Gives you breathing room - good point, Margaret, and one too often forgotten by too many agents.

Nice job. This represents you well.  Hopefully this will bring in some buyers for you as you sound like the type of agent buyers are looking for.

Great post!  I love it!  The image is great too!  Well written, thanks for sharing.

Margaret, LOVED the photo! I find that many agents selling out of area in MY area really don't know what they are doing and I fear their clients are not being well represented.

Colleen

Margaret,

I think that is a former buyer of mine. Great post. Spell check knowledge.

Although I am finally getting my GRI after 11 years in the business,  I was never a big believer in them (designations).  My attitude has since changed and am in the process of attaining more, not so much for the public though.  More for me to be as knowledgeable as possible in the field.  I've seen and worked with a lot of excellent agents with designations and without and have also run into those with and without designations that should be selling shoes.

Margaret.... can I get her number?  Sooo sexy...  ;o)   Seriously, this was an excellent little cheat sheet for the average consumer to review. Overall, a worthy post and excellent job on this...

Jeff, I've talked to a few consumers this week and they all seemed so nervous... like they were going to a new dentist or something.  It kinda reminded me that consumers sometimes don't know where to start.  The "agent" here is meant to llighten up the discussion!

Mike, thanks!  I thought I'd saved this to drafts, and didn't realize I'd published it yet.  Corrected, thanks!

Colleen - Yes, this was another one of those blogs inspired by a photo.

Tina - Thanks.  Funny, professional appearance isn't anywhere on either list!

Rian - Just some food for thought.  This is really directed to consumers, but it's a good checklist for agents, too.

Lisa - This first list (minus the "will work for free") was actually the results of a consumer survey published in Realtor Magazine a dozen or more years ago, and I've used it in one form or another for training and presentations ever since.

Margaret.... kind of like this list...  Mortgage Process - Purchase CHECKLIST prior to purchasing a home - Part 1
If the average consumer would follow your list and the one that I mentioned, our lives would be a little easier. Why they would be nervous?  Only if they listened to the wrong people and the wrong advice. I had a client that was told by a lender to go get new credit. He bought a car, which dropped his price from $180,000 to $115,000. Bad advice was given without explaining it in detail.

The experienced agent also has more interaction with the top agents in the area.  Very helpful when trying to sell listings.

Being comfortable with your agent is key...I try to give a very low pressure indication at first to make them feel comfortable. Once they feel they can trust you the rest is easy...by the way...she looks like a Hawaiian Tootsie:)

Great post. Very well thought out. I like the analogy . ( like going to the dentist)

Jeff - That's terrible!  It really DOES make a difference which mortgage professsional or agent a consumer chooses, to avoid mistakes like that.

Randy, so true!  and helpful for buyers, as well, because the agent may hear about coming listings not yet on the market.

Neal - I agree, definately.  I think this agent is partying too hard at his company's convention in Hawaii!

Gita, that truly is how they sounded.  I felt so bad for them!  I don't remember noticing that so much in the past.

Hi Margaret,
Building a relationship of trust and mutual respect is the first step in my opinion.  

Margaret, Know, Like, and Trust is so key to just about any professional relationship, or personal relationship for that matter. 

Margaret- Excellent list you have put together. All of those things are very important of course but many times it does come down to how someone feels about you. Personality matches are at the top of most peoples criteria for picking an agent.

Margaret~What a great list to give the consumer so much to think about. You will forever amaze me with the astounding knowledge that you share. We are cultivating relationships and to nurture them we must feed them daily. 

Margaret-  I agree with you on most points except for this one:

___  Industry leadership  - participation in professional organizations and serving on REALTOR committees

I never have, never will. That does not have anything to do with whether  I am a good agent. I don't know any top agents in our area that serve on committees. Here, it is mostly older agents with too much time on their hands. I am too busy selling and spending time with my family!  

Cynthia, I truly do think that's the bottom line.  Know, like, trust.

Brian, Nothing else is important, sometimes.  That's why an experienced real estate pro will sometimes lose out to someone who's brand new - the consumer "clicks" with them.

Bill - You're right - "Personality" is another way of saying that.

Julie - I'm not sure this answers any questions for them... in the end, they'll probably go with the person they "like" the best.

Katerina - I don't mean to suggest Industry Leadership is a "must have", but I've never met an industry leader who wasn't a GREAT agent. In the end, however, it's still the know, like, trust factors!

Sure I'd use this agent - it's my mother-in-law!

Nothing worse than hearing that a seller/buyer is using a relative "just because".  The sale of a home is just too important to trust willy-nilly.

Margaret, now I know where that blue haired Realtor from yesteryear went. She's in your blog. Great stuff. I'm very on board with the trust factor.