A man went in to have some foot surgery. His doctor was trustworthy, honest and professional. Two years later the same man needed brain surgery and insisted that his podiatrist do it because he trusted him so much. Of course, most of you would tell that guy to have a brain surgeon do the operation. We all know why.
Which brings me to this great analogy in real estate. A man, Mr. Buyer, bought a home and was represented by Realtor Bob. Bob did a great job representing Mr. Buyer. In fact, some years later, Mr. Buyer needed to move. And his automatic reaction was to call Realtor Bob. But Mr. Buyer is making the same mistake the guy in the first paragraph made. How could this be?
Make sure you hire the right agent, or it might be a long walk home.
As many of us know, the training for a foot surgeon and brain surgeon is very different. They are specialists in medicine. In real estate, real estate agents have only two jobs – representing buyers and sellers. But the skill set necessary to do either job is about as different as being a podiatrist or a brain surgeon.
So when Mr. Buyer bought his home, Realtor Bob functioned as a buyers agent. And years later, Mr. Buyer calls Realtor Bob to sell his home to work in the capacity of a listing agent. Does Mr. Buyer know anything about the different skills needed from an agent when they are acting as a listing agent? Probably not. Should he be concerned using an agent who may or may not have the skills to effectively market a home for sale? Well, he doesn’t have a clue. How would he know?
Too often, consumers wanting to buy or sell a home will choose an agent, based on trust. Trust has nothing to competence yet consumers make choices without getting any factual information. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure this out. Of course, most Realtors don’t want you to know whether they are competent in both areas. But there are ways to find out.
Full Disclosure Real Estate 