Admin

Why I don't have an office

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Michael Dixon Realty

A question I'm often asked is, "Where is your office?" People seem surprised when I reply, "I don't have one."

Then I explain: I don't need an office to conduct a real estate business. I do need a car, a telephone, a fax machine, a computer, a printer, a scanner and a copier. I need some copy paper and some extra ink cartridges. I need some letterhead stationery and some postage stamps, and I need a table where customers can sit and sign documents. I have all of the above in my home.

"Oh, so you have a home office," they usually say. "No, actually, I have no office. My equipment and supplies are in my den, and I have a dining table. So although I have everything I need to conduct business, there's no office."

Aside from not needing an office, there's another good reason why I don't have one: lower operating costs. There's no additional mortgage payment or rent payment, no additional utility bills, no additional insurance, no additional property tax, no building maintenance costs, no lawn care costs, no expensive furniture, no secretary, none of the routine costs of business operation.

So, what difference does this make for my customers? A few differences come to mind: For sellers, it often means lower fees; if my operating costs are lower, I can take less of the seller's money at closing and still do okay for myself. I can afford to spend more on advertising properties. For example, I advertise properties in a high quality real estate magazine called Premier Monthly, which is distributed in more than 400 towns in eight Southeastern states. For another, I create an individual, unique web page on the Internet for each of my listings. It costs me some money, but it helps sell properties.

What do my lower operating costs do for buyers? I give my buyers their choice of a one-year home warranty or a Lowe's gift card valued at $400 if they buy a property for $85,000 or more. If they do business with me, I reward them. Everybody wins.

So you see, not having an office with all of its associated expenses makes perfect sense in this day of high costs. It works for me.

My slogan is: This is real estate today. If you have any thoughts on the subject, and would like to share them, please email me -- michael@michaeldixonrealty.com -- or call me at 229-924-3089.