Four friends met together for lunch as they had done every month for the last 13 years since graduation day. Which realtor should I choose?
Which realtor® should I choose.
As often happens, their lives had gone in parallel but different directions. Two became engineers, one an accountant and the fourth a computer consultant who owned their own business. Some marriages came and one went. Kids arrived for two of them and, the list goes on.
One thing they all did was to buy a home .
Ironically as it so often happens, the parallels continued as they had all decided it was time to sell for one reason or another.
One spoke up and asked the other three how they had chosen the Realtor® they were working with. Which realtor should I choose?
The first to reply jumped right on the question: which realtor is right for me?
“I interviewed three Realtors® and two of them told me I could get around $500,000 if we sold this spring. That wasn’t what I thought I should get and I told them so. The third Realtor® agreed with me that I could get $575,000 so of course I went with that one.”
The second was quick to reply to that.
“That’s ok, but how much are they charging you to sell your home? Come on, this is where negotiation skills come in. I interviewed three as well, and I made sure one was willing to offer a discount to list my house. The Realtor® is ONLY charging me the seller’s commission and even that is at a discount. AND, I got to list at the price I thought it was worth too.”
The third friend commented. “That’s ok, but WHO are these Realtors® you chose?” “What do you mean?” the two asked in unison. “How did you choose?”
“Well, for me it is about numbers. I want ‘the best’! I didn’t have to waste my time interviewing people. I just called the Realtor® who has sold the most in my neighborhood. They have signs up all over the area. Guaranteed sale for me and I am working with the best.”
There was a moment of silence and then they looked at the last friend.
Finally, the last friend spoke about which realtor is right for me.
“Good for you guys. I interviewed multiple people too and although it was close, I made a choice. But I didn’t go by numbers. I chose someone that I got along with, who said they would take care of me, and who I felt I could develop a trust with.”
The other three sat stunned, then started to laugh. The fourth friend walked away wondering if they made the right choice.
Which realtor should I choose?
One month later, they met for lunch again. They talked about the last 30 days and of course their experiences with house selling.
The first friend looked worried.
“Well, the market sucks. My house still hasn’t sold. We had very few showings and I’ve had to reduce the price twice now. The agent told me it’s been on the market too long and I have to drop it to $499,000 or less. I don’t want to lose $75,000 so I’m planning to get a new agent.”
The second friend nodded in agreement looking haggard.
“You don’t want to lose $75k, that’s for sure. Make sure you get someone better than mine. We haven’t had many showings either. And I‘ve had to host my own open houses. The agent doesn’t even seem to try. And, when another Realtor® does show my property, they have the gall to ask if I will agree to a commission for them! No way!”
The third friend responded with a grim face.
“Maybe you priced it too high to start with. Mine is priced within the range my Realtor® suggested. And, since I am working with the best, I know it will sell. We have had a lot of showings. Soon, I hope.”
The first two asked what it was like working with the ‘best and biggest’ in the neighborhood.
The third friend responded, “I don’t really know. Since the very first meeting, I haven’t had any dealing with them. Their assistant is the one who answers all my phone calls.”
The fourth friend looked content.
When asked how their house sale was going, “I am very happy so far. They are working hard and we’ve had a lot of viewings.”
One more month passed. They were at lunch again and this time the mood was even worse – for some of them.
The first friend lamented that they have had to drop the price yet again and complained about the Realtor®, the market and the fact they were losing so much money. “I don’t trust agents and would never work with this one again.”
The second friend looked even more tired. “We decided to not sell right now. There are no buyers according to our agent, when I can get a hold of them that is. So I will try again next year. But, next year I am trying a different agent and will expect a bigger discount.”
The third friend just looked disappointed. “We did get an offer that we accepted. But, our experience wasn’t great. We never saw the original agent after we signed the paperwork. Until the offer came in, we never knew what was going on with the sale. The Realtor® was always too busy to talk so it took a lot longer than I expected. I am going to find a bigger, better Realtor® when we look for a new home.”
They all looked at the fourth friend who looked relaxed and was smiling.
“Well, we sold our home. And the experience was great. We’re working with the same Realtor® to help us find our new home.”
Which realtor should I choose?
After a few moments of shock from the other three, the fourth friend spoke up, directed to the first friend.
“You chose a Realtor® who promised you the moon
….hoping you would cash in. But the market is the market and price is so important.” I don’t think he should’ve promised you so much more than the others said.
Looking at the second friend, they continued.
“You wanted a deal, so chose someone who would work like you were paying them.
So you got what you paid for.“
Turning to the third friend.
“You chose a big name and at least you sold your home. It didn’t mean as much to them because it is another listing to them.”
“You should be happy because you got what you paid for.”
“Us? We chose someone we liked and trusted”.
- “One – They were honest about pricing, so we didn’t over price it.
- Two – They charged us a fair price and they worked hard for their money. They held open houses, they marketed the property and constantly communicated with us. They earned every dollar they were paid.
- Three – They treated us like we were important to them and not just another listing.”