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At this point you may have steam coming out your ears but you decide to go to 
Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at 
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272 Comments on Is Your Realtor a Clown in Disguise?
I paid less for my first Honda than I did for my last Cadillac and was so impressed and sold on the Honda product ~ that I have bought four since then. You don't always get what you pay for. Some of my local companies charge the seller top dollar commission in our area and don't even have email. Let alone mention ActiveRain to them and they think you are affiliated with a tribe.
My Flat Fee real estate company provides our sellers with top notch marketing (we have four company websites) and more professionalism than 90% of our competitiors do. I think you may want to dig a little deeper to find the real reasons why people make the choices they do and not affiliate the sellers reasoning with less commission.
Choice - I think if you read the article more closely you will see I mentioned a lot more than commission. In fact most of what I talked about centered around marketing.
While I am sure your firm is excellent, as a general rule most discount shops do not compare to the full service Real Estate companies in terms of delivering RESULTS.
I see these sins of omission more often in older agents than newer ones. I can't grasp how the seller could accept such shoddy work unless they truly don't understand the value of the right agent.
I have lost listings to clowns because of the fee...It would be so much easier if the agents who are clowns had to dress the part although some do!
Catchy title to your article. has recieved a lot of attention. good for you. easy to categorise the other agent as "clown" but the clown did get the listing and you did not. since you may be getting 80-90% of the listings you have appointment you may not care to do a self-exam as to why the you failed to get it and be giving the seller the top service you provide and the seller deserves. did you call the seller and ask why they did not hire you? did the clown get it sold? there are many reasons sellers are rejecting 'traditional' methods. per NAR surveys and others most feel agents are not worth their fee. is that the fault of the "clowns" or all the rest of us?
George this article is about education sellers about making better choices. It is a fact that most sellers do not know what is going on with their property after they sign the listing papers. Those that do and see what I described in the article would surely be on the phone to their agent and rightfully so.
As a group we are all payed very well. A seller should be getting their moneys worth and in many instances they do not.
Great post, Bill!
I saw Allan Dalton, of Realtor.com, a few years ago, and something he said made total sense to me and it drives every choice I make when representing a buyer or seller: If there is a product or a practice that I would want used when I buy or sell my own home, then I absolutely owe it to my client to use it when I represent them. Clients get better results when we use all the best available tools.
If those tools cost us a little more, we should suck it up as a cost of doing business right. If the tools cost us a lot more, then we should expect to be compensated accordingly. If the potential client doesn't see the value in paying a little more to us in order to have a faster sale and/or receive a higher price, that's their loss.
If clients can't easily see our added value and the likelihood of a better outcome for them, it's up to us to validate our compensation. If they still don't see the value, it's their loss.
I enjoy your posts and hope we can do a deal together soon. Sounds like you really know what you're doing, and it's a relatively rare treat to work a deal with a pro on the other end.
Have a great 2010!
Thanks for your comments Bill. You obviously get it and I am sure your clients are very happy with the services you provide them. There are many today who do just the opposite and cut back on their marketing because of the tougher environment. I say now more than ever is when a good agent can make a big difference with their clients.
By the way, I want to clarify one of the things I wrote. I should have said, "If those tools cost us a lot more and we have a proven record of getting great results for our clients, then we should expect to be compensated accordingly."
We don't all do the same things, we don't all do things the same way, and we don't all get the same results. Some of us do an average job, some do an above-average job, and some do a below-average job. Why should anyone---clients or competitors---expect we should all be compensated at the same level?
As an example of what I'm talking about, check out this video I used to help sell my latest listing in six weeks, at www.374Lexington.com. Or look at the online version of the listing packet at www.issuu.com/billkuhlman/docs/374_lexington_e-book
If we're the Realtor equivalent of my childhood hero, Willie Mays, while others might be the equivalent of Andy Stankiewiecz or Bob Uecker---good ballplayers, but not among the best in the game---we should expect different levels of compensation.
And I don't mean to impugn, in any way, the brokers and agents who ask for lower fees. No doubt many of them do a better job than many agents who charge a premium. But if they do superior work for their clients, perhaps they are selling their services short. If they can demonstrate to the client the added value they bring to the transaction, they'll have no problem getting compensated at a commensurate level.
