I’m sure the title of this blog has pissed off a lot of Realtors, Brokers and Loan Officers. Calm down and read further, you can report me on social media if you disagree with what I have top say. I fortunately have had the pleasure of working in the Real Estate industry as a real estate industry well I shouldn’t say the pleasure because I ran away from that industry as fast as a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck! For me it was a ton of work, the type of work that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
I’m sure those of you reading this that haven’t experienced working in that industry are saying to yourselves “yeah right, this guy is full of shit”. Honestly, I’m not full of it ladies and gents, I’m sure all of you have friends or family that work as real estate agents and you probably see them smiling on your time line, drinking, partying and even posting the great success stories that they have with their clients. Here is a reality check, it’s social media folks, yes, those people may genuinely be happy and many of them are truly successful but don’t let the smooth taste fool you the industry is not for the faint of heart.
Imagine a job where you had to work long hours, chauffeur people around, take plenty of risks going to strange places and oh yeah not having a salary and no health benefits. Does this sound insane? Well surprise surprise this is the reality of being a real estate agent. When I entered the industry way back in 2012 I fell for the glamour that I had seen on shows like Bravo Tv’s “Million Dollar Listings” boy did I have a rude awakening, I will not mention the ridiculous amount of money I had to borrow from my mother just to get into the industry. Let’s just say it was well over $4,000.
I would call 200 strangers a day, beg all my friends and family for business, walk through random neighborhoods knocking on doors and holding open houses all in the hopes of landing that one client I could help sell or buy their home. Boy it was tough, I just didn’t have the passion for the industry to deal with the many pitfalls of the industry not to mention I had just started a family.
Competition was another different animal, keep in mind thousands of people just like me enter the industry for the fame and fortune seen on television. With that being said, I would estimate there are at least 100 realtors competing for every customer and with social media marketing you could probable quadruple that number at a minimum. Keep in mind they are using their own money, time and resources to help people.
Maybe you are thinking to yourself they chose to do the job and that whatever they suffer is on them, and I could not agree with you more. Think about that for a moment, that means that you basically have an insane person that is Hell bent on getting results and those results are a direct benefit to their clientele. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of a person with no limits working hard on my behalf. Another plus is that we also know that they are hungry, no seriously they are literally hungry. If they don’t perform on your behalf whether it be selling your home or finding your dream home, they literally starve.
Don’t let marketing fool you with the sell your home yourself or search for your home yourself. In most cases people that sell their homes themselves lose over 15% of what they could have earned and buyers on the reverse often miss out on the opportunity to purchase, pay way too much and in some cases buy a piece of property that has issues that only a professional would have found.
Yes, you pay the realtors a commission just as you would pay your doctor or lawyer, you are paying for professional expertise in which the realtor is a Fiduciary on your behalf (working solely in your best interest. The choice is yours people, so when you get that call from your realtor relative or friend just think about what they can actually do for you and the lengths in which they will go on your behalf.
Disclaimer: I AM NOT A REAL ESTATE AGENT, NOR DO I DESIRE TO BE ONE AGAIN, I AM SIMPLY A FINANCIAL ADVISOR THAT HAS WORKED WITHIN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY.
Sincerely,
Dunneille Anderson