The other day I was discussing the Real Estate market in the Raleigh NC area with a friend and the topic of being a Listing Agent dominated the conversation. Without going in great detail I was explaining how listings are very circumstantial...and by that I mean there are so many factors influencing the marketability of the property that it is hard to please or appease every seller. Most sellers LOVE their home and can't see why anyone in their right mind would not want to pull the trigger.....but location, colors of walls, smell, slope of the lot, school zone, proximity to work.....the list goes on; all of these effect the marketability of the house. With that I said "more times than not, it takes the right buyer at the right time to make it work". My friends comment to me was "I guess it's kind of like the college and pro football coaches....you win or you are gone, even though there are circumstances out of your control (budget, size of school, conference) you are suppose to win and if you don't you are OUT".
I thought about it for a while and even though it was kind of off the wall, it was true. No matter what you do to market a home and how good you are with clients and other Realtors that most of the time will bring that buyer, there are things you can't control and it's just part of the game and an understood rule that your time is coming if you no one buys. I will say that price is by far the number one factor that can get anything sold...with location coming in right behind, but as a listing agent you must be prepared to face ALL challenges and present them in the best light.
I thought about it for a while and even though it was kind of off the wall, it was true. No matter what you do to market a home and how good you are with clients and other Realtors that most of the time will bring that buyer, there are things you can't control and it's just part of the game and an understood rule that your time is coming if you no one buys. I will say that price is by far the number one factor that can get anything sold...with location coming in right behind, but as a listing agent you must be prepared to face ALL challenges and present them in the best light.
REALTOR = Salesperson or Consultant?
Posted 02-07-2012 at 08:23 AM by Stu Barnes
I choose the latter. This entry may get a few responses agreeing with me and a few disagreeing with me with good reason. For one, it depends on where a REALTOR practices on what their official title reads. In NC we used to have a salesperson's license, but now we all have a Broker's license. In theory though; is the what I am trying to clarify.
When most people think of a REALTOR they think of someone "selling" their home or someone representing them to "buy" a home, which looks to some either way as the typical "sales" process of hyping up a product, pointing out it's features and trying to get the most money for the product and spend the least amount of money promoting the product.
Real Estate....in my opinion couldn't be farther from that theory or "misconception" to the public. First of all, REALTORS are bound to a code of ethics which hardly any "salespeople" would be bound. We are also licensed with the State in which we practice. We have fiduciary duties to our clients, which means we represent them and put their interests above our own. Whether certain REALTORS do that or not is a different discussion, but the rules are the rules and most of us follow them.......those that don't will eventually be discovered. Second, when listing a home it's not like we are standing out in front of Wal-Mart with a flyer of your home passing it out to everyone that walks by....your home is not advertised.....it is marketed....there is a difference. It is important who the house is marketed to and where it is marketed. That in itself is a whole new topic as print ads are antiquated, but the gist is we are not advertising the home, we are marketing the home where it will benefit our clients....and not only to promote ourselves...which again....is a whole new topic.
As this topic is totally open for discussion, I would just like to point out that in my view, I am a Consultant, though my ultimate goal is to "sell" a property, it should not be at the cost to my clients in a way that does not benefit them. In other words, we should not advise a client to accept and offer or make an offer that is not in their best interest. I have found that if you follow that rule, things will work out in the end. I hope that the REALTORS reading this post will agree with me and consumers reading this will have a better understanding of what REALTORS stand for as a whole. Stu
When most people think of a REALTOR they think of someone "selling" their home or someone representing them to "buy" a home, which looks to some either way as the typical "sales" process of hyping up a product, pointing out it's features and trying to get the most money for the product and spend the least amount of money promoting the product.
Real Estate....in my opinion couldn't be farther from that theory or "misconception" to the public. First of all, REALTORS are bound to a code of ethics which hardly any "salespeople" would be bound. We are also licensed with the State in which we practice. We have fiduciary duties to our clients, which means we represent them and put their interests above our own. Whether certain REALTORS do that or not is a different discussion, but the rules are the rules and most of us follow them.......those that don't will eventually be discovered. Second, when listing a home it's not like we are standing out in front of Wal-Mart with a flyer of your home passing it out to everyone that walks by....your home is not advertised.....it is marketed....there is a difference. It is important who the house is marketed to and where it is marketed. That in itself is a whole new topic as print ads are antiquated, but the gist is we are not advertising the home, we are marketing the home where it will benefit our clients....and not only to promote ourselves...which again....is a whole new topic.
As this topic is totally open for discussion, I would just like to point out that in my view, I am a Consultant, though my ultimate goal is to "sell" a property, it should not be at the cost to my clients in a way that does not benefit them. In other words, we should not advise a client to accept and offer or make an offer that is not in their best interest. I have found that if you follow that rule, things will work out in the end. I hope that the REALTORS reading this post will agree with me and consumers reading this will have a better understanding of what REALTORS stand for as a whole. Stu
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