You know someone who sells real estate right? We all do. In fact, you probably know several people who are real estate professionals. But did you know that your real estate Realtor brings you some excellent benefits when you work with them?
You are protected
As your real estate professional, I am not allowed to point you to just one mortgage lender or service provider. And I'm not allowed to take kick backs from anyone in exchange for business.
This is a good thing. It protects you as a consumer. And quite frankly, you don't want that kind of thing going on, because when it does, I'm not working for you anymore. I'm working for ME and lining my 
pockets.
However, this doesn't mean that we, who are real estate agents by choice, do not have preferred lenders, home inspectors, title companies and other professionals that we enjoy working with.
Here's why.
We know who is going to work for you and who is going to do a good job for you and who to trust and who to run from.
A real life example...the 3 hour closing that was 3 weeks overdue
This happened recently to me and a seller I represented.
When the offer came in and was negotiated and accepted, my office sent it over to a title company I prefer to work with and that the seller selected to represent them.
The closer called me up immediately and told me to be careful because this particular mortgage company was notorious for going a couple of weeks past the closing date.
"Uh oh," I thought. "Here we go."
The agent representing the buyer is somewhat new in the business. Instead of helping her client by giving him several excellent closing companies to chose from, she let the lender pick the closing company.
I'm sorry, but in my experience this is never a good idea because when you work with an unfamiliar title company, you do not know how they do things, how reliable they are or what to expect at the closing.
When we finally did get to the closing table - 3 weeks past the original closing date mind you - it turned into a 3 hour closing.
The reason was that the closer's fax machine would not work properly. This means they cannot send the documents to the lender or underwriter or whoever will be providing the money for the mortgage. This is critical because you gotta have the money to make the purchase happen. And if you can't send the docs, then you can't get the money.
So the mortgage officer showed up and drove the docs to her office where she faxed them.
Then they found the mistake on one of the forms. That meant, she had to drive all the way back to the closing company, wait for the closer to fix the form, drive all the way back to her office, re fax the form and wait on the "Yes" for funding the loan.
In the meantime, my sellers had signed their docs. We gave the keys to the property to our closer who had volunteered to stay and we took off.
Good thing we did, because I would have been livid! I think they would have too.
But our closer stayed the whole time! You know why? Because she's good. She takes care of my clients like they should be taken care of.
And that's why we have preferred people we work with.
The title companies I work with would never have allowed something like that closing to happen. They keeps their ducks in a row and always have a backup plan for if and when equipment fails.
The home inspector(s) that I prefer are the same way too. They'll take care of you and give you a fair inspection at a good price. And they back up their work too.
And this is true of other service providers also.
That's why I keep a list of reliable and trusted people I refer out.
I know who will take care of you and who has a proven track record. When I give a referral, I know you will be in good hands!
So, if you need a good carpet cleaner or other service professional...or if you are buying or selling property, ask for a referral from your real estate professional.
You'll be glad you did!
Bob Haywood
"Your Real Estate Results Expert!"
www.BobHaywood.com
918-272-7272
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