Extreme Makeover - Real Estate Edition - Part III - Getting Business

Quoting John Reilly, e-PRO:

Over the years, I've observed that most real estate professionals fail to educate their prospects and clients as to what services they perform in the real estate transaction. Here's a pretty comprehensive list of services that I am sure this Group can add to - "The Critical Role of the REALTOR in the Real Estate Transaction" -

John, this is an absolutely amazing piece of work by the Orlando Association. It does bring up several side-issues for me, but it can be very useful by anyone wanting to develop their service list.

Quoting the document:

Surveys show that many homeowners and homebuyers are not aware of the true value a REALTOR® provides during the course of a real estate transaction.

At the same time, regrettably, REALTOR® have generally assumed that the expertise, professional knowledge, and just plain hard work that go into bringing about a successful transaction were understood and appreciated.

Many of the most important services and steps are performed behind the scenes by either the Realtor® or the brokerage staff and traditionally have been viewed simply as part of their professional responsibilities to the client. But, without them, the transaction could be placed in jeopardy.

This publication seeks to close that gap.

End quote.

Now, I don't know about you but for me this quote underscores the need for transparency.

In addition, I am not surprised to see that the Orlando Association seems to feel that everything we do must be associated with a listing. I have gone over this "definitive list of what we do" several times and I am quite disturbed by the position that we are only serving sellers needs. What about the massive amounts of skill, caring and time invested in buyers? Where are those tasks listed? Going even one step afield - where are the tasks we might perform for someone who may not have a home to sell?

Let's see, are we not doing our job when we spend hour after hour helping homeowners prevent a potential foreclosure? Do we ignore the needs of the senior who might need to use some of their equity in a reverse mortgage. Doesn't it count when we go to bat at the assessors office to help our past client and friend to lower their tax bill through a reassessment?

Sorry for the tone of this. I really do appreciate the fine work in this document. I just wonder what we need to do to get our industry to stop tying our value to listings and transactions.

What do others think?

Jack

Copyright ©, 2008, Jack Harper, All rights reserved

Jack Harper said,

[ In addition, I am not surprised to see that the Orlando Association seems to feel that everything we do must be associated with a listing. I have gone over this "definitive list of what we do" several times and I am quite disturbed by the position that we are only serving sellers needs. What about the massive amounts of skill, caring and time invested in buyers? Where are those tasks listed? Going even one step afield - where are the tasks we might perform for someone who may not have a home to sell? ]

Jack,

I totally agree with you. We have moved into the realm of many different agency relationships and the Traditional Brokers and the organizations the serve voluntarily still remain in the years of Dinosaur-is REALTOR.

It takes a lot of listening and reading the old "Early" guy about the need to give Buyers their just due - ;-O. Kidding... but seriously; We need to address this and bring about a more comprehensive list based on many scenarios beyond the seller situation.

As a Consultant, often our job never moves to a sale... it is just our Professional analysis and research to facilitate a client's need to understand what they should do or consider while making an informed decision. Aside from our Fiduciary duties, we are allowed and need to promote the right to be recommended!. I do business by referral - Proactively!

Bill Holt, ACRE™, ePRO - On The Outer Banks, NC - www.obxmls.com / www.obxneighborhood.com

Where do I find this list of services? (Newbie and just learning how to work with RealTown systems

John Reilly, e-PRO:

Quoting Craig LaMar:

Where do I find this list of services? (Newbie and just learning how to work with RealTown systems

Craig, John sent us this link. Just click on it and you will get the list. If that doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.orlrealtor.com/Files/PDF/Value_of_a_REALTOR_183_Steps.pdf

Jack

Well, I guess that nobody read the email that said I was the one who first started this list of things that agents do to sell a house. With that thought in mind, I only list properties - I do NOT work with buyers.

I offerred this up to listing agents to help them, and now I'm hearing that the Orlando Board and Belton Jennings, our illustrious CEO are now being blamed for not helping the buyers?? come on guys...you got this info for free - courtesy of ME and ORRA, and you now want to complain about why there isn't something for the buyer?

