I'm a fairly private individual. It took me years to finally get a house cleaner. It was never a money issue, but I had to wrangle hard with the idea of a stranger having access to my home and seeing behind closet doors. There's really only a handful of people with restricted access through my privacy buffer: My cleaning lady Gaby, my doctor, my accountant, my attorney, a hand full of close friends and family.

Although my cleaning lady sees my laundry, she doesn't see me naked. My doctor has seen me naked, but doesn't know my last will and testament. My attorney knows how I hold title to my home, but he doesn't know my credit score.

I would have to have a lot of trust and faith in an individual to give them complete access.

Now let's look at the Realtor-client relationship: As Realtors we have access to clients' homes. We see what's in their garages and basements. We know the code to the security system, the flaws of the house, the age of the roof. We know where little Johnny spilled eggnog on the carpet. We know if a home is sold through probate, because of a divorce settlement, or because of a job transfer. We know the names of the kids, the pets and spouses. We know our clients' financial goals, financial history, and even their credit score. We learn a lot about our clients' private life and sometimes even function as counselors.

At the highly emotional times in life, we get the call:

"My mother passed away. Will you list her house?"

"I'm getting divorced. Will you sell my home?"

"We're having a baby. Will you help us find a bigger house?"

"We're being transferred. Can you refer us to a realtor in Cincinnati?"

"We're retiring. Well you help us down-size?"

"We're done renting and can finally afford home ownership. Can you help us purchase our first home?"

As Realtors we have private access. It's a great honor and a great responsibility. That's why we owe our clients confidentiality, skill, loyalty, accountability, honesty and fairness through the real estate agency law.

Being a Realtor is truly a privileged profession.

Now to go back to my cleaning lady: If Gaby would hike her rate tomorrow, I'd rather pay more than hire someone else (I hope she doesn't read this). It would never occur to me to change my gynaecologist just try out someone new. And although other tax accountants charge less, I wouldn't change accountants because I know I can trust the one I have. 

This is why I don't understand people who use a different Realtor for every new real estate transaction. Perhaps they haven't found one they're happy with yet, but a real estate transaction goes so deep on so many levels. It's not something you'll want to entrust to the luck of picking a name from the yellow pages. Find a professional you can trust and like. Ask your friends, family or colleagues for referrals to someone worthy of the special position as your family Realtor.  And when you've found your Realtor, stick with that professional just like you would with your family doctor.

Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com