Does Your Real Estate Agent Have What it Takes?
Below is an actual job posting from a brokerage whose stated goal is to “to provide Bay Area home buyers a unique and comprehensive resource for your home purchase process.”
The question you have to ask yourself is this: Is the person who meets these qualifications really who you want advising you on one of the biggest financial decisions in your life and helping you find the home you will live in for at least 5 years?
JOB REQUIREMENTS
• The drive, desire and effort necessary to succeed in real estate sales.
• Aggressive and consistent follow through with clients.
• An effective system to develop your own clients in addition to the clients provided by the company.
• Representation of buyers throughout the Bay Area.
• Willingness to follow company protocol and standards.
• Ethical real estate practices.
COMPENSATION:
Commissioned sales position.
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Not a single requirement mentions looking out for the home buyer’s best interests or a willingness to put in the extra effort to ensure clients make the best home buying decision possible. In fact, if the posting were for a used-car salesman, would the requirements be any different?
What if the posting looked like this:
JOB REQUIREMENTS
• Ability and desire to offer customized advice based on an individual’s situation, enabling them to make an informed real estate decision (not necessarily a purchase).
• A background in property valuations, mortgages and real estate so you can provide assistance from loan pre-qualification through post –purchase home ownership assistance.
• Defined negotiating skills so you can help your clients get the right home at the right price.
• High personal integrity that allows you to inform clients when buying a home is not their best financial option, because our clients trust us to give them sound financial and life advice – not a sales pitch.
• Ethical real estate practices.
COMPENSATION
Fixed compensation and bonuses based on the team’s ability to help buyers find the homes that works the best for them.
Isn’t it about time we required more from real estate agents?
Tags: compensation, ethics, first time home buyer, home buyer, real estate agent