Who Is Your Realtor?

Why you should choose one Realtor to help you buy a home.

I went to a conference several years ago where the speaker had talked about it. How when people were asked, “Who is your Doctor?” they could answer the question immediately. “Who is your Dentist?”  Same.  “What Nail Salon do you like?”  Almost every service job and answer came immediately. Why doesn’t the same principle apply to the question “Who is your Realtor?”

Your home is your single largest financial asset and yet people will choose someone who is in the business part time or a friend that they know “sells houses” but doesn’t have the experience to best serve the client.  What’s worse is some buyers go from one open house to another without any representation until they find a house they like and then begin the negotiations with the Listing Agent!  People believe that by negotiating with the Listing Agent that agent will be more willing to negotiate with them because they want DOUBLE the commission. I think nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Listing Agent has been hired by the SELLER to represent them. Their job is to get the most amount of money for the seller.  They do not work for you.

If you choose one Realtor to work for you as a Buyers Agent, they work for YOU.  Their job is to get you the best price for a house and to advise you as what the market comparables look like, what the fair market value is, what past sales look like, as well as what strategies we utilize regarding when to put in an offer.  The list is endless. It amazes me that people do not research their Realtor’s qualifications before beginning their house searching process and choose one Realtor to represent them to get them the best price for a home.

If you needed your appendix removed, would you choose the doctor who has just begun his career?  Or would you take the surgeon who is well known in this field and whose personality and skill match your own?

There is a major difference between a Realtor who works part time in this  field and one who has been in the business a while.  Negotiating is a skill. Picture it as if it were a surgery where you get better the more you do it. If you only did one appendectomy prior to being hired, don’t you think a surgeon who does 5 surgeries a day would be better at it?

In today’s market with inventory being so low and multiple offers being common practice, you need an agent who is readily available, knows the paperwork necessary to present a formal offer, and can look out for your best interest by having a network of lenders and attorneys to recommend to you to give you the best and most options. 

There are so many other considerations to take into account.  For instance making sure Certificates of Occupancy or CO’s are in place, attending the engineering inspection and knowing what falls under “normal sellers representations” to protect your client, and attending the appraisal and knowing how to reposition your deal if the appraisal falls short.

Do your research.  If you are choosing a new restaurant don’t you look at the reviews of new places to go?  What are the Realtor’s reviews?  How many homes has the Realtor sold?  What is that Realtor’s local knowledge of the neighborhoods you are interested in?

There is a major difference between Realtors based on their education and a Realtor based on their experience. Do you research - so the next time someone asks you “Who’s you Realtor?” you will be confident answering as you will any other question.

~Meg Smith

Broker/Owner

Meg Smith and Associates Real Estate