Real Estate and Restaurants...

Does it seem odd to compare the disparate industries? 

Real Estate and Restaurants...

It is actually more of a contrast...  There is something that the real estate industry, from the giant franchises all of the way down to hyper-local "Mom and Pop" shops, could learn.  And it comes from all sorts of restaurant models. 

I love McDonald's...

It isn't that I think that the food is amazing (ok, I DO have a weakness for the Bacon and Egg Breakfast Bagel)... no, it is more about the fact that I can drive ANYwhere in the United States, from Lilburn, GA, to Moab, UT, or St. Paul, MN, and I know that I can get a 1/4 Pounder Value meal... and it will be the same.  (although the Bagel isn't available everywhere).  It will be made the same way.  The french fries will be cooked in the same oil and taste the same.  It is always the same.  Every time.  Always. 

I love Chili's...

The food is much better... especially the chicken fingers.  A Skillett Queso appetizer and then their chicken fingers... Very Nice!  And, while not as widespread as McDonald's, I know that I will probably be able to find on most places... but not Moab, UT.  But, the point is that there is pretty good food, it is at a pretty good price, and it is pretty much the same anywhere I go.  It is actually MORE consistent than McDonald's, but less widespread. 

I LOVE Moe's...

Even Matt Fagioli at Diamond Dwellings knows (after ONE lunch) that I like a Joey Bag of Donuts with just Steak, Cheese and Rice (I don't know where the name comes from, but it is a burrito).  But I can't get one in many places outside of the Atlanta area... although they are in Hampton, VA now.  But, my Mom called me the other day to ask what it was I ate there because my stepfather wanted to try it.

And I love Fuji Ya...

Sushi and Hibachi.  Steak and Shrimp... bring it on.  Can't forget the Nigiri Maguro.  Wasabi.  Oh yeah.. and the fried rice.  Better food and better price that Benihana.  And there is only one location.  And there is another Japanese place that is closer to us, and the food is lousy.  But, Fuji Ya always seems to deliver the promised goods. 

Real Estate, Lane, Real Estate... Remember?

I sure do.  McDonald's is like many discounters.  You know what you are going to get going in.  MLS, in a bag and you are out of there.  Don't ask the person at the counter what is good. 

Chili's is what the big franchise companies WANT to be.  But they fail.  And they fail because of the business model most of the owners operate with.  The local operators want to fill out the desks, so they take anyone with a pulse and they don't make them live up to the standards of the company.  The franchisee makes money with desk fees... not closed sales.  Not happy consumers/clients... desk fees for agents.  And there is NO standardization. 

Moe's is closer to where the big guys started.  They are small enough that the "home office" still can see what is going on, even though they don't have a procedure for everything (like McDonald's), most of the people on the floor have been trained by the people that started the place.  Many regional brokerages are like Moe's.  They haven't grown to where they need to have a checklist for the staff to use to get something out of the freezer. 

And then the local "Mom and Pop" shops...  Even the big name franchises, as well as the "not a name brand" brokerages, are in this boat.  There are some GREAT ones.  Excellent service and a wonderful experience... and then there are some that I wouldn't send an out of work politician. 

So, what is a consumer to do?

That is the problem.  I know about Fuji Ya because I've been there.  And I have been to enough of the "less than great" places to know where I want to go... and I still experiment with new places.  But for a real estate consumer, there isn't that same opportunity.  We eat a few times a day, every day.  But most people only buy or sell a home a few times in their lives.  So, it is tough to build that experience database.  And getting a great experience from Brand R in Philly doesn't mean that Brand R is going to deliver in Atlanta...

Blogging, though, has become a great tool.  Consumers can look over the writings of an agent and/or brokerage and see who they are.  Of course, there still is a need to talk to them to find out if they match what they write... but the list can be shorter... and probably high in quality. 

Thanks for sticking around through a LONG post.