When you are buying, or selling a home, your most important step to take is choosing the right real estate agent or buyer's agent. The process is very detailed and difficult and you will want someone that could potentially save you from mistakes that can cost a great deal of money.

Monday, September 1, 2008

A day off?

Yesterday was Labor Day and I figured that I could take the day off. But just before 9, the phone started to ring and there went my day off. By 7 pm and I had just come up for air once at lunch and worked at my desk all day.


While I love to help people find homes, this is the part of my job that is most difficult. We are on duty 24/07 and most people don't have any understanding of how I work and how I get paid. Many people act as if realtor's are salaried employees who punch a clock.


The reality is that realtors like me run our own independent business. We pay for all our gas, we pay for our own computer, internet service, faxes, copies, we even pay our broker a desk fee. With each transaction comes a franchise fee, marketing fee, and insurance, not to mention splitting part of your commision with the broker.

So what's my point in bringing all this up? When a person can't make up there mind and we have to see 100 houses over the course of several months, it's on the real estate agent, not his/her broker. When you work with a realtor, you get the benefit of someone who knows the ropes and can save you more than you think if you were to do it on your own. Many people think they can just go to a seller to get a better deal by cutting out commissions but the truth is, as a buyer, you need representation, specially in a "buyer's market" because not every deal is a good deal.

So think about it, when you hire a realtor as your "buyer's agent", you are not getting someone who is just punching the clock. You are getting someone who is driven to serve you because that is the only way they get paid.

I appreciate when people understand this because it level sets the buyer-agent relationship. This way we can be honest with each other and I can do the best possible job representing the interests of the buyer.

posted by Patti Lora 0 Comments