It is a great honor to be a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker. 

Am I discontented?

There have always been "untrained agents" and lazy brokers.  It comes with the territory.  You deal with them, then you move on.

Unrealistic expectations?   All of those Realtors on reality TV shows are beautiful people who drive expensive cars and make piles of money.   It is not that easy, Folks!

NAR?  That useless organization is comprised of self-serving bureaucrats who pay themselves athlete-level salaries.  NAR has accomplished nothing worthwhile in decades.    The industry will be much better off when NAR is dissolved and ceases to exist.

My happiness does not depend on NAR or other agents. Circumstances, changes, people... there is constantly something that could throw us off our path, better to stay focused on what you are doing to make every interaction and transaction a better one. 

I am not sure if discontent is the word I would use.  I have long felt we needed to raise the bar and police our own ranks to filter out some of the rank and file.  

Totally! Untrained agents, lazy brokers, those with unrealistic expectations have been with us as long as I've been in this profession, which is over three decades. What the NAR has wrought is a travesty. And I'm beyond embarrassed by being associated with an organization with a history of sex scandals and hostile working environment. They make us take ethics classes every couple of years... they are the ones who should take some ethics classes. And maybe stop paying themselves those exorbitant salaries with our money.

What a relevant question & it is filled with common senses. I agree with your summary. The insult? Are the dues (taxes) they keep charging for these questionable services. Your closing sentence is near brilliant too thank you Leanne Smith 

Leanne Smith - what was disconcerting to me was when NAR's skeletons started coming out of the woodwork. Publicly, it was and still is shameful. NAR was never supposed to be all about them. And now we know, it was never about us, the self-employed business owners who made many sacrifices.

Agents who have practiced ethical behavior and loved helping others believe in the American Dream were honored and respected. Repeat clients and referrals were their reward! Now the messy/ugly stains trickling down from the top of NAR leaves self-evidence, their bad decisions were wrong! They put a bad taste in the mouths of ethical Agents trying to make an honest living. That is why I went inactive! I saw the handwriting on the wall and one by one, NAR's betrayal became known and now their naked truth is a scandal. Finally, I said to myself, enough is enough!

I count my blessings for the Agents who were willing to work with me in a transaction and not arm wrestle me. To those who were bully's, I stayed away from them. And what I always found most interesting was most of my clients knew who a bully was in the real estate industry before me! 

"Why we drink" LOL LOL LOL
[I wrote a lot more, but it got too long so it'll be a post at some point]

The Good News is I’m 90% a Listing Agent ! 

I learn and adapt.

Leanne Smith I dropped out of the race about 6 -7 years ago due to discontent. Not one moment of regret.

In 2003, 2004 and 2005 everyone was happy. In 2009, not so much.  In 2021 and 2022 everyone was happy again and in 2024, not so much.

I think contentment has less to do with NAR and recent litigation and more about whether or not you are making money in the business.

The lazy or untrained agent is easier to deal with when business is booming but the worst when it's your only active transaction.

I have always been discontent with the industry's level of training.   As for NAR, I think they made a lot of bad decisions and did a poor job of promoting their benefits.

New rules, same game! The discontent continues, untrained agents, agents with unrealistic expectations and little work ethic sponsored by lazy or unqualified brokers. Me, I am retired and observing. 

It's a great time to retire.

Not at all—just not feeling discontented, no need to waste energy complaining. Some agents are just never truly happy but that does not mean you need to be. The industry’s shifting, sure, but just focus on serving your local clients and community better right here, right now. That’s what matters.

No.

Leanne Smith 

It amazes me as to how many agents are not trained well by their lazy brokers. I work on my transactions and make it happen, even if I have to send a friendly text, email or make a call to the other agent. The rest, I simply don't have the time or energy to correct. Interestingly, the public notices the good, the bad and the ugly. In the long run, they end up calling and working with the good agents. In the long term, it is a great benefit to great agents.

If the skies open and rain falls, I carry an umbrella; if the chill of winter approaches, I don my jacket; and when the sun shines brightly, I dress in light, cool fabrics. The whims of the weather won't keep me indoors. Similarly, I navigate my business through the storms of complete lunacy in our current governmental debacles and the challenges posed by the NAR; I am resolute, determined, and undeterred.

I'm extremely sad that we are still mandated to be members of such a dishonorable association - and there's NOTHING we can do about it in many cities across the nation. Forced unionization with a professional association that is one of the most disrespected associations in the nation is a hard pill to swallow.

But, I digress! I love what I do and am most grateful to the other agents in my area who are a pleasure to work with. Those who are not so pleasant to work with are either getting out of the business or I've been fortunate not to have to work with them since all of this NAR madness began! 

I will say there are lazy agents and there always have been. I simply put my nose to the grindstone and overcome those obstacles. My mission is for my client not to have anything other than an uber pleasant, stress-free experience so, I do what I have to do to make that happen.

NAR, media, agents, buyers, sellers, banks, buyer programs, unrealistic expectations, inventory, settlement, Wall Street REITs/rental companies…have you pick…

While not happy with the NAR , settlement, and more, I am 100% responsible for adapting and adjusting to all the changes. 

Not discontented with the industry or profession, but very much so with NAR.  They never cease to amaze me at how they can find new ways to screw over their members.  Either the settlement, clear cooperation, this new MLS options which is ripe for abuse.

I feel beat up in recent years. The legal settlement only plays a very small role in it all. Each individual piece contributed.

1. In 2019- NYC experienced a reset with the rental market from new regulations. This didn't impact me a lot since I only work sales, but it did weaken the investor market. 

2. In 2020- Covid hit us hard and while the rest of the nation soared- we declined. Local and Regional Buyers flocked to other cities, suburbs and even rural areas and international buyers . This has started to reverse a little in late 2024/early 2025.

3. I got hit by the sting of our legal system. I needed to foreclose on a neighbor that stopped paying the condo association fees and special assessments. Since we are a small building nearly 100% of the work fell on my shoulders- and between past laziness by other board members, bad legal advice, insane court procedures, etc.- this took nearly 13 years from default to getting in new neighbors. All of this time, effort, and stress took a toll on me. Other states this can happen in months not measured in many years.

4. Banking blacklists - NYC has been far more responsible overall with leveraging our risk of maintaining our buildings. Its far from perfect, but Local Law 11 has helped maintain bricks and other facade elements from raining down on people. While changes could occur over one rough winter with alternating freeze and thaw cycles- cracking bricks and mortar- a building can get an unsafe rating as a result when going through the mandatory 5 year inspection cycle. As a result of the Miami building collapse- banks/agencies- stopped lending to a lot of buildings that failed this inspection- even if repairs are in process. 

 5. Interest rates - The massive and rapid changes in interest rates put a halt in buyers moving forward. We are first experiencing a hint of a return to normalcy in Q1 2025...and now due to political/economic uncertainty- no idea whether this will remain in place or not. I think Manhattan is in a better place to address the challenges than many other cities in the nation- especially when you consider due to the policy driven events of recent years- we haven't seen appreciation in about a decade. 

I could go on and on and on - but I think my point is clear.  

I am not discontented at all, this latest cluster of nonsense is just another speed bump on the highway in my career. I try to stay focused on what I CAN control.

The fact that it is a tough market now has nothing to do with NAR or the changes wrought by the lawsuits. Just excuses for those who would fail in any market.