Listing Agents & Buyer's Agents: Who Works Harder? 
From time to time, we all hear discussions about who works harder: Listing Agents or Buyer's Agents?
Listing Agents will sit for a few hours initially with a homeowner gathering all sorts of info to find out why they want to sell, the market value of their home, previewing their home, etc. Once the homeowner decides to hire that agent, then it's another few hours completing the listing paperwork, taking nice photos of the home and going over the marketing plan in order to get that home sold. Then that agent is off to create the listing in their local MLS and whatever other marketing they need to do. They also will hold a Broker's open house and public open houses during the time that home is on the market. They take calls from potential buyers and agents to make appointments to show that home. They even heave to deal with no-shows which is a big time waster. Then listing agents are out again prospecting for new business. Knocking on doors, making phone calls to their past customers and clients reminding them that they are still in the real estate business, updating their website, blogging here on Activerain, creating Just Listed postcards for their new listings and mailing those out. Prospecting is endless in the life of any real estate agent.
Buyer's Agents will sit with a new potential buyer for at least an hour going over the home buying process, the Exclusive Buyer's Agreement form, mortgage information, what the buyers are looking for in a home, etc. Once that buyer's agent has the information, then they sit in front of their computer and the home searching begins. A good buyer's agent will go over the listings one by one to make sure they do not send their new buyer client home listings that do not meet their requirements. Then that agent will send their buyers the listings for them to look over and the buyer will let the agent know which homes they want to see. Now, this is where the fun begins! The buyer's agent now has to call each brokerage that has those listings to make showing appointments. Do you think that agent will get an appointment right away on the first one they call? Nope. The brokerage most likely has to call the homeowner to see if that day and time is good for them. Sometimes that return call from the homeowner will take hours or even a day. That buyer's agent has maybe 5 more appointments to make for the same day. They like to go in a certain order so their buyers do not have to go all over the place running north to south and back north again. So that agent will wait to make those other appointments because they are waiting for that appointment confirmation call with the first home they want to show their buyers.
Once all the appointments are set, now it's time to go with their buyers to look at those homes. Most buyers will not buy a home the first day out. After that day is done, the agent will get feedback from their buyers as to what they liked, what they didn't like, what are deal killers and so on. Then this entire process starts all over again a few days later or the next week. It can go on for months until the buyers find their dream home.
What it comes down to is this: Listing agents and buyer's agents all work hard for their clients and customers.
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