Real estate is the only profession where people clearly do not value a Realtor's time. Just because many Realtors do not charge an hourly fee for their time and choose to be paid out of the proceeds at settlement, consumers feel they can just waste a Realtor's time.

This is the fault of Realtors because many Realtors need business, any business, so they will run out at all hours of the day or evening to meet with consumers at the drop of a dime, putting no value on their time.

If a Realtor doesn't put a value on their time or services, don't be too surprised when you get what you pay for.

Lawyers put a value on every single thing they do such as talk on the phone, write or respond to emails, write letters, attend a meeting with you, file faxes, copies etc. Consumers just know that if they need to hire an attorney, it will be costly and so they know not to waste an attorney's time. If Realtors put a value on their time, consumers wouldn't be so quick to just want to go out and view homes before they were actually ready to buy a home or list their home.

A Realtor's job is to provide representation for a buyer and seller. From the initial consultation at either a listing presentation, which by the way, can take up to three hours to the initial meeting with a buyer, the clock starts ticking. Every showing, every email, every text, every phone conversation, meetings to put together an Agreement of Sale, follow-ups for changes, faxes, printouts of properties everything should have a fee attached to it. As a general rule though, Realtors do not charge but instead choose to get paid when and if the buyer or seller goes to settlement and even on the day of settlement, sometimes the Realtor doesn't get paid. But a seller will choose to have five different Realtors out to their home to see which Realtor will charge the least to them, knowing that they won't be charged for their time.

I worked extremely hard to obtain my real estate license and then my broker's license. I go to continuing education classes, keep up with all the current laws, rules, trends and take ethics classes. People feel that anyone can go get their real estate license and therefore anyone can become a Realtor. And due to that way of thinking, consumers just do not value a Realtor's time.

If Realtor' actually charged for their time, consumers would then do their homework ahead of time and make their choices wisely of who to have out to their home. They wouldn't play the Realtor roulette game. Buyers wouldn't call every single Realtor in the area to take them to see every home they see listed for sale. Instead they would want to find the best buyer agent their money could pay for. After all, buying a home is probably the most valuable asset you will purchase.

There are hundreds of bad to mediocre Realtors out there who are willing to work like a dog for free and could care less about a buyer or seller's best interests. A Realtor who is an expert at their craft will put a value on their time and will provide professional services and if the buyer or seller wants great representation, they will be willing to pay for the service the same way would pay for an attorney.

If an attorney doesn't win a case, they still get paid so if a buyer or seller doesn't go to settlement for whatever reason, why shouldn't a Realtor be paid? They still did all of the work.

I'd like to pose these questions to you. Do you value your Realtor's time? More importantly, does your Realtor value their time? The next time you meet with your Realtor, keep track of the time you spend with him or her. How many times do you speak with your Realtor per week, per day, per hour?

If you had to pay an hourly fee to hire a Realtor, would you treat Realtor's differently or change the way you do business with them or even the way you go about finding one? I invite you all to comment.

Renee Porsia is a Realtor in Philadelphia. Visit her website to learn more or follow her on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/reneeporsia.