This post is not mirroring the games played by the popular media .. like " take a whack at the Realtor pinata" or "pin the tail on the Realtor"... Nope it came to mind when I was talking to a friend and stated, "You know, I feel sorry for kids today --- who grow up without John Wayne." I (personally) cannot imaging growing up without John Wayne .. he was such a hero figure.  And that got me thinking .. where are the real estate heroes and positive role models?

Realtors don't have cool computer games named after them, or action figures, or backpacks toted to school by the tweens with their photos/logos on them. Why is that?  I was reflecting on how there doesn't seem to be positive and favorable role models of "Realtors" in TV and/or the movies. Why is that? I searched my memory of past and present TV shows and really couldn't come up with one. Maybe you guys can. I vaguely think Peg Hunnicutt (wife of BJ Hunnicutt on MASH) was a part-time Realtor mentioned in passing  .. perhaps? .. and I think I remember housewives on sitcoms being part-time realtors on a few shows. But not a strong, positive, favorable, professional, role model ....hmmm ----- in fact real estate was often portrayed as something a housewife could "do" while the kids were at school , and still be home at 3:00 pm to serve those after-school snacks to the neighborhood.  

I was out of the country and never saw either Peyton Place or Knots Landing but I think they had some Realtors portrayed, but I don't think they were particularly favorable... weren't the realtor characters kind of weasely?  Yes? No?

 Think of all the TV characters ... astronauts, flying nuns, genies, farmers, architects, engineers, tennis instructors, doctors, lawyers and yes even Indian Chiefs - Dustin Hoffman's Indian grandfather in "Little Big Man" and the Chief in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" come to mind ... wasn't he an ax murderer? --- yet he was cheered at the end of the movie when he broke free and escaped from Nurse Ratchet's world .. the anti-hero HERO.

 Not so Realtors ... culturally --- realtors seem to be continually stereotyped and caricatured as shallow, self-involved, usually greedy,  and sometimes more than a tad weasely. It's the realtor who knowingly sells the nice family the house that is the actual gateway to the nine circles of hell, or who leases the house with the chainsaw dude in the cellar to the nubile college coeds for the summer... or even sticks genial Jimmy Stewart with a house with questionable running water for the whole summer in "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation".  Why is that?

 I thought about maybe the other professions have situations that rail against "the system" ... eager young lawyers fighting injustice; ADA's fighting city hall corruption; doctor's fighting disease .. and a realtor's  "system" is your own next door neighbor who's house is on the market, so its not the same level of drama? Is that the problem? Then I thought of other "agents" - well private eyes are agencies .. but Rockford and Magnum did OK .. is that it --- do you lack a dashing leading man? Hey-wasn't Jim Rockford also a part-time realtor? - another of those part timers ...not good....not good.  Then I thought of insurance agents and the nice man with good hands at Allstate and the dude with the red umbrella all seem to have positive recognition factors.

 And coming forward in time to the HGTV "reality" house-fixing, house-hunting shows ... the realtor STILL gets short shrift. They're usually in the role of acid-tongued, waspish critic whose tart and pointed criticism of whats wrong with a property ... for the sellers own good of course...just destroys the Sellers. -AND-  the HEROES turn out to be --- NOT the Realtor who made the analysis --- but the home decorator/ staging/ remodeling team who spend $2000 and within 48 hours refurbish 2 out of 3 major rooms with the aid of some McGuyver-carpenter who can build a complete wall unit out of used bureau drawers, soda-straws and hubcabs and it looks like it came out of the Ethan Allen showroom --- THOSE are the guys who take the bows.

 You know, Realtors are being kicked around in the present climate but you have to face it ... when a computer generated gecko and an ax murdering Indian Chief escaping from a loony bin can generate more positive and favorable emotion and recognition than members of your own profession, I think the anti-Realtor sub-culture is strong and you gotta ask ...WHY IS THAT! ...and can it be turned around?

Thanks for stopping by,

Judith, The Floor Plan Lady

www.smarteplans.com

========================

SMARTePLANS have photos embedded inside the floor plan that launch with a mouse click .... each photo arrow is positioned in the plan where the photographer was standing --- so you can see where he was and what he was aiming at when he took the shot ... in relationship to the drawing. Beneath the photo is a description of that room. Once the photo launches you have a choice to link back to the floor plan and choose another photo, or read the amenities text for the WHOLE property (not just that particular room). All the files are inter-linked so you can seamlessly click around this property, viewing the photos and reading the descriptions. This is not a video ... you choose what you want to view ... or not.

[NOTE: SMARTePLANS are PDF files so they magnify to over 100%. When the file launches, click "View" on the top toolbar and make sure there is a checkmark next to the toolbar named "Select and Zoom". Every time you tap the plus key inside the circle the view screen enlarges (the minus key shrinks the magnification); and the magnifying glass with the plus sign in it marquee selects a specfic area of the drawings to be enlarged. Using the hand key and the scroll bars, its easy to move around inside the file, and then magnifying the features you want to see.]

© SMARTePLANS 2010          U.S. Patent 7,733,351 B1 
The compilation above is the original creative work and copyrighted property of SMARTePLANS. You may link to it; but it may not be copied, nor reproduced in any form or format in whole or in part without the express written permission of Judith Sinnard.