Expectations
By Jim Palmer Jr.

In a recent conversation with a pushy buyer, it was made known to me that they would never work with a broker who didn’t answer their calls 24/7. He informed me that he refuses to work with brokers who practice real estate as a hobby, even though they were probably the type who could cater to his expectations.

There are still a lot of part-time brokers who consider their real estate business as a hobby, but the majority of modern brokers realize that the public demand for real estate services is much more time consuming than that. The point of this article is that there is probably a balance between the hobbyist and the expectations of the buyer cited above! If you are one of those buyers who expects regular communication with your Realtor® after regular business hours or who demands weekend and evening showings, then listen up, because I have some advice for you.

If you want the advantage of a loyal experienced broker and not just a chauffeur, then you will be considerate of your Realtor’s® personal time and space. Most brokers who have the experience to guide you through the purchasing maze already have a very successful business and don’t need or want to chase after-hours business! Some would argue that it’s just the nature of the real estate business to have to work those odd hours and to always be “on call”, but I disagree whole heartedly. While it is not unusual for established brokers to make special concessions for appointments on rare occasions, they are usually strict to protect their personal time, instead of allowing the tail to wag the dog.

Like those brokers, I place a high value on my marriage and my family time, and would not likely qualify to work for that buyer who wants 24/7 service! The buyer in the above example continued to exhort me by saying, “Selling real estate is a full time job! You should expect to work 60 hours each week because that is just what the job demands!” Even though many hungry brokers jump and run whenever a buyer wants them to, experience has taught established brokers to be more skeptical because they know if someone does not have the courtesy to respect their personal space, they probably are not trustworthy enough to be worth the risk. Those type of fickle buyers usually burn out their first few Realtors®, who are learning the hard way who to trust.