Who is Misleading the Realtors.. Shame .. Shame
This Story is So Sad. The Poor Realtor who DOES not get Internet marketing AT all and Has to Pay for leads online, is mislead by a Real Estate Lead Generation Company and they are Shocked, Gee I wonder if the REALTORS will Hold anyone accountable.
The Realtors mislead the Public EVERYDAY. The Realtors, most do not even own their name as Dot Com, Duh... You the Seller can Easily Market Online where the Real Estate Buyer Can find you. Don't TRUST the Realtor they really are fumbling around in the darkness of the Big Scary Internet looking for Leads - the Wrong way and blaming other for Their Naivity.
I think many, many more Realtors will be Duped as they struggle to survive online and Pay the WRONG people to Promote Them, Blog about them, give them leads and at the same time still trust the MLS and Realtor.com as a Good Place to market Real Estate.
Don't Use a Realtor, NOT only will you save lots and lots of money and have better protection, you avoid the chaos the Realtors are getting you in online... you will Get a Purchase Price, and have better long term protection.
Many real estate agents in Las Vegas and across the country say they've been misled. They blame a man who lives here part-time and who continues to sign up new clients for his "can't miss" advertising plan. News 3 investigator Mitch Truswell uncovers how many realtors feel ripped off.
Rex Harris is promoting a realtor referral plan, similar to 1-800-DENTIST. If you're looking for a realtor, he asks you to call his 800-number, as advertised on television, to find one. Harris makes his money by selling the rights to valley zip codes to realtors.
If someone in 89113 calls the 800-number looking for a realtor, whichever realtor brought to that zip code receives the referral. News 3 spoke to several agents who bought this service yet have never seen the commercial and never had a referral.
Recently, Rex Harris met with local realtor Anita Shapiro to talk about the advertising plan he claims is incredibly popular. What Rex didn't know was that News 3 recorded the entire sales pitch, including when the ads will air.
Rex Harris: Everybody is signing up. I've been on every appointment. I can show you the checks in hand dated today because everybody is signing up for our program. TNT, like I said, is from 4 to 7, ESPN News is from 7 to 7, ESPN on the weekend from Noon to 7, Fox News from 6 to Midnight, HGTV from 7 to 9, MTV 4 to Midnight, and CNN all day long.
Anita Shapiro: When are you going to start these?
Rex Harris: It starts this month.
News 3 followed up with Rex to make sure we had heard correctly
Mitch Truswell: You already bought time with the network?
Rex Harris: Yeah. We're going to start this month.
Rex told Anita that a 90-day contract would cost $2,500. If she pays today, she could reserve the zip code she wants. And as it turns out, the zip code she wants is available. Anita asked for a contract to show her husband. Rex Harris, however, said he didn't have any extras.
The contract Rex supposedly uses looks similar to the ones used by Our Family First Realty, a company that sold the same advertising plan to valley realtors as far back as one year ago. In fact, Rex Harris was the sales manager of Our Family First Realty, which is now out of business.
Realtor Emily Gunning bought the advertising plan from Rex in July 2007 when he was working for Our Family First Realty. Emily has never seen the commercial on television, nor has she ever received any referrals. And now, she wants her $1,300 back.
"He took agents' hard-earned money and didn't do what he said he would do," alleges Emily. "We have been in contact with hundreds of other agents in Colorado, Illinois, (and) Indiana that have the same story, exactly. He's collected thousands of dollars."
Realtors across the country signed up for the same deal, but they too have never seen the commercial on television.
Mitch Truswell: A lot of realtors say they paid you money and they're not getting anything done. None of these ads were ever placed.
Rex Harris: I have no comment.
Mitch Truswell: These people just want their money back.
Rex Harris: Ok, then they need to contact the company that I worked for, ok?
Mitch Truswell: But if the company is not in business then how are they going to get their money back?
Rex Harris: Uh, I don't know bro.
When News 3 again spoke with Rex, he told us that he's building a legitimate company, Better Realty Deals. The web site lists a business address which is actually the address for a home on the valley's west side. Rex Harris is not listed as the homeowner.
Mitch Truswell: Do you have a business license? Are you registered?
Rex Harris: As far as I know.
Mitch Truswell: Under what name?
Rex Harris: Better Realty Deals.
But after checking with the Secretary of State's Office, News 3 uncovered that there is no corporation by that name, nor is there a business license throughout all of Las Vegas, Clark County, or Henderson.
And that's just the beginning of the unanswered questions.
During his sales pitch, Rex Harris told Anita Shapiro that his father owned the company.
Anita Shapiro: He owns the company? Your dad?
Rex Harris: Yes.
Anita Shapiro: And does he have a real estate background or advertising?
Rex Harris: Realtor in San Diego for 12 year. All his buddies are big guys out there.
But when asked by News 3's Mitch Truswell whether his father was involved with the company, Rex Harris responded, "No, my father is dead."
Rex also told Anita Shapiro that the advertising program was already up and running.
Anita Shapiro: When are you going to start these?
Rex Harris: It starts this month.
Yet when asked over the phone by News 3's Mitch Truswell whether he had bought any media time for clients, Rex Harris responded, "For my clients signing up now, we don't launch until January."
Because of these inconsistencies and many others, Anita Shapiro sat through the sales pitch but never bought into it. Unfortunately, she does have friends who did.
"He took $1,300 from my friend Emily, money from people I work with - professionals. He's out there doing it again. He just has a new business name."
Harris says his advertisements have run, yet when asked by News 3 for receipts or dates of the media buys, Harris claims he doesn't have them.
News 3 knows realtors in many different states have paid money to Rex Harris for the realtor referral program through Our Family First Realty or Better Realty Deals. If you were one of them, please contact us at realtorconcerns@kvbc.com.
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