Help yourself or the estate trade today and tomorrow respectively
Hardly anything is discussed so much in groves and meadows like the need to clean off the entire branch from „bad“ estate agencies and their fly-by-night practices and this way to improve its social reputation – which maybe the trades themselves question the most a bit paradox (according to available statistic data „obvious“Czech has more or less the same interest on the estate agencies like its union fellow citizens). Calling for„establishing the order“ sounds for many years, when just now its intensity increased. It reflects the process of not only one of discussions, held by Stavební fórum. Aside from the main topic the question of the estate agencies work quality is occurred very frequently during them. And also new potential clients of Czech estate agents ask the question frequently: developers begin having problems with – till now more or less smooth – sale of their products, residential estates most of all.
The establishment of the new professional union of estate agencies also reflects those problems undoubtedly. The chamber of estate agencies was created last year and its membership consists of strong and respectful players of the domestic estate market most of all. However, the same can be told about the Association of Estate Agencies, which exists twenty years practically, during which it „stands“ creation of several competitive organizations fairly easy. They are created almost periodically all the same, while protagonists of such actions always point out, obviously or closely, that the Association does not make much for the branch and the branch complaints, character of which is chronicle, is not able to solve effectively. And it seams, that complains are really many. Till now traders themselves are not able to agree upon that, for example, what they should offer to clients in the frame of their service in fact, neither upon it, if estate agencies should or should not serving like changing stations for payments, also mutual robbery of orders is well-known, which also relates to seldom utilizing the institute of exclusive acting on behalf among others, etc., etc. Quality of „ estate agents “daily“ work and their seriousness is also questioned. The business manager of the important developer company glossed laconic but cogently at one SF meeting: „The problem is not in that, whether the agent will come one or two hours later, but it is concerned so as he would ever come.“
It is interesting – especially under our conditions, where people answers by refuse or counter for any admonitions most of all– that agents themselves do not defend admonitions overly, let them sound from anywhere, even they agree with them. This phenomenon, unprecedented with us, can be explained easily. Well-established and generally more go-ahead estate agencies on the market are on in mind in healing weaknesses of the branch. The state intervention is needed; it mainly means amendments of concerned legislative, which would implement the system of licences, qualification examinations for estate agents, according to them. By other words: not everybody, who wants deal with real estates trade would do it like it is today. And just inability of the Association to ensure the acceptance of such legislative change in political representation, leaded and leads to repeated trials to change it by other association, which would be able to work effectively mainly in this field.
Distinctive feature is, that all such trials are commented from the Association side with apparent calm. Undoubted tradition, experiences connected with it, but probably mainly knowledge of scenes and coulisse, in which the effort of estate agencies on promotion of the branch are performed, enables mild smile to the tops of Association, standard powered by wishing success and crowned by broad-minded offer of co-operation, if they would be interested in it. They know in the Association what they know namely.
To enforce any change of the law is possible in democracy, but usually it means much energy of all kinds. It is needed to stimulate interest first of all, in public (and media), in politics of course. If the first is concerned, the estate sphere has not it much easy there. Besides, that effective public relations requires consistent and qualified effort, they also need relating interest of the addressed party. However, yesterday and today the quality (or no quality) of estate agencies services is not hot topic for Czech public. Although many people use their services, but only fitfully, once a plenty of years and so eventual negative experience – if not criminal trespass is concerned namely, and this appears really seldom –the afflicted person is not worthy complaining in fact. It is in contrast to medical services or travel agencies servicing, for example. „Injuries“ of estate market are not bearing overmuch either medially, but contrast is valid for failures of the mentioned travel agencies for example. Pictures of unhappy tourists, kept to their destiny at airports in some exotic destination, are grateful food every summer for newspapers and TV screens – and needed legislative change, which would make the end of such Calvary, have already made. Professional estate associations also meet shortness of financial means in this respect assumedly. Good „PR“is expensive and actors in the professional association have often “deep to a pocket”. To support the branch means to support also our own competitors inevitably, and this fact anybody is able to girn and bear it. It is not excluded, that also the new Chamber has met those problems – its various and point-blank campaign from last summer namely foamed up, and how it continues in its ambitious targets fulfilling (besides change of legislative also establishment of guarantee fund for afflicted clients) is not known.
Of course politics – lawmakers – can be addressed directly. Also here estate agents have not easy position. The proposals to increase state regulation of any business are very low popular on the right side of politic spectrum taking logic of things into consideration. The proposals always smell by effort to knock out competitors on the market a bit and this is also the reason. On the left side they assumedly would meet shortness of interest, because the real estates market is not problem of „commons“. And mainly – politics have really different problems now, irrespective of their addresses, sizes of which factual and political are compared with those „estate“substantially high. Whereas the fact cannot be counted on that any politic would want and could come in for needed electoral points if dealing with the required legislative proposal. Quality work of estate agencies is a weak topic plainly, which political robustness is far from others and it needs not to be just taxes in medical care.
There is a right question: what to do? Solution is not easy, the receipt confirmed by history: help yourself. After translated for the estate trade this guidance sounded during one discussion of Stavební fórum not long ago „Strong players would joint and work out standards, which the market would have to respect thanks of their importance and reputation. “And another translation to the practice can be done. The branch would not rely on intervention from the above, it will not come in a short time and had not come at all, and in several countries nobody regulate the estate trade like it s used here. Therefore all would sit at the one table: Association, Chamber and also estate franchise chains, which keep themselves apart assumedly for the meantime. But this is just the thing, what our estate agents do not know.
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