My Real Estate Consultants

When you want to be consulted WITH, not sold TO!

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:15:07 -0500

What is It? How does it differ from real estate sales?

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:44:11 -0500

What is Real Estate Consulting? Is it just a fancy new catch phrase that means the same way of doing business? Well, we can't speak for some agents who call themselves consultants but still remain salespeople in practice, but we can tell you that TRUE consulting is a totally different model - a whole new approach in Real Estate.

Let's look at the differences:

Consultant: compensated for their expertise, time and/or the task. If they're paid contingent on a guaranteed outcome (a traditional commission), it is understood by the consumer that will be paying a premium to have this guarantee.

Salesperson: only paid for a guaranteed outcome (one they can influence but not control).

Consultant: often retained and compensated the way other professionals providing a service are, such as CPA's or most Attorney's.

Salesperson: compensated the way other salespeople selling a product are. (By the way: this doesn't mean that a consultant can't offer commissions if that's what right for their client - the essence of consulting is providing choices. It's just essential that the consumer understand what it is they're paying for).

Consulting: covers a variety of skills and can be used to reach a variety of outcomes.

Selling: has one single focus - to SELL something.

Consulant: Sometimes the best choice for a consumer is not to buy or sell at all (or not now)! The Consultant is retained to provide the counsel to help them reach that decision.

Salesperson: When there's no transaction, has nothing to offer (and no way to get paid).

The real estate salesperson usually has only one way of being paid: a contingent-on-a-sale commission. Consultants, on the other hand, can offer a variety of compensation alternatives such as hourly consulting, a flat fee, as well as traditional commissions, so that the consultant can tailor their services based on what the consumer needs to reach their goals.

By the way, consultative service is not limited to transactions. As an example, wouldn't it be great to be able to receive (and pay for) just a couple of hours of objective counsel on the real estate market when you're not sure what you want to do?

Who might be interested in Real Estate Consulting?

Any homeowner who's trying to decide whether to "move or improve" and wishes they could get objective counsel...
Any buyer who isn't sure they're ready to buy but would like some guidance on the market...
Any consumer who really doesn't WANT to play Realtor but feels forced to go it alone if they need to save money...
Any consumer who's ever resorted to a Discount Broker or a Discount Commission and found out too late that they got Discount Service which didn't get the job done, or didn't get it done right - thus losing money and valuable market time.

Get the facts before you waste your money

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:00:53 -0500

Since the beginning of time, advertising has been used to sell products and services. While few advertisers downright lie, many often mislead because they don't tell the whole story. Real estate consumers today are particularly vulnerable to half-truths since they're increasingly frustrated with the lack of flexibility in the sales commission model and real estate is a field that looks deceptively simple until you're knee-deep into your transaction!

We believe consumers should have all the facts.

Below are five ads, that while fictional, are based on real ones in print, radio and TV. Given the money and the market time that can be lost, it's our hope that in addition to eliciting a chuckle or two, these sample ads will raise your awareness. It is also our hope to get the word out that, as is true in other fiduciary fields such as such as accounting, finance and law, in real estate:

Experience, knowledge, and expertise are not expensive...they are priceless.

[click on pictures to view]

Unbelievable mortgage

Sell for only $2,995

Web home values

MLS only?

It's the internet

We get all our business from ads mortgage

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:04:15 -0500

We-Get-All-Our-Business-From-Ads-Mortgage doesn't care if these homes sell or not -- their primary interest is in selling mortgages to buyers calling on the listings. Their secondary interest is in selling extras to these sellers such as yard signs, “enhanced” exposure on their web site, and ads in their print magazines since the seller doesn't have a listing agent.

This ad would lead you to believe that all you have to do is list your home on their site and your house sells! If Jane's friend really had her home listed on the MLS and didn't get a showing, you can be sure that her home was significantly overpriced (probably because she used a discount broker), and she re-priced it to market before listing it on I-Did-Myself-In.com.

Real sellers who have used similar super-duper-go-it-alone web sites will tell you a very different story. Overwhelmingly, these websites don't sell homes, agents do. That's because, far from saving a full commission, sellers are only too happy to pay a professional agent's fee for bringing them a qualified buyer who's been educated about the market, especially after them having to play real estate agent for a few weeks (or months).

If this isn’t bad enough, the particular company that this ad is based on does a cute little bait and switch routine, raising deceit to a whole new level. First, they ensnare the do-it-yourself seller with ads telling them how easy selling a house is, and how with their super-duper web site, they can sell directly to buyers and save the whole commission. Then, after the seller has dropped a bunch of money in buying add-ons they sell them as well as ads in the paper with no bites, they then actually instruct these sellers to mass email real estate agents, telling them about their home and inviting them to bring their buyers.

(Isn’t it a bit ironic that on most similar by-owner websites, they are very clear that agents aren’t allowed to contact sellers and “harass” them, but yet, it is ok for sellers to spam agents with their home descriptions?)

Of course, after having what they do for a living belittled by these ads, you can bet that most agents aren't chomping at the bit to show these homes unless, of course, it’s a torrid seller’s market with a tremendous shortage of inventory.

