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If one agent is good, wouldn't three be better

Very few potential Charleston real estate buyers spend the time to interview a number of agents before selecting one to work with. Some think all agents are pretty much the same and choose to work with the first real estate agent they find while others choose to work with several at the same time.

Howard Arnoff, Charleston South Carolina real estate agent, Realtor, ABR,After all, if one agent is good ...

   Wouldn't three be better.

Any real estate agent can show you any home listed for sale in the Charleston MLS. There isn't any need to call three different real estate agents to show you three different houses. Some buyers think that they can save money on the purchase of a home by going directly to the listing agent. While this is technically true in some cases, an unrepresented buyer must be able to obtain the information necessary to determine the best possible price and the skill to negotiate successfully.

Some buyers jump around from agent to agent because they don't want to be committed to one agent but most experienced and competent real estate agents will not work with a buyer who is using multiple agents so what should buyers and real estate agents do.

An interview should be the starting point of the buyer - agent relationship because after all, it's a two way street. The buyer should meet several agents and determine which agent can be most helpful to them. The agent should determine whether the buyer is serious and their expectations are realistic regarding availability of homes meeting the buyers search criteria.

The house hunt starts now!

Inspiration for this post from my friend, Jonathan Dalton, Dalton's Arizona Homes. 

Published Monday, January 28, 2008 8:46 AM by Howard Arnoff

Comments

# re: If one agent is good, wouldn't three be better

Thought it looked familiar, Howard! :-)

One of the arguments in favor of divorcing the commissions is that buyers will then interview agents because they'll be paying the freight.

However, I think the vast majority of buyers will go it alone because they don't believe that it's necessary to be represented.

Monday, January 28, 2008 11:16 AM by Jonathan Dalton

# re: If one agent is good, wouldn't three be better

Jonathan, many of your posts inspire me ;)

While I am in favor of divorced commissions, I'm not sure going it alone is the right course for the majority of buyers to take. After all, a great deal of money is at stake when buying a home.

Think about going it alone rather than hiring an accountant or attorney when dealing with a $100,000 tax problem or similarly priced lawsuit. Just for the fun of it, imagine performing your own brain surgery because of the high cost of medical care.

A good real estate agent must demonstrate the value that he/she brings to the transaction.

Monday, January 28, 2008 12:32 PM by Howard Arnoff

# re: If one agent is good, wouldn't three be better

Going at it alone is not smart.  Reminds me of the saying  "the man who represents himself in court has a fool for an attorney'  

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:05 PM by Claude Daigle

# re: If one agent is good, wouldn't three be better

Claude, many buyers seem to think that they can save money by cutting out the middleman (disintermediate) by going directly to the listing agent.

While they can successful close the transaction, they will not get the benefits of all the information available to a real estate professional regarding the listing.

So they might say, well, that's unfair, I'm entitled to more information.

My response, you aren't entitled but if you can get it, great.

And speaking of fools, then there are the attorneys :) - I couldn't resist ;)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 6:31 AM by Howard Arnoff
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