What Do People Really Care About in a Realtor?
I was recently reading the Sellsius real estate blog which is written and maintained by someone I would like to consider a friend – Joe Ferrera. He’s been at this awhile and it’s one of the most widely read real estate blogs around. It’s witty and full of interesting stuff that we real estate people can use. Sometimes it’s quirky. In fact, Joe used one of my suggestions in a blog post on a really wild looking house.
All that being said, Joe recently had a guest blogger — Akos Straub — on his site hold forth on branding across media and especially on the Web. Now, I’m sure Akos is an extremely knowledgeable person and he seems very sincere. It was this opening paragraph, though, that really caught my attention:
As a top producing agent, I continuously offer superior customer service for my clients and my network. I’m committed to keeping my buyers and sellers ahead of the real estate curve. I’m dedicated to helping buyers make the right choices and sellers getting the maximum level of market exposure. Coming from a business background, I have a deep understanding of how homes should be marketed.
Is This What The Average Home Buyer or Home Seller Looking For?
This sounds simple enough. After all, it should be what every reasonable person would want in their Realtor. But don’t we see a lot of this already? Sure. Everyone has a little bit of a different spin:
- “I’m not Number 1, YOU are!”
- “My only goal is to exceed your expectations!”
- “I work 24/7 so you can relax.”
- more, more, more
Here’s the thing, though.
Does the average (and even above average) home buyer and home seller really believe this stuff? It’s so prevalent in the marketplace that it’s almost irrelevant. Would anyone really want to hire a Realtor who boasted, “I work 40 hours a week and get back to you when I can. I’ll can sell your house (or help you buy one) because I went through 60 hours of pre-licensing classes and passed the test.”
Of course not. That’s why we come up with all manner of interesting ways to say we love you and want your business.
Granted, it’s very difficult to cut through the enormous clutter of Realtor marketing in order to find a competent professional that can help you navigate the labyrinthian maze of real estate transactions. That’s why I think most people rely on someone referred to them by their friends, family or co-workers. It is true that if you’re moving in from another area you don’t have the time or network to find a good Realtor and, in that case, the Internet and, possibly, the referral of a trusted local Realtor is your best bet.
I Do It, Too.
Yes, I do it, too. I went through the marketing classes that taught me how to make an OK house sound absolutely wonderful and the classes that taught me to tell you I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The fact is I am a good Realtor and a caring one, too. Am I perfect for everyone? No. And everyone is not perfect for me. The big problem I see with the quote from Akos is that he’s throwing too wide a net. We all do. By trying to be all things to all people and sounding just like what the doctor ordered we sometimes end up in something akin to a bad marriage with both of us hoping that we can just make it to the end so we can say our good-byes.
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