Just a few of the things we do....
to earn our commission.

Several years ago.... a wealthy Oil & Gas man told a very good friend of mine something that has stayed with me over the years. What he said was.... " Real Estate agents charge to much for the services they provide and the only reason someone goes into Real Estate is because they can't find another job"... What he meant was... that we weren't worth what we charged and implied that we were lazy and maybe not self motivated individuals, so this was why someone would get into Real Estate to avoid having to "work for a living." Talk about deflating one's ego! 

What he didn't understand though was that the business of representing others in the sale of real property is over 200 years old! Frankly, nothing survives that long without being of value. He was wrong, wrong, wrong!... we do provide a valuable service, we do earn our commission and we're most definitely highly motivated individuals. 

Remember, "We don't get paid unless we deliver RESULTS!"....  

This brings us to the question.... Just what do Realtors do to earn their commission for the services they provide? Here's a comprehensive and humorous-although not necessarily complete-summary of some of the things that a good Realtor has to do to earn their commission.

Have you said or have you ever heard someone say..."Realtors don't do a @*!?*&% thing. Why, they just stick a sign in the yard and make easy money. I could do their job any day of the week." 

Sound familiar? Well, maybe they could do our job any day of the week. But it won't be just 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, rainy days, cold days and unpaid vacation days.

Please understand this, there are Real Estate Agents, and then there are the good Real Estate Agents. Just like doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. This 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, ( **NOTE** In my area of the country with 400 agents doing what I do, you'd better be competitive.) today's Real Estate Agents are expected, assumed, requested, required and/or demanded to perform, be knowledgeable of or have access to the following: Be an Informational Brokerage service, a tax rate adviser, appraiser, mortgage lender, financial planner, legal expert, credit counselor, city planner (fortune teller), building inspector, chauffeur, shuttle service, travel agent, delivery boy, order taker, public relations expert, therapist, marriage counselor, family doctor, nurse, baby sitter, advertising executive, general contractor, construction estimator and superintendent, and expert, multitalented subcontractor (not excluding locksmith, yard man, maintenance man, garbage man, plumber, electrician, decoder scientist for alarm systems and programmable thermostats).

Real Estate Agents are often perceived as the bad guy when... interest rates go up, the bad guy when... your house doesn't sell by 10 a.m., the next day, the bad guy when... you're discouraged about looking at properties that are $50,000 over your budget.

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 is or isn't.

They must know about schools; churches; governments; public utilities; crime rates; world affairs; this weeks jail terms for this week's Environmental Protection Agency violations; future developments that no one has even dreamed up yet; transportation; shopping; day care; soccer; football; baseball; T-ball; every homeowners' association formed since 12 B.C. 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; how many termites it takes to eat a house;( **NOTE** This is my all time favorite!) and at least two dozen other skills and talents that I don't have room to mention.

So be nice to your Real Estate agent. Next time you start thinking, "They just stick a sign in the yard and make easy money," go spend a day with them.... you'll soon realize, like most people that "work for a living,".... they work hard to earn their commission, and your satisfaction for a job well done is really important to them.

Courtesy of Hubert Yeldell, Broker.  Used with permission.