Using Multiple Realtors (or not)
I just got off the phone with a very nice lady that called in asking about a property in Alpharetta.
She was looking for a lease, $4k or under, timing immediate, and needed a specific high school and middle school district. I can really help this client, I’m thinking.
I chatted with her a little more about her situation, what her preferences were, etc., and then asked the question every Realtor must ask:
“Are you working with any other Realtor?”
Her reply: “Oh yeah, I’m working with a bunch of them. None of them can find me anything.”
This answer is the wrong answer and I’ll help explain why.
This happens on little lease deals like this one, and it happens on deals as complex as working with an out of country buyer, on a million dollar deal – a deal that might take a year of diligent hard work before anything really happens.
Keep in mind that Realtors don’t receive a salary and they have no expense accounts. They are paid only on commission and only when they sell and close on a home.
When a buyer ultimately leases or purchases a property, only one Realtor will get paid for all their efforts. All the rest of the Realtors that worked for this buyer will get nothing.
All their hard work, performed possibly over many months, will be time and money they will never get back. They will also have lost the opportunity to work with other, more loyal clients during the time they spent with you.
It’s unfortunate and it happens every single day. Realtors are here to assist you and we are happy to do it. But if you are going to use a Realtor to help you buy or lease a property, please consider making your first task figuring out which Realtor you will partner with. Do some phone interviews, meet them in person, have them buy you lunch, whatever works for you.
There’s nothing that makes a Realtor work harder for a client than hearing, “you are my Realtor, I’m not working with any others…now get to work!”
Nothing except maybe proactively ASKING for the EBBA before your Realtor even brings it up…that would be a first EVER!
Try it, and see what kind of service you start receiving!