April 2007 Archives

WHY CAN'T THE CONSUMER HAVE BOTH?

In a recent article in RIS Magazine, Brian Buffini, founder and chairman of Buffini & Company made a very interesting observation: despite the fact that 80-90% of real estate buyers start their home search online, how many, when browsing homes online and finding one that they like, would actually go to the next step and click "Add to Shopping Cart?"

Zillow is now offering a "great deal" to agents: you can post your listings for FREE! What great exposure, and how kind of Zillow to offer such a wonderful service to agents without taking a dime-what a nice company!

The papers and newsmagazines have been filled of late with articles about the crisis in Sub-Prime loans issued over the last few years. Seems as though many buyers took out loans that they clearly should not have: loans that sucked them in with a great interest rate for the first year or so and then boom! A monthly payment that doubled or worse and sending many new homeowners into forclosure and financial ruin.

In real estate, quality is essential for keeping the most money in your pocket when you ultimately close. But should that mean that you are locked into paying by commission in order to get that quality? I believe the answer should be no.

Of course, after you have explored and weighed different options, based on your individual needs and comfort level, you may find, as many consumers do, that a traditional commission is the best choice for you. And that's perfectly fine. But you should make that choice because it's the BEST option, not because it's the ONLY option.