Perhaps, also if the clients had to Pay-as-you-Go, like a monthly fee, then they would be more likely to price the home realistically for a quicker sale. Or buyers wouldn’t ask to see 50 homes then decide that they will continue to rent. It’s a touchy subject but one that might change perceptions of what we do.

The same goes for sellers. They like to list knowing you will pay for the marketing of THEIR home. Just because we can write this off on taxes, doesn’t mean we are made out of money. Georgia contracts have made the seller aware that they may be charged for advertising paid for by the Realtor. Especially from terminating the contract early. I charge a fee of $500 to terminate a contract. I think this is a fair charge to take the listing off the market.

We all love what we do. We need to make being a Realtor just as significant to the community as lawyers and doctors.

The relationship aspect of this job is what makes this industry unique. I truly enjoy the hugs at closing!

Is it when they sit down, or is it after they order something? Here’s an interesting twist. What if you sat down with someone for dinner at that restaurant (you being a doctor, on call) and you were called away between the time you sat down and were served chips and when the waitress came to take your order. Would leaving constitute a breach of any unspoken contract? Probably not. Perhaps the restaurant might be peeved that they spent chips on you if they found out you picked up a quick bite on the way to the ER.

I personally wouldn’t want the added headache of billing. It’s enough to need a cost tracking system in place. The last thing I want is a collection issue. I am in this business to build long-term rewarding relationships who trade more than just a commodity.

Good points though. However, I think technology will never trump the need for face to face contact with clients. I love technology, but there’s something very personal about putting pen to paper and shaking their hand.

I don’t think buyers or sellers should base their selection of a Realtor® on a mere CMA spreadsheet. Rather they should Google the agent’s name to verify the agent has a strong presence on the Internet (important to sellers) and they should talk to friends and co-workers to see who they used and how satisfied they were with the agent’s performance.

We do that type of research when selecting Dr’s and attorneys and it should be done for agents as well.

As a professional who works on straight comission, my TIME is a valuable comodity (not to mention my gas, lunch tab, ect). I feel I should be compensated for my time.

I believe the problem we have is there are many incompetant Realtors out there that make one think “There is no way I would pay up front”. If more Realtors were truly professionals, we could demand, and receive, compensation for our time. Unfortunatly, this industry is so run amuck with part timers or people just “doing real estate” as a hobby, the real professionals get a bad rap.

Just my .02 cents
–Lisa

I’m not questioning providing clients with the information they need to make a decision, just people who have no intention of becoming clients.

To continue with your chips analogy, what do you think would happen if you walked into a restaurant and asked for your FREE chips but DID NOT WANT to be seated so you could order dinner or drinks? Restaurants only give you the free chips when you MAKE A COMMITMENT to order drinks or a meal. If you just want the chips, so you can walk back out the door, I’m sure you’ll be charged. That’s why some of them have their chips available for sale in bags.

Some things just have to be given away for free in order to prove your value. Just like the time I’ve given to responding to this. While I would love to charge a fee to offer my advice, unless my advice proves to be worth anything, there’s little or no chance you’d agree to pay me for it, so billing you up front would only hurt the possibility of future contact. If however, I invited you to visit my site at jongriffith.com and asked you to offer your opinion on an article or two on my blog, I believe you might only do so if it’s clear that the value traded is the testimony of our experiences as REALTORS®.