sold it immediately for over $25,000, so I could buy my Porsche quicker.

A broker is your eyes and ears to the market. They're there every day so I do not have to be. I'd rather play golf.

Also, people who sell their house on their own must not value their time much. Why would I want to save a few bucks when I could use that time to make more money or spend it with those I love? What I find funny is that so many poor and middle class people insist on tipping restaurant help 15 to 20 percent even for bad service and complain about paying a broker 3 to 7 percent. They enjoy tipping people in the

expense column and stiffing people in the asset column. That is not financially intelligent.

All brokers are not created equal. Unfortunately, most brokers are only salespeople. I would say the real estate salespeople are the worst.

They sell, but they themselves own little or no real estate. There is a tremendous difference between a broker who sells houses and a broker who sells investments. And that is true for stock, bond, mutual fund and insurance brokers who call themselves financial planners. As in the fairy tale, you kiss a lot of frogs to find one prince. Just remember the old saying, "Never ask an encyclopedia salesperson if you need an encyclopedia."

When I interview any paid professional, I first find out how much property or stocks they personally own and what percentage they pay in taxes. And that applies to my tax attorn