I just got hoome from having some maintenance done on my wife's minivan. Makes me a little crazy...
I used to be a service writer for an Auto Center. I also worked in an auto resoration firm, auto parts store and auto body shop at various times... I even owned a 4x4 shop for a period of time. I know the auto service industry, if not completely, then at least much more than average.
There are good mechanics, crappy mechanics and incredible mechanics. I've worked with all of them.
I know that the majority of them are stand-up folks that do a good job day in and day out, and suffer because of the stupid, lazy ones.
When I was in the automotive service industry, I never thought about the bad ones because "my guys" were good, and I knew it. It was hard to step back sometimes and see from the vantage point of a consumer. I knew that if "Shaky" said that certain parts needed to be replaced on a particular car, that he meant it. I knew that he would replace those parts on his own car, and I knew that he wasn't padding his labor hours. Simply put, I knew Shaky to be an honest and forthright guy. He drove a Bronco with 300,000 miles on it, and changed the oil at 3,000 miles as if it were one of the 10 Commandments... (seriously, he was on vacation and pulled into a rest area and did the change there).
And now I am in the real estate industry. Again, I work with lots of agents, and talk with even more. I know that the majority of agents are honest and forthright. They take their jobs VERY seriously. They take the responsibility to their clients and customers (those have different definitions in the real estate world) very seriously.
And it is easy to take for granted.
Today, I had to contantly ride a mechanic to do the simplest thing... use a torque wrench to check the lug nuts. He wanted to use an impact gun. Sorry, but NO. That isn't how it is done. He wasted more time being lazy and trying to defend his laziness than he would have spent doing it right.
And it reminded me... I'm not in the automotive service industry anymore. And I automatically put on my "mistrust" glasses when dealing with those that are.
On the flip side, many people in the public see real estate professionals in the same light. They put on their "mistrust" glasses. Some think we will take shortcuts or ignore defects in order to make a sale. They think we will take the lazy way out if given the chance.
I understand. Really, I do. And you know what? There ARE real estate agents that are lazy, cheap, and less than forthright with consumers. Think about it. The NAR has 1.3 million members. Estimates for licensed real estate agents run from 2.2 - 2.7 million agents. There ARE some bad eggs in that basket.
Much more often I find agents that will do everything in their power to help their clients, and what's more, to help those that aren't their clients. Often to their own detriment. I'm not saying that all agents are saints... but we aren't all slugs either.
When you are looking for an agent, look for one that you can trust.
