State of the industry | "...One out of every 115 people, and if you deduct kids, one out of every 85 adults in the U.S. is now licensed to sell real estate. We have way too many licensed agents and the industry is going to pay the piper for allowing so many to flood the industry. Generally speaking, real estate schools have had their hands full helping new entrants prepare to pass the licensing exam, Realtor Associations have been enrolling new members and brokers have been taking care of a strong real estate market. Overall, this has resulted in less training being provided to rookies and less career development for existing agents. The bottom line is the basic skill and productivity knowledge of the average agent is lower today than it was a decade ago. In some regards, we have gone backward as an industry. It is a sad state of affairs."
Stefan Swanepoel, real estate visionary and author |
What not to do. Ever | We suspect that every American has a friend or a relative with a Florida real estate license. So, a lot of Americans end up with friends or relatives with their real estate needs. If you would not trust your niece, who is a podiatrist, to do your heart surgery, be consistent. You may not lose your life, but can easily lose money. Do you want to keep your friendships? Then talk to us. Simply professionals. |
What agent say | And what it usually means |
I am with the biggest company with gazillion of associates in the area (or with more offices in the area, or with the highest number of sales, or with the highest sales volume or another best company in the area, state, nation, or the world), so... I am a stronger agent | This is irrelevant. The agent has a license with the brokerage, and is on his/her own doing marketing, prospecting, obtaining listings, writing contracts, getting the things to the closing... Paying for everything themselves as well, be it hardware, software, new gadgets, advertising, etc. This is how 99% of the brokerages operate. Of course, some agents have an assistant, some agents form teams, so you may be dealing with a 2-agent team, but you do not benefit from the size of the office. There is no such thing as combined effort of the brokerage, or any other benefit for that sake. Your success or failure depend on your agent and not the brokerage. We are a family team of dedicated people, working together. We do not compete with each other. We have more support and technology per agent than the overwhelming majority of companies, because we are a family and because we share. |
blah, blah, blah (see above), so.... it is a benefit to you | Not a given. It can actually hurt you. Example: we inquired about a listings. Next day we received the call from the agent, she was anxious, and she told us that the buyer would take less. This is a no-no, but she did it. At this point the Buyer had the Seller's agent working for them against her client's best interest. This was an experienced agent, and she did it because she was with one of these "Best" companies, and the manager was running high pressure sales meetings, and the agent needed the sale badly. She put the interests of the brokerage ahead of the interests of the Seller, who hired her. No wonder that under such pressure it is common practice not to warn clients that the offer is low. Often looking at sold property data we can tell who the selling agent was. We do not run sales meetings (as a family we have plenty of other opportunities to yell at each other). We do not care about the statistics, the volumes and all other things dear to the hearts of office managers. We care about our clients and put their interests first. We, actually, do not have interests other than our clients'. We do not call the prospects and tell them to bring any offer, and then push the Seller to accept. On the contrary, if we feel that the offer is low, we would call the client and advise not to accept it. Not very relevant today, but in a heated market of 2004-2005 we closed several transactions for more than the Sellers were asking. |
blah, blah, blah (see above), so.... and this would guarantee a better service for you | Big companies structure the business to be productive and create a corporate climate, which has very little to do with you. The agents have to show the company listings first. So, they would be pushing you into looking only at their company listings. Big offices have their own agenda We may not be the best agents, but we are absolutely committed to our clients. We get into their shoes. If we were in your place, which property we would buy? It gets very personal, we only recommend what we think is the best, not just to make a sale. That's why a lot of our clients become our friends, not just a source of referrals. A lot of agents claim the same, very few do. |
blah, blah, blah (see above), so.... we are better trained | Large brokerages provide training for new agents. Office manager or the broker sit with agents and go through some of the stuff that they consider important. The goal is to set the agent so that they can function on their own, avoid costly mistakes and litigation. This training does not have you, as a client, in mind. It is centered around the needs of the brokerage. To really get the training, you must go to seminars and coaches and pay serious money. Brokerages do not pay for their agents, and this costs thousands of dollars. We do. |
blah, blah, blah (see above), so.... we are better equipped with the cutting edge technology, knowledge and skills | It is all about money. Big or small, brokerages do not provide agents with technology. Brokerages do not buy Search Engine Optimization services for the agents, they do not buy Lead Generation Systems for the agents. Agents are on their own. It requires more and more money to keep up with the industry and be competitive. When you are with a one person, or 2-person team, chances are that they can't afford a lot of services, which can be vital for you. With 70% of consumers searching properties initially on the internet, the agents can say that they have the website, and they do. However to make the website work for you, it costs a mot of money and skills and effort. Yes, every listing on www.Realtor.com (and 75 of home seekers end up on that site) comes with a photo of the property, however, to have 6 photos of the listing, you have to purchase the service. To have the virtual tour displayed on www.Realtor.com, you have to purchase the service. To have the virtual tours on your own site, you have to purchase the service. Big brokerages as a rule do not do it for the agents. We do. |
Call 386-255-5355 or e-mail us for a no obligation consultation |
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