WARNING: RANT AHEAD!!
From time to time, I come to the conclusion that I've found the floor of incompetence in our industry, but then - to my amazement - someone comes along that shows me that there's actually a basement below that floor. It's times like these that I'm ashamed to be considered in the 'same profession' as many of my colleagues. I'm then left wondering, 'Can I change the title and image associated with what I do?' The answer is Yes of course, but only a little bit at a time. Can I truly exile myself from that negative image, though? I pride myself on working hard to stand out in the sea of Realtors as one of the best, and my clients will tell you that I do so quite well, but to the average consumer, we're all the same, which is why I get so frustrated with some of the things I see almost daily.
Case in point; like many Realtors in today's changing world, I'm heavily plugged into social media platforms as a means of building relationships with colleagues and clients. In fact, I use it so much that I find myself actually selling homes and setting up showings via Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms on a daily basis. When it comes to social media, the average consumer gets it, but there's a huge void within the Realtor community between those who get it and those who don't have a clue. Take a look at the image below then, before reading any further, please take a second to evaluate what's wrong with this picture:
The first question that came to my mind when I read the response to my query for more information was "What is the primary job of the listing agent?" There are many tasks involved with our job, but what is our primary purpose when we list a home? IMO, it's to get buyers through the door. Sure, there's far more to it than just that, but through many varied means of marketing, we must get qualified buyers to see the homes we list. Advice, contract negotiations, etc mean nothing if you can't get your listing seen. The more who see them, the more likely it is to sell, and the more likely it is to sell for a higher price, rather than a lower one, right? We must capitalize on EVERY opportunity to show off our listings, and when someone starts asking questions, we better be able to answer.
Next question, if you're posting your listings online, should those 'online fliers' be treated with any more/less care than a real flier you hand to someone, or an ad in the paper? If an agent saw your listing on a flier and called for information, would you say 'I don't know, call my assistant?' What if it was an unrepresented buyer calling?
How can a homeowner honestly expect their agent to sell their house, if he/she doesn't even take the time to know what they're selling, or at the very least to take the time to find the information that's requested? I simply asked for an address or MLS number, so I could look it up myself and possibly schedule it as a part of my clients' home tour tomorrow morning. Who's job is it to know the listing, the agent or their assistant? Furthermore, who's job is it to get the information from that person, mine or theirs?
Most importantly, did this agent just display to the world (possible future clients) that he/she is willing to go above and beyond to get her client's home sold?
In this market, we Realtors must be FAR more proactive than we ever have been before. When we list homes, we have to pursue the qualified buyers, and the agents who are working with those qualified buyers. We can't sit back and expect someone else to do all the work, can we?
Ryan: What always gets me about agents like this is regardless of this obvious lack of attention and care of their client(s) they've got plenty of them.
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