Do you prefer to work with buyers or sellers?

Good question Marc.  As a business person I would not want to automatically rule out 50% of potential business. I think having a good mix is key.  There have been times I was completely burned out by a buyer and had a great listing come along. RIght now a majority of my business is buyers as well. As much as I enjoy working mostly wit buyers, listings are always nice.

I think it really depends on the dynamics of your current marketplace as well - in a sellers market, sure buyers are everywhere, and listings is where it's at - in a buyers market (when inventory is high and no listings "feel" like they are moving) a qualified "motivated" buyer would seem like a godsend - I'm with Shane (although technically I am not in real estate sales I think I can play here) - be receptive to both. But I think you need to have a flexible enough model that you can switch hit based on market conditions - it's nice to be able to say "I only want to do this, because it's the part of my I enjoy" - but if that were possible, I would only take calls from clients who said "I don't think I wrote you a big enough check, where do I send your bonus" lol

Although we get a TON of buyer leads from our website (thanks Morgan!), I LOVE working with Sellers. As an agent, I think it is the best security, if you have a realistic seller. I have "double ended" four of my listings so far this year- and then gotten other listings and business from those buyers, in addition the listing sellers in one case became buyers as well. Additionally, we get many leads from our listings. So from my point of view, each good listing is worth about 3 deals on average, whereas most buyer sales are just one deal. Also, listings are much easier to service especially if the Seller allows a lockbox on the property. You can have a normal life and work less evenings and weekends if you focus on listings. I even have gotten a few listings in the past year from my website! My preference is to service the listings and have my buyers agents work the buyers. This focus has made it possible for me to have my best year ever in real estate so far in 2009.

Awesome Gloria! I love to hear it. Great comment.

For all the reasons you and Gloria mention, sellers.  Getting offers accepted in Los Angeles County is very tough right now, and if the buyer is in the sub-$400k price range and is using FHA financing, challenging would be an understatement.  I've been told by many that have much more Real Estate web marketing experience than me that these websites only get buyers leads.  That is great, but I think you can definitely do stuff online to establish yourself in a "farm" and overtime harvest listings.  Looking forward to that challenge.  Also I think there is something to be said about buying while things are on sale.  Most agents (in my market at least) are drooling and tripping over themselves trying to get REO listings, the time to do BPO's and establish the asset manager relationships was during the boom years when no one wanted to bother.  I say work for listings to pay the bills but why not build up a huge buyer database now so that when the market turns as it always does, you have a huge pool of ready, willing, able (& pre-qualified!) buyers that want to work with you.  Then when everyone is chasing your buyers you can work for the asset manager relationships which  will be layups at that time because no one will want them.  Like Morgan said, you want to be able to succeed in any market, what I feel leads to burnout agents trying to chase the latest fad too late and basically buying high and selling low...