@tweezerman
I'm intrigued as what exactly their job description is
Titter around in heels squeaking about square footage ?
What else do they do ?
Do they have a long list of houses to flog ?
I have no idea how property purchases work in USA
The house prices are obscene
Are they just part of the staging of the property ?
No, they're not part of staging the property. In the US, you need to be licensed to sell property.
There are many similarities but in the US, particularly in big cities, your ability to network and maintain relationships with clients is probably a relator's greatest assets, not least because so many houses are sold off-market. In the US, being an estate agent isn't looked down on like it is in the UK.
While we have estate agencies, the US have brokerages. Usually someone looking for a house will work with one relator who will have their own listings but will also select other listings held by other agents/brokerages. Relators make a commission on finding a house and selling, so it works in their favour for their clients to buy (and sell) exclusively through them. Some relators are freelance and work for themselves, In this instance, a large network of clients is of fundamental importance. (See Josh Flagg/Million Dollar Listing for a good example of this - most of his clients have come through his grandmother/family connections.)
LA is one of the richest cities in the world, but with limited views, particularly in the bird streets/the hills, prices will always be at a premium. Also, we've just had a pandemic so many are reassessing their homes. This has driven up prices. However, property, like most things, moves in cycles, so there will be a crash at some point. Developers are more likely to be affected, and why they always want to offload properties ASAP.
One of my US friends is a relator in LA. She opted for a salaried job rather than commission only - the Selling Sunset relators all appear to be commission only. This is great when the market is hot, not so much when business is slow.