Let your dog watch television tonight

Tonight and tomorrow are the two nights of the year when many dog enthusiasts will be watching the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.  Likewise, many of their dogs will also enjoy the experience.  Airing schedule includes the three hour live coverage tonight and tomorrow, as well as a few scheduled reruns.  This show is the premier event in dog conformation shows.  Your dog can't even enter the show unless he's already a champion of record.

I'm not a huge fan of the part of dog sports represented at Westminster.  It's a beauty pageant of sorts, and my dogs are of a breed (Golden Retriever) that has a split personality.  There are "conformation" dogs, and there are "working dogs" and mine are working dogs.  Some folks claim that their dogs are "all purpose" and that they do everything.  Some real estate agents are also loan originators and maybe even appraisers too. 

Specialization makes a dog or a real estate professional more competitive.  It makes them better at the things they do, always.  If you want your dog to win at conformation shows, obedience trials, field trials, or agility trials, the dog needs lots of practice and exposure to competition.  With only fifty-two weeks in a year, it's extremely to get the experience needed to excel in more than one area.

As an industry observer now, I feel that the best agent representing sellers deals exclusively with sellers, and exclusively in a relatively concise geographic area.  The best seller's representative has practical experience and is self-aware enough to continue to pursue to expand his/her knowledge base. 

Likewise, the best agent representing buyers deals exclusively with buyers, and he/she has developed a passion for advocating on the client's behalf.  My personal opinion is that every agent contemplating representing any buyer should first take the ABR core course -- maybe take it twice.  Don't worry about the designation or even paying dues, just take the course.  Specialization is the key to success.

Can a real estate professional do well (make plenty of money) representing both buyers and sellers?  Perhaps.  Can a real estate agent do well (make plenty of money) as an agent and a loan originator and/or an appraiser, etc.? Perhaps.  But, if you were a dog, I doubt if you'd make it to Westminster.