REALTOR: Friend or Foe?!

Last night I was up late tying up some loose ends with a few prospective deals that I have brewing.  It was about 2 am and I decided to hit that ever so addicting "StumbleUpon" button (I love it!).   After a few stumbles I came upon an article titled Why You Can't Trust Real Estate Agents When Buying a House. After reading this article I became slightly perturbed at the fact that someone had just taken my profession which I love and thoroughly enjoy and generalized me into a stereotype created by people that have had some bad experiences. 

I do know that there are REALTORS^® out there that are shady and sinister and do a disservice to their clients.  I have heard the stories and have been on the other side of deals with one or two of them.  They DO give us a bad name.  So I don't disagree with what Mike wrote in his article, but I stongly disagree with the fact that he implies that all REALTORS^® act in this fashion and are paid to much to do it.  This post is by no means an attack on Mike or his community of readers but more so an attack on the notion or misconception that you just can't trust your REALTOR^®.  

I will be the first one to tell you that when a home is priced correclty and needs little advertising, other than the norm (MLS, local publications, mailer), that it can sell quickly and pay handsomely with little work.  THIS IS NOT THE NORM!  Regardless of what kind of market you are in, there are always going to be hurdles and roadblocks when it comes to moving a property.  To imply that REALTORS^® just list homes, take any offers and try to make them work regardless of whether or not it is the best deal, do little to no negotiations, and with very little effort cash a check that was basically robbed from the sellers' equity is assanine.  I assure you that every REALTOR^® has had those contracts that expire after 6 months of marketing, advertising, staging, in some cases professional photos, and all the behind the scenes paperwork to make sure everything is legal and correct.  Essentially they have done everything possible except one more price reduction because the seller didn't want to.  And then it happens, the property is relisted with another agent for a reduced selling price and voila its under contract.  There are ups and downs and in certian cases many thousands of dollars spent to gain nothing.  That is real estate.

What is ironic in this whole thing is that the very things that Mike mentioned in his post are some of the reasons that I became a REALTOR^®.  Let me explain.  I was involved in several (6-9) real estate transactions in South Florida before moving up to East Tennessee.  Many of them involved REALTORS^® that were missing some of the finer qualities that should be found in someone PROVIDING A SERVICE.  I thought to myself, if these people can be successful in real estate and treat people they way that they do then surely someone like myself with 10+ years of Customer Service Management can fine tune the user experience and do quite well.  I always knew that it was the small things that made the biggest differences. 

I typically am a Buyer's Agent and tend to list few properties.  Not because I can't get the listings but because I truly enjoy helping people find what they are looking for.  As we all know, buying is an emotional decision and I like to be a part of that emotion.  Having said that, it is still my responsibility to make sure that my clients are given the best service that I know how to give and if that means that I have to help someone fight through their emotions and talk them out of what appears to be a bad deal then thats what I do.  Thats the oath.  I believe they call it the "Realtors Code of Ethics".

There are many reasons to use the services of a licensed REALTOR.  The responsibility lies in the hands of the prospective sellers or buyers to do their due diligence and find a REALTOR^® that can and will respresent them in a professional way.  Can property be sold "BUY OWNER", of course, but I don't recommend it.  Can a real estate attorney take care of the closing paperwork and make sure everything seems in order for say $500. Of course, but where is the protection?  The attorney is not protecting the rights of the buyers, and in some cases the sellers either.  Before you even get to the attoney's office you have to have a contract on your property.  The advertising and marketing that a REALTOR^® can provide is equivalent to thousands of dollars.  Some REALTORS^® invest countless dollars and hours in their websites in an attempt to market their featured listings globally. 

All I am saying is this, don't classify me into a group of misfits that do inded exist.  I believe that the need for REALTORS^® will never die becasue our society is one that exists on a personal level and longs for interaction.  One that wans to deal with a friendly face and knows that their interests are protected.  I will continue to provide the level of service that I do and I know that I will reap the benefits of doing so.  I will continue to stay true to myself and to my clients so that I may sleep at night.  I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A REALTOR^®!

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