True post Bill. People think they can save a dollar, but taking poor advice costs you much more.
I've only been in real estate for 8 years, which doesn't seem like much compared to you, but it seems like forever to me. All I can say is, I'm sooooooo glad I wasn't around when you guys had to carry those MLS books. I would have quite the 1st week!
Hi Bill! Back again to see what's happened since I was last here! While reading the comments an incident came to mind that I'd like to share:
I recently had a cross-sale with a fee-based agent--it was a nightmare! Calls and emails were returned DAYS later--if returned at all. I had to constantly stay after them to keep to the contractual deadlines and basically, I worked twice as hard for this as a normal sale.
Just before Closing, the agent phoned me LATE one night to 'wrap things up so that we can get our checks!' During the converstaion the agent said that the sellers were purchasing another home here in Charlotte and I asked where: "I don't know, they're using another agent on the buy side and I just don't understand WHY!"
Two questions come to mind:
1. Do you think he was USED?
2. Do you think he was respected as a REALTOR?
In my opinion, YES and NO-the agent WAS used for the low cost of listing their home but, they didn't feel that their agent was worthy of representing them as a buyer's agent--even though he said that he had offered many times.
I think that this IS what makes agents look bad, as a whole. I'm not saying that every fee-based agent is like this but, every one that I've ever had a cross-sale with is.
OH, and one more question--Why would anyone WANT this type of business model? Aren't we seeking referrals from our clients and repeat business from them? My sellers who are buying in the area use me for both sides; why wouldn't you WANT that type of repeat business?
If the consumer views you as the used car salesman rather than the owner of the dealership, you're going to be treated as such.
Just MHO!
Hi Bill,
Point well made. I find many buyers make the mistake of choosing their agent simply because they are quoted a low commission. And in many instances the agent has not even seen the home. The seller received a door hanger, flyer, or even better they only spoke with the agent over the phone. However, I have no problem walking away from a prospective listing in these situations. And I have found many instances where the other agents listing eventually expires and I find myself speaking with that prospective seller again. By this time sadly they realize they got what the paid for and only ended up wasting their time and even worse their money!
Debe - We have a few transaction brokers here that just list your home in MLS and nothing else. It is amazing how often the homes they list do not sell and the seller then hires a full service Realtor. It is painfully obvious in many of these situations the seller has set the price. The transaction agent does not care because they get paid regardless if the home sells or not.
Matthew - There have been countless times over my career where I have been called back to get the job done after the seller realizes they were snowed. Getting a listing the 2nd or 3rd time around is great because you know the seller will be all ears to sound advice.
In my opinion these agents tell the seller what they want to hear...not the truth
Amazingly well said as always Bill!
Great post. I wish more sellers would "Google" thier agent. It can be eye opening.
I've also given this lots of thought. I even find that when the listing expires unsold, many sellers are too embarrased to hire you and make the same mistake. Thankfully I have enough business to not call these folks back when their home expires with agent #2.
I think back to Eli Wallach's response to Yul Brenner in, "The Magnificent Seven" while referring to the peasants. He said,"If God had not wanted them to be sheared, he wouldn't have made them sheep! They're gonna get a good shearing! Baaaah
I've also given this lots of thought. I even find that when the listing expires unsold, many sellers are too embarrased to hire you and make the same mistake. Thankfully I have enough business to not call these folks back when their home expires with agent #2.
I think back to Eli Wallach's response to Yul Brenner in, "The Magnificent Seven" while referring to the peasants. He said,"If God had not wanted them to be sheared, he wouldn't have made them sheep! They're gonna get a good shearing! Baaaah
I've also given this lots of thought. I even find that when the listing expires unsold, many sellers are too embarrased to hire you and make the same mistake. Thankfully I have enough business to not call these folks back when their home expires with agent #2.
I think back to Eli Wallach's response to Yul Brenner in, "The Magnificent Seven" while referring to the peasants. He said,"If God had not wanted them to be sheared, he wouldn't have made them sheep! They're gonna get a good shearing! Baaaah
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