60 minutes

If anyone was watching 60 minutes on Sunday, you would think the world would be better off without real estate agents. So next week on 60 minutes: We can do without doctors since holistic medicine has become the new medicine. Come on. Guess they have never heard of free enterprise, or, let the client decide what is best for them. Every agency, every agent brings something unique to the table. It is a matter of matching the client to the agent. What do we as agents provide. What service puts us heads above other agents. Is it our personality, experience, referability, service, etc. It is definately not putting out a sign and hoping for the best, or going out on a treasured Saturday or Sunday and showing 50 houses in hopes that one will fit their needs.

Rather, it is a long due diligent process of being a consultant, advisor, friend, counselor, negotiator, secretary, limo driver, marketing guru, and a host of other characteristics that describe this job called Realtor. We work hard and long on a contingency basis, not asking for a dime, until the house is sold or found, but spending money and doing hard work to engage a contract.

There are few agents that I have run across in my 10 years experience who do not care for their clients and will not go the extra mile for them. So, why does the media continue to beat up on us? Because it is newsworthy. They are tired of the same old lines: the housing market is down, sellers are giving their homes away, etc. You never hear, now is a good time to buy. Homes are falling like flies, get in there and snatch them up. So, they put a new angle on it, and now it is affecting Realtors and their good standing, not only with new clients, but our past clients. Who wants to think that the person they hire is only in it for the money according to 60 minutes. I will not stand idly by and let my clients be lead by the nose (60 minutes) into believing the worst of us. I do not think that our clients believe all of this horse manure, but it is out there and must be stopped. 

Buyers and sellers have a choice. That is the way this business began, and that is the way it should continue to be.