Trying to conduct a real estate transaction without the services of a full-time Realtor is like sleep deprivation.

Until you get a good night's sleep, you don't know what you're missing.
Likewise, folks trying to buy or sell property without a full-time Realtor have no idea how much unnecessary stress they've been experiencing, and how much time they've been wasting, until they sit down with a qualified agent.

How many folks have you dealt with over the years who "just wanted to deal with the listing agent?" These folks spend countless hours driving themselves around town, looking for signs, calling listing agents, visiting various websites, and calling more agents off these sites.

And the whole time, these buyers think they are being efficient.

I spent a couple of hours with some folks last week who reminded how important our jobs are. I was showing them one of my listings. They began to pick my brain, and I began to pick theirs.

I discovered they were seeking "owner financing," ideally over a period of four to five years. For a variety of reasons, these buyers are just not in a position to take on a conventional bank loan at this moment.

We all know there are some owners who are in a positiion to offer owner financing, but those of us in the business also know many of  sellers right now are folks who bought in the peak years of 2004 and 2005, utilizing one of the myriad 100 percent financing programs available at the time, and have seen their properties depreciate over the past few years. These sellers are not strong candidates for owner financing.

Other sellers might be in a position, equity-wise, to offer owner-financing, but they might just not be inclined to do so. After all, most buyers want to get their money and move on. They don't want to wait four or five years to get paid.

Then, these buyers began asking me about foreclosure opportunities.  Again, there are foreclosure and short sale opportunities in my town, Beaufort, SC, but this request is at direct odds with the desire for owner financing.  Individuals facing foreclosure or a short sale are just not candidates for a four- to five-year financing plan.

It's hard to tell if buyers "got it," but it felt very good to explain to these buyers that they would likely be running around in circles until they enlisted the services of a qualified Realtor.

Realtors bring genuine value to a transaction, through our experience and knowledge.