I work only with sellers, if you want to re-invent the wheel for sellers, knock your socks off and share with us so we can all critiique your method as well.

Jack, I"m sorry for being so caustic, but I have a BIG problem with giving away free information and then having people complain about the free info they were given.

If you work with buyers, <b>make up you own danged list! and share it here so we can complain about how it doesn't work with sellers ;-) </b>

Paula Bean, Orlando, FL who is not in a good mood due to Hurricane Fay!

Where do I find the "list" of services being discussed?

Quoting Paula Bean:

Well, I guess that nobody read the email that said I was the one who first started this list of things that agents do to sell a house. With that thought in mind, I only list properties - I do NOT work with buyers.

Jack, I"m sorry for being so caustic, but I have a BIG problem with giving away free information and then having people complain about the free info they were given.

If you work with buyers, <b>make up you own danged list! and share it here so we can complain about how it doesn't work with sellers ;-) </b>

Paula Bean, Orlando, FL who is not in a good mood due to Hurricane Fay!

Jack Says:

Sorry Paula - your intent is not what we see in the result. The document clearly states:

"Listed on the following pages are nearly 200 typical actions, research steps, processes, and review stages necessary for a successful residential real estate transaction and normally provided by a real estate brokerage and for which they are entitled to fair compensation"

If this list were only an attempt to describe the fine work of a listing agent, I would be fine with it. It never makes that distinction clear to me.

Please note that I did refer to this as fine work. My issue comes when the leading paragraphs tell us that this document is designed to "close the gap" between the consumer's perception of our value and our own impression of what they think we are all about.

Quoting again:

Many of the most important services and steps are performed behind the scenes by either the Realtor® or the brokerage staff and traditionally have been viewed simply as part of their professional responsibilities to the client. But, without them, the transaction could be placed in jeopardy.

This publication seeks to close that gap.

End quote

Paula, I have no issue with the list. I take exception that its own description is such that it leads the reader to think we only represent sellers in a transaction.

I stand by this.

Jack

Copyright ©, 2008, Jack Harper, All rights reserved

Thanks for your response Jack, but if you go way back in time, this list that was developed by ME, and then changed by ORRA was always designed with listings in mind. That was all over the internet and agents were allowed to use this freely.

Where I have my problem is that I do NOT work with buyers, this list was designed with working with Sellers and people are complaining that they got this info free and it does not involve working with buyers. So, I will say again, if YOU want to make a list of what works great with a buyer, then do it. I did this list because I only work with sellers, and I really resent giving it freely to all only to hear complaints that it does not work for buyers. It was NEVER intended to be for agents who work with buyers...so, I say again, if you want to make a list of what works great when working with a buyer, and upload it to the internet, let everyone use it at will, then GO FOR IT.

But, do not complain when I have spent HOURS doing a list and let people duplicate it freely and then say what about the buyer? It was never about the buyer with me because I do NOT work with buyers...and I said so in RT a hundred years ago.

Not only that, but here is another thought for those reading this group:

If you want to work with buyers and/or sellers, then make up your own list, your own fees, thoughts, expertise, but do NOT complain that what you got for free from another agent doesn't work for you....just don't USE IT.

My .02 like it or not, I'll just stop sharing if there will be ensuing complaints, but then where does that lead us? Down the path of nowhere is my thought. Then again, after a sleepless night due to hurricane Fay, I may just be over-reacting. It's happened before ;-) LOL. Now that the power is back on, and we have air, the rain and wind is not so bad, I'm going to bed.

I'll look forward to responses when I wake up - which may not be until tomorrow ;-)

Paula, I am happy to hear that your lights are back on.

Paula Bean said,

I'll look forward to responses when I wake up - which may not be until tomorrow ;-)

-------------------------

Paula - I hope you get a good night's or day's sleep. If it makes you feel any better, I get it.

Although I can see where the intro is a bit out of step with the list, whenever I link to it - which I've done again recently on my blog - I just say, here's a list of things to be done when you're acting as a listing agent.

Kathleen