Realtors® sometimes receive negative feedback from sellers or buyers concerning how a real estate transaction transpired.  Those sellers or buyers usually blame one or the other agents for those troubles.  While it might be true that one of the agents was the direct cause of trouble in a transaction, it is more likely that the trouble had a different origin, but the resulting conflict or monetary loss caused the client to assign the blame to an agent.  What is your expectation?  What does a good real estate transaction look like?  Are you expecting a trouble free zone to surround you with no inconvenience or compromise, along with a quick clean sale and generous offers?  That expectation may be a fairytale!

One article appeared recently on a real estate website promoting certain select agents using an article labeled “How To Pick an Agent.” The article linked to testimonials that read something like this, “My agent sold my home in 2 days for over list price”.  The outcome and selling experience this agent is promoting seems great if they could consistently deliver that same outcome on every listing!  In a great market they make it seem easy, as if they have the magic that others don’t.  The problem is that testimonial speaks only of marketing efforts but nothing of negotiations, financing struggles or conflicts resulting during the escrow period such as repair requests after an inspection, title issues or boundary disputes.  Maybe the definition of a good transaction needs to be defined in a broader context than this shallow testimonial suggests. 

Why would you even need a Realtor® if ALL they contributed was a 2 day marketing effort?  Anyone who can write an ad and put up a sign could do that.  The truth is that you don’t need a simple salesman anymore.  What you really need is an educated, trusted professional who has the resources and expertise to provide pre-sale guidance and solve problems when they rear their ugly head.  Real estate transactions are becoming more complicated and trouble ridden, while marketing schemes seem less complex than ever before.  Have you ever seen a pro baseball player scoop up an infield hopper and catapult the ball to first base?  They make it look easy, but it took years of practice to be able to do that without an error.  There will likely be rough waters in your next real estate transaction.  Look to your trusted professional to take the helm!