Here’s a true story. I have every phone we have ever owned, registered with the do not call registry. In less than a year. My wife and I have received three calls from realtors asking us if we wanted to sell our house. We have never met these people. We had never given them permission to call us. And even more interesting, the organization they were calling from didn’t even reside in the state of Alaska. And I want to get more into the phone call. But before I do that, let’s hit memory lane. I grew up in the 70s and there was this TV special cartoon called Charlie Brown. Now if you’re a guy like me and have more hair growing out of your ears and nose than you do out of the top of your head, you might remember this show. My favorite character on the show is not Charlie Brown or any of the other characters you could see. My favorite character is one that you could not see, and that was Charlie Brown’s teacher and for the voice on the other end of the phone, that’s the voice we will use. Okay, here we go. The phone call went something like this.

See Actual Video Below for why people don’t like realtors

Hello. This is Kevin.
No, I don’t want to sell my home.
No, I never think about selling my home.
I don’t care if now is a great time to sell.
I don’t want to list my home with you.
I don’t care if you can get top dollar for it.
I’m positive. I don’t want to sell my home.
Thank you. Have a nice day!

For the general public, this is just the tip of the iceberg. God forbid you had your home listed with a realtor and the listing expired or you canceled it. More than likely your phone is melting in your hand from unsolicited calls from realtors asking if you want to relist your home with them. Guess what gang if they don’t know you. This is illegal. More on this in a bit. First let’s talk about when it’s legal for a realtor to call you. All the following information that I’m going to give you was taken right from the national association of realtor’s website. There are only a few exceptions to when you can receive unsolicited phone calls from realtors or in any other entity that do not call. Registry only applies to personal phone numbers, not business lines or business to business calls. If the realtor had a prior business relationship with a person meaning help them buy or sell a house, it is legal for a realtor to call that person for up to 18 months after you did business with them. Even if their number is listed in the do not call registry.
It is also illegal for a realtor to call you for up to three months after you inquired about their services. Even if you are listed in the do not call registry, a realtor may also call you if they obtain written permission from you even if you’re listed in the do not call registry. Okay, so we have covered the legal stuff. Now let’s touch on the illegal scenarios. It is illegal for a realtor to call for sale by owners. It is also illegal for them to call on expired listings. Realtors incorrectly believe they can call on expired listings and for sale by owners under any circumstances and with no consequences as if somehow, they hold a magic wand that will exempt them from the law. The only time a realtor can contact it for sale by owner is if the realtor has a legitimate buyer interested in the listed property.

A realtor cannot legally call someone they don’t know about a canceled or expired listing. If they do not know you. This would include driving by a home that is for sale by owner and calling them from the phone number on their sign. So, if you are registered with the do not call registry and you don’t know this person, there’s no gray area, they are breaking the law period.

So now I would like to say something in defensive realtors. Let’s be perfectly here. We all know the individuals in the real estate industry are not the only ones trying to circumvent the rules. We all know we get unsolicited calls from other telemarketers. As with any industry, there’s a lot of great realtors who follow the rules. So, what about the ones who don’t and why did they break the rules? Well, for a realtor, the competition is fierce. There is enormous pressure to produce. Realtors also receive a lot of training on this very issue and are very informed about the do not call registry. So, it’s highly unlikely that they don’t know about this law. What is more likely is they just figure it’s easier to ask for forgiveness and just keep making these unsolicited calls. After all, everything is a numbers game. You make enough calls; someone will eventually bite, and they get a listing. I guess the theory being even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Occasionally. This is very risky because according to the national association of realtors, there’s an uptick in lawsuits against realtors who make calls to people registered in the do not call registry. Sometimes the person making the calls is an assistant that is handed a sheet of paper and told to start making calls. The fact that you answer the phone is not the fault of the realtor or the assistant, but due to the fact that you are not registered with the do not call registry, if by some remote chance you’re not aware of the do not call registry.

You can get calls not only from realtors drop from any telemarketer and it’s 100% legal for them to call you. Bottom line. You will never stop all the calls, but you can greatly reduce them by registering all your phones with the do not call it registry. Alright, so we’ve learned a lot and you might be left with one obvious question. Is it possible for a realtor to succeed in the industry if they don’t make calls to people that have homeless things that are canceled, expired, or for sale by owner, and the answer is an emphatic yes!

At the beginning of this video I mentioned to my wife, I would like to introduce to you Sheila Monson. I have been married to this amazing lady for over 30 years and in that time she supported me in a lot of decisions, business and personal. One of those decisions was moving our family to Wasilla Alaska 20 years ago. When she mentioned to me that she wanted to get licensed to sell real estate. She also asked if I would support her. My answer was a resounding yes. At that time, the two of us decided that her business would be built on a solid foundation of three timeless principles, honesty, loyalty and compassion. Those are three traits of a person with great character. You may ask, has it worked? And I’m proud to say absolutely. Sheila was in the top 10% of producers in all of Keller Williams Alaska in the first six months of 2019 she was the number one producer for the month of July 2019 for all single agents in Keller Williams Alaska.


That’s impressive enough, but here comes the part where the rubber meets the road. When it comes to the topic of this video, she has done it without calling listings that have been canceled, expired, or for sale by owner. Let me tell you just a few more things that make her special, not just to me, but especially to her clients. Sheila lives in Alaska! When you call Sheila Monson, you will talk to Sheila Monson. If a phone call needs to be returned, it will be returned by Sheila Monson. All things that are very rare in this industry. Because let’s face it, at the end of the day, all we are left with is personal relationships with people we meet. That is the foundation of Sheila Monson’s real estate business where we think her sign feels better than this one. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, Sheila would welcome the opportunity to help you. Feel free to give her a call. Thank you for watching this video and there will be more episodes coming soon.

Kevin Monson