When I visit with people about selling real estate, they often tell me that the number one factor in working with their Realtor is trust; they’ve had a relationship with their Realtor for many years, and they trust him. I always want to ask, “What are you trusting him to do?”
Most people mean that they trust their Realtor to deal with them honestly and to look out for their best interests. And I agree! Integrity is the number one criteria I recommend that clients look for as they search for a new agent. Without it there is no basis for any business relationship. Clients must have confidence that their agent is putting their best interest ahead of the agent’s own desire for a paycheck.
But, I have never met a Realtor that said up front, “I’m not trustworthy, and I will put my own paycheck ahead of your best interest any day!” Every agent sees themselves as having integrity, or at least wants you to see them that way. You can get a glimpse into the true trustworthiness of an agent by looking at other things they do.
Can you trust your agent to go above and beyond the call of duty in marketing your property? Almost any agent will take a half dozen photos for the MLS and put a sign in the yard. Will he put 30 or 40 photos? From the inside and outside of your home? Will he put a virtual tour together, so buyers can walk through your home at their convenience? Will he put a flyer box on the property, filled with custom flyers to show the selling features of your home? Will he produce a 3-D floor plan for the back of the flyers, so buyers can see the layout of your home? Will he make a custom website for your home? And will he advertise it on the internet, on cable, and in local print publications? Will he hold an open house for your home? Can you trust that your agent is giving your home a competitive advantage next to other homes for sale on the market? If he’s willing to work this hard to service your listing, you can probably trust him to look out for your financial best interests, too. (For samples of some of the items above, go to http://www.realtorjeff.net/files/marketing.html
Can you trust your agent to give you a weekly update on the sale of your home? One of the most common complaints I hear from clients about Realtors is that they don’t ever tell the client what’s going on. Can you trust your agent to call with showing feedback? Can you trust him to e-mail you new, competitive listings that come on the market? Can you trust him to update your competitive market analysis with the most recent sold comparables in the MLS? And when an offer comes in, can you trust your agent to tell you how low of a price is too low, rather than trying to sell you an offer just because it’s going to close quickly?
Trust in an agent is of supreme importance, but what are you trusting them for? Get a written guarantee for the concrete, specific things he is going to do for you, and trust him for those, as well as his integrity. If you can’t trust him to do the concrete, specific things required to sell your home, can you really trust him to look out for your best interests over their own paycheck?
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