Real Estate Consulting: Simply a Better Idea

I could think of no better way to introduce this new blog than to point out that the concept of real estate consulting is simply taking a tried and true model that works in other industries and applying it to real estate. We, the authors of this blog, think that the consulting model is the perfect medicine for what ails the real estate industry.

And make no mistake; the real estate industry is ailing. Conceptually, the business of real estate has morphed over the years from a sales profession where practitioners would simply sell a product (a house) for a sales commission to one where practitioners are not only being asked to move product but simultaneously, are expected to provide objective, fiduciary counsel and guidance to consumers looking to purchase or sell their largest asset. Yet, the method of compensation has not changed. This inherent conflict of interest is what I call in my book "the elephant in the room". Everyone knows the conflict is there but no one acknowledges it and certainly, no one wants to talk about it. But how does a real estate professional provide objective counsel when the amount of their compensation (or whether they get paid at all) is dependent on the decision the consumer makes that the agent is advising them on?

It's time for choices that make sense for the consumer and the real estate professional. Because without choices, consumers are stuck with either paying a full commission for services they might not want or need or going it totally on their own or with a discount service that doesn't provide the vital counsel and hands on care that will keep money in their pocket when they buy or sell a home.