By the way, legitimate mortgage companies with good reputations, get the lion's share of their business from real estate professionals who recommend them to their Clients because they offer great service and are accountable for what they promise. Why do you think that We-Get-All-Our-Business-From-Ads-Mortgage would choose to spend thousands of dollars per week running ads that alienate real estate agents by implying that their super duper web site can replace them? The truth is that they gave up on getting business from agents a long time ago because their service is so terrible that no agent would recommend them.

Why Choose an ACRE®?

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:51:09 -0500

Real estate professionals who have earned the ACRE® designation have completed a course of study and taken an exam that tests their ability to provide unbiased counsel to the consumer in matters that deal with real estate. It provides them the tools to offer different choices to the consumer based on a comprehensive needs analysis. Accredited Consultants in Real Estate® consult WITH their clients, not sell TO them. So, rather than hiring a salesperson whose sole focus tends to be "making the sale," a consultant's focus is to help their clients attain their goals, which may or may not involve a sale. In addition, in order to be listed on the ACRE® platform, members must continue to be coached by the founders of the ACRE® program, as well as work with all of the other ACRE® graduates from across the US and Canada, through the Graduate Coaching Program, thereby continuously increasing their knowledge and skills, and staying current with market shifts and trends. Think about this: if a consumer seeks expert counsel in real estate, should they go to their CPA, attorney, barber, or a Realtor®? The problem with the traditional commission model is that the Realtor® is only paid if a successful transaction takes place. So, consumers often turn to attorneys to negotiate offers and troubleshoot their transactions. Unfortunately, because most attorneys don't work day-to-day in the real estate market, they are not the best choice when it comes to hammering out the best deal and certainly not in attending to the details that will ensure that the transaction closes on time. Now the consumer can hire an ACRE® to do just the tasks they need done and more importantly, get the vital expertise that is so important in getting the best value. They can pay for advice, counsel, and experience from the professional who knows the most about real estate. If they want to buy, sell, "move or improve," they can pay for those particular services only, and at the same time, receive unbiased advice and counsel. If consumers need an experienced professional to handle the fiduciary responsibilities of a home sale, such as, qualifying the buyer, dealing with various disclosures, and/or supporting them in the negotiations, they can obtain these vital services from an ACRE®, through an hourly fee without having to complete a transaction or pay a commission. The bottom line is, the essence of real estate consulting is the ability to provide choices to consumers. The essence of the ACRE® designation is real estate consultants who provide choices to their clients and who stay current with market trends and shifts through a dynamic network of other ACRE® members through the Graduate Coaching Program. For the consumer, whether you pay an ACRE® for a few hours of consultation, a flat fee for a bundle of services, or choose to pay in the traditional commission structure, you will now receive and pay for only the services that fit your current needs and comfort level.

Determining What You Need

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:07:47 -0500

YOU Make The Decisions - Our Job Is To Guide, Not Decide! The very essence of Real Estate Consulting is giving you, the consumer, choices. But in order to make the best choices, it's important that your needs, capabilities, and time that you're able and willing to devote to the task of selling or buying a home are carefully, (and realistically) evaluated. The major failing of most online sites that feed the public a lot of data, without any guidance, is that this step is usually ignored. Good news! We've developed Seller and Buyer Needs Analysis that will make sure that you are on the right track. In a few minutes, in the privacy of your home or office, you can review the various tasks involved in selling or buying a home, determine which ones you have the capability, time, and desire to do yourself, which ones you might like a pro to handle, and which ones you're ok with not having done at all. Many consumers have told us that completing the analysis was the best thing they did in the selling or buying process. This analysis will help you to determine where your needs may lie, confident that tasks or expertise that you might not have thought about won't sneak up and bite you later in the process. And if you find that you need some professional assistance, we'll help you to get the most bang for your buck.

A Promise You Can Take To The Bank

After reviewing your goals, needs and capabilities, if we honestly feel that you can do just fine without our services, we're going to tell you so. Many times, ACRE®s have met with would-be sellers or buyers who they truly felt would be better off not selling or buying at that time or not at all and they've told them just that. One thing we want you to know: we have absolutely no interest in wasting your money or time (there are plenty of outfits that do that). As ACRE®s, we have a reputation for honesty, straight talk, and ethics and that reputation is far more important to us than a few bucks from someone who doesn't need to spend it. We're also going to tell you if we can't accommodate what you want. Sadly, many agents will do almost anything, and work with almost anyone. We won't unless we truly feel that our services are a good match with a consumer's needs. In real estate, there's Nordstrom and there's KMart. We only do Nordstrom. Now, we will offer different ways to pay for Nordstrom, but in terms of the quality of services we provide, we will only provide Nordstrom because quality is what will leave the consumer the most money in their pocket when they walk away from the closing table, and Nordstrom is what we, as ACRE®s, will put our names to. Now, there are some consumers that may want KMart. And if you're one of those consumers, you're in luck because there are tons of KMart agents out there. But that's not what we do.

It's Not What You Save...It's What You Keep!

As is true in other fiduciary fields, quality real estate services and counsel will always net you the most when you sell your home, and that's after you pay a commission or fee. Discount services are a waste of your money, no matter how cheap they are.