This is just an observation I made. My family and I got relocated to the Seattle area through a nationwide relocation company. We settled on the Eastside. My wife works for Microsoft. Cartus, the relo company, works with local Realtors. WE were absolute fortunate to have a great and very ethical Realtor. However over time I have met other relocated employees, who bought places in less desirable areas. Having asked them why they bought here, I was told that the Realtor basically pushed them to buy there. Now to understand this better, you got to understand, that the Realtors who are in the Cartus network have to give up about 1/3 of their commission to Cartus. That is in addition to whatever you pay to your broker. So it seems the incentive to go on extensive house hunts is not there, and the involved Realtors are interested in a quick close to have as little time outlay as necessary.
My question is: Is this a healthy strategy?
Absolutely not in my books. First, would you refer a realtor who "pressured" you into a property? NO!
Secondly, these relocated people can be relocated again within 1-5 years. If they call the Realtor, how is he or she explaining that the location is not very desirable for the sale to close fast and with profit, especially in a slower market. Third, you will not get to refer a Realtor to this client at his new place of living. Mildly, you have at least a triple loss, and possibly no referrals from this person. What a bummer!
Cartus feeds you with leads, so I would assume you put your best foot forward to give your best service to this person, even if you do not make 10k on this deal. It will come back to you later multi fold in other ways. Help these newly transferred clients to a great start and reap the fruit of your work ethics later.
Let me know if you had similar experiences.
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