Do People Really Understand What We Do for Them, or Do They Think We Just Put a Sign in the Yard and Drive Them Around? - What I Learned From My 5 Year Old.
I have been around the real estate industry most of my life. My mom opened her first mortgage company when I was six, and I grew up thinking that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were friends of my parents. It's hard for me to remember a time that I wasn't familiar with many concepts and definitions in the real estate industry that are not so common to most people.
With all of this running through my head, I was curious about what my 5 year old son would say about real estate and what I do.
I asked him what is real estate, and he responded, "I don't know. What does that mean?" Okay, so he hasn't picked up all of the nuances yet.
Let's try again. "Do you have any idea what I do?" My son, "You have clients." (Big smile). "Right, and what do I do with those clients?" David, "Show houses!"
"That's right. Do you know what that means?"
"No."
"What else do I do?"
"Sell houses!"
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
???????????????
During this conversation with my son, it occurred to me that the public may be just as much in the dark about what I do as a real estate consultant for my clients as my son is.
Real estate is an extremely important transaction, and it is important that my clients understand what is being done on their behalf.
I am a consultant and as such I will ask profound, insightful questions because discovering what is truly important to you is very important to me. I will lead you through the process of clarifying your values, so that your choices become easy. I will listen vigilantly to your answers so that I can craft a very specific, strategic process to make sure you get the best result. My experience shows me how to anticipate likely obstacles that could prevent you from achieving your goals and then identify sensible means to circumvent them.
I am a negotiator and as such I am like a pit bull, treating your money as though it were mine. It is in your best interest to have a skilled, experienced and focused negotiator on your team to skillfully articulate the strengths and weaknesses of suggestions made by other agents or lenders. My negotiating skills alone are worth every penny I am paid. It is my responsibility to recognize and anticipate the likely emotional reactions of individuals to actions or communications. As your negotiator, I will remain committed to you.
I will oversee all transactional details. Every "i" must be dotted; every "t" must be crossed because there are over 100 pieces of paper requiring upwards of 43 signatures and initials and making a mistake can be costly to you. Every transaction has 100 to 150 phone calls, each one loaded with critical details. There are more than 41 different people from 12 different industries that get involved during the seven stages of a transaction. That is a lot of what is called "integrated complexity."
Imagine that a real estate transaction is a lot like flying an airplane across country; that I am your pilot, and you are my passenger. We may or may not run into turbulence. As your pilot, I will recognize what is known about an issues, what else needs to be known and how to best obtain the relevant and accurate information needed. One of my greatest skills is to see things from multiple perspectives, which means that I can identify likely, unintended consequences of our decisions. You can relax because I am the person who oversees all of the details.
I think it is good for my clients to know when I choose to work with them and they choose to work with me what my three most important roles are in representing them.
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About the author: Christine Donovan is a California Residential Real Estate Broker with experience in assisting clients buy and sell residential real estate.
Are you upside down in your home? Is it worth less than you owe? Are you concerned about making your mortgage payment? Contact me at christine@donovanblatt.com or 714-319-9751 to discuss your options.
Want to buy a home or to list your property for sale in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach or Orange County? Contact me at christine@donovanblatt.com or 714-319-9751 to learn about her system which will make your buying and selling experience easier.
Click Orange County homes for sale to view all OC homes for sale. Copyright © 2008 by Christine Donovan, All Rights Reserved. Costa Mesa Real Estate Minute October 27, 2008 - Eastside Costa Mesa Market Report.
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