What's it worth to you?
There is
an urban legend involving Picasso I thought of today. As the story goes, Picasso
was in a restaurant dining with a friend when a woman approached him. She
apologized for the interruption but told him he was her favourite artist. She
begged him to sign her dinner napkin and promised she'd pay him whatever he
asked if he would just take a moment to do that. She repeated that she would pay
him whatever he asked. Picasso signed the napkin and when the
woman asked him what she owed him he told her $20,000. She gasped, "but it only
took you 30 seconds to do that!" To which he replied, "No, it took me 20
years."
Sometimes people think Realtors get paid too much on a successful
sale. After all, if you broke it down into hours it seems a disproportionate
amount. What is underestimated is the amount of training, knowledge, experience
and accuracy a great Realtor brings to the equation. What is also underestimated
is the understanding that a Realtor generally does not get paid until and unless
they're successful! Just because they work hard does not mean that they receive
a dime until and unless they've done their job.
Are there lazy Realtors
just in it for a quick sale? Of course. There are duds in any profession. But
you will hear me say again and again, a great Realtor is worth their weight in
gold. They will make you money, save you money, steer you in the right path to
optimise one of THE MOST IMPORTANT investments you ever make. They will lose
sleep finding you the most perfectly suited home for you and your family...and
your critters. They will hold your hand, fill you in and advocate for your
interests like a badger on steroids.
A great Realtor is not a one hit
wonder; they're invested in you and your future. They are educated, experienced,
superb negotiators, knowledgeable, know their area and most importantly know
you! If you don't think in terms of having a Realtor in the same way you think
of having an accountant or a doctor or a dentist, you certainly
should!
Jumping from pillar to post with one hit wonders in the real
estate profession is no different to your long term goals than if you had a
different investment counsellor every time you made an investment decision. You
stay loyal to the investment guide who knows you, knows your goals, knows your
capacity for stress, knows your tolerance for risk, knows your family. As a
great investment counsellor a great Realtor is with you in the good and bad
market cycles advising on timing and strategy.
Given the amount of risk,
stress, uncertainty, drama, learning and liability a great Realtor lives with
every day it does not take them several hours or days to successfully market
your home. It does not take them hours or days to successfully find you a home.
It takes them years of experience gained long before you ever met.
What's
it worth to you to have a great Realtor? It's priceless.