Over the years I've learned that being a good Realtor Associate® means I know every aspect of our market and all involved in the real estate transaction process.  I know the duties for each and how it's imperative that we all work together as a team to meet a common goal.

A closed transaction.

• Escrow is the third neutral party that takes care of all paperwork, monies and disbursements. They can even go as far as schedule termite inspections, surveys, condo docs and so forth. They order the preliminary title report and identify any problems that the clients/Realtors® must know and take care of.
• Loan Officers know the interest rates, the loan programs, numbers, figures, loan locks, GFE's, TIL Statements, the local/state real estate laws, your Purchase Contract and time lines.  A good loan officer will let the buyer know if they qualify....or NOT.
• Home Inspectors know every aspect of a condo /home and what to look out for and be able to identify the electrical, plumbing, hazardous or structural problems and let the buyer /agent know so they can proceed accordingly with the transaction.
• Termite and Pest Professional will be able to identify any pending problems, damage and/or further treatment needed. The Termite Inspection Report is due within the last two weeks before closing. 
• Surveyors will determine the accurate boundary and land parcel corners. They will do a report with a diagram to give to all parties involved in the transaction to show if the property has any boundary encroachments.
• Appraisers will go out the property and determine the real value of the property and will take into consideration everything from upgrades to comps and sq/ft. It's decision making process of a home value to say the least and it will determine if the purchase price of the property is on target for the loan amount.

We learn what to look for so we are thinking in the best interests of our clients. We quickly identify problems as they may occur and remedy them. And then there comes a point when we all know where our boundaries lie. We respect other industry professional's and their boundaries as well and as long as they are doing their job well we stay in the realm of our own profession.

It's when we overstep our boundaries into another's profession TOO much....

  is when it becomes a problem.

• The loan officer who insists to the buyer that they need to tell their real estate agent how to write the Purchase Contract in asking for a obscene amount of credit so they end up not getting the contract accepted. 
• The real estate agent who wants to keep ‘helping' a client shop around for loans when they are already in contract. The agent keeps calling around to get rates and numbers to relay to the client and the loan process is held up....therefore, the timelines and transaction process will be held up as well.
• The buyer who insists they do not need a home inspection because they already flushed toilets and turned on lights when they first viewed the property.  They insist that the money spent on a home inspection is money wasted.
• The Seller who believes that they know better about the market and even if their home is a tear down they believe they can sell it at market value.
• The Termite Inspector that writes in his report that the cosmetic work (cabinets, counters, lighting, fixtures) are not put together well by the person who did it.
• The Surveyor that puts that there are encroachments for a property that has a 12 foot retainer wall for the property below it and the best thing to do is tear down the retainer wall and rebuild it.
• The Escrow Officer that send your client a notice saying there's a lien for child support and they don't even (or ever had) children and keep insisting that it's them without doing a thorough check.
• The appraiser who goes out to the property and starts listing stuff like:  Kitchen light needs to be replaced as it doesn't match the scheme of the kitchen.  The drapes should be changed to blinds in the bedroom.

Bottom line, when professionals start overlapping into others professions with no apparent reason (other than an individual who believes they know it all) is when transactions get delayed or cancelled for no fault but the one who incited the confusion. 

We do our job and do it well...and take care not to try and do everyone else's job

Lest we create more chaos.

And THAT is not thinking in the best interests of your client.

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com