Vacation!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been on vacation, which has coincided both with the only hot weather of the summer and our new puppy's arrival. That's kept me busy, but I did just finish reading Free by Chris Anderson, which is a book about all the things that we now get for free (mostly on the internet), and how that has changed business. Our industry, of course, is a great example.

When I started in real estate, all the information about all of the properties offered came in a printed book that was published every two weeks by our local Board of Realtors. Customers couldn't take it out of the office, so they had to come in to look at what was for sale. We controlled all the information, and thought that that was our salvation.

Fast forward to today: Our website gives away everything that we know about a property, and it does it without requiring payment or loyalty or even identification. We now map properties, so that you know where they are located, we tell you approximately what your own home is worth, and we post all the things we can think of that you might want to know.

What happened? Our role as Realtors has changed. We are now consultants, negotiating between buyers and sellers. We no longer work only for the seller, and we no longer rely on information as power. And what we've found is that people who use us, which they are no longer almost forced to do, get more for their homes, or pay less as buyers, than those who go it alone. Also, we save time, hassle, and costly mistakes. Are we worth it? You bet! Most people who buy or sell without a real estate agent say that they wouldn't do it again. There certainly is value in experience, expertise, and local knowledge. And we can still put all the facts on the Web. So take advantage of that, and log on anytime!

Signs and Selling

We have a few sellers who don't want signs on their properties. Sometimes, they also want us not to mail to the neighbors announcing the listing. Usually, they say that this is because they don't want their neighbors to know that they are selling! Since signs are the number one tool that agents have for selling property, and since many properties are sold to someone who already lives nearby, this is an odd reaction. Would you look for a job, but refuse to give out your resume? Would you try to get a part in a play, but not allow your agent to send information about you? Exposure is the key to successful selling in most cases. Especially since, when you think about it, once you sell these people won't be your neighbors anymore anyway!

The other misconception I find less surprising is that sellers think that they can sell their homes without benefit of a real estate agent and get more money. While it can be true that a seller could get lucky and know of a prospective buyer, he or she is not going to get more money if they do what is often the case. They advertise the property as "x dollars without an agent". In that case, don't you think that a buyer will expect that the money otherwise dedicated to the commission will go to him? Obviously, real estate professionals aren't helped by people selling their own properties, so I'm doubtless biased, but I find the approach unlikely to get more money for the seller. Plus, empirical evidence collected around the country suggests that most independent sellers get too little for their properties.

Now that I've vented, I should end by saying how busy the real estate market is this week. Let's hope it continues unabated!