What do Real Estate agents do to earn their commission?
Ever heard that question? Here’s a comprehensive and humorous take on that very question from a Home Inspector who’s worked closely with Real Estate practitioners.
“They don’t do @*!?&% thing! Why they just stick a sign in the yard and make easy money? I could do their job any day of the week.” Well, maybe you could do their job. But it just won’t be any day of the week. And if you intend to be successful at it (which means satisfying a bunch of clients, mortgage lenders, appraisers, and countless other associates), it will probably be every day of the week as well as most nights, weekends, holidays, anniversaries, special occasions, sick days, and unpaid vacation days.
Understood, there are Real Estate agents, and then there are good Real Estate agents. Just like Doctors, Lawyers, and Indian Chiefs.
This article is about the good ones. The ones who go to work before, during, and after the times mentioned above. To serve their clients and stay competitive in their profession, today’s Real Estate agents are expected, assumed, requested, required, and or demanded to perform, be knowledgeable of and have access to the following: The latest technology, Multiple Listing Services, tax adviser, appraisers, mortgage lenders, financial planners, legal experts, credit counselor, city planner, building inspector, photographer, videographer, drone pilot, digital home blueprint, chauffeur/ Uber or Lyft, shuttle service, travel agent, tour guide, delivery boy, order taker, public relations expert, therapist, marriage counselor, family doctor, nurse, baby sitter, advertising executive, marketing team, general contractors, construction estimator, and superintendent, fortune teller, and multi-talented subcontractors (not excluding locksmith, yard man, maintenance man, garbage man, plumber, electrician, decoder scientist for alarm systems and programmable thermostats.
They’re often perceived as the bad guy when interest rates go up and the bad guy when your house doesn’t sell by 10 am the next day. It’s helpful if their talents include being a diplomat, a negotiator, a referee (similar to those used in Roller Derby and Monday Night Wrestling) and, in general, a walking bureau of information for everything about anything – including whose check is good and whose wife or husband isn’t. I’m kidding! They must know about schools, churches, governments, public utilities, crime rates, world affairs, this week’s jail term for this week’s Environmental Protection Agency violations, future developments that no one has ever dreamed up yet, transportation, shopping, daycare, soccer, how many termites it takes to eat a house, every homeowner’s association formed since 12 BC and what kind of fences they don’t allow, should you water and fertilize the Bermuda grass before, during, or after mowing, the best place in town to buy pizza, if you can buy beer on Sundays, and at least two dozen other skills and talents that I don’t have room to mention.
So, be nice to your broker/agent. Next time you start thinking. “They have it so easy”, go spend a day with them. You’ll soon realize that, like most of us, they work hard for their money, and your satisfaction really is important to them.
