Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Should You Sign A Buyer Agency?


Hard to say! Initial meetings can be all “flowers and happiness” but I still like to test with the people I’m going to work with. Same is that I want them to feel comfortable with me and see how I work. Like a relationship, there are always growing pains. I don’t ask for them up front because I don’t think that’s the right thing to do “relationship-wise” on a first meeting when they’re just asking questions. I know some people that meet at the office and won’t even answer questions until they get this agreement. I don’t agree with that, how do you know you’ll like each other? Why be locked in?

I work by loyalty and that our working together will be based on how well we “mesh”. Whether we have a contract or not, it’s an implied relationship and if I’m providing the information, the courtesy for them to use my service. The more time we have together and/or offer negotiations are prevelant, I have to have the Buyer Agency signed at that time to Represent them.

I always offer a Cancellation Guarantee and/or depending on the person, (and if they request) will only have the Buyer Agency signed for that property. I’ve been known to fire clients or refer them to another party if I feel that we can’t work together. I do what I love and love what I do so have been very fortunate to have an amazing group of clients around me. So most of my clients will have a Buyer Agency signed with me for all Barrie and to save them time (of doing on every offer), we have it signed for about six months or so at a time.

Loyalty is given and received. Thus my tag line “It’s not just about buildings, it’s buildiing relationships”
This also holds true with my fellow REALTORS outside of this area that refer me because I LOVE Barrie Real Estate Investing so why drive all the way here, when I’m already here?

I refer right back when it’s out of area. Knowing your limits, that’s important to and I think a mistake for me to work outside of my comfort zone in another area where I’m not the

Friday, December 10, 2010

Does your REALTOR Make the Grade?


Part of my reason for wanting to become a Realtor (outside of the fact that it was a natural progression) was because of seeing flaws in my Realtor when I first started purchasing real estate. Why did the Realtor get into his/her chosen profession?

My suggestions:

  • *referral & personality (even if referred by someone you know, respect and trust interview the Realtor anyway – some personalities don’t jive and if you want a relationship built on mutual respect, what “feeling” do you get when you meet with him/her)
  • *how much does he/she advertise? Just because the one advertises the most, doesn’t necessarily mean he/she is “the best.” How much attention to detail will he/she be about the business you require. Will he/she handle your business directly or pass you off to a team? Also, in my personal opinion, anyone that has to refer to themselves as “#1″ or “the best” in their advertising is probably not the kind of person I’d want to work with. When I’m looking for out of town properties, I’m looking for someone that would be servicing my needs, not theirs.
  • *response time: how quickly does he/she return your initial calls and/or email?
  • * trust your instinct – if you’ve built a set of questions and something he/she says doesn’t “jive” then trust your instinct that even if you can’t pinpoint what it is at that particular time, there must be a reason why your “Spidy-sense” is tingling
  • *use Specialists in their field. Some REALTORS may wear many hats. Don’t use someone who is not familiar with your needs or tries to do everything. They won’t be focused. For example, if you’re a real estate investor, gear your questions and use a LOCAL expert who knows the areas and what they’re talking about. Investing is about cashflow and numbers – not pretty houses. If you’re looking for your personal home, then use the Realtor that knows the neighbourhood; use a Commercial one that knows about Businesses and specific to that Industry; use one that knows specifically about Farms, etc.
  • *don’t sign anything unless you understand it. When working with a Realtor, you’ll be asked to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement. Understand what you’re signing and read carefully the documentation and what you’re “locking” yourself into.

That’s about it for now. I’m sure others will have some great ideas. Please share your comments!
Have a great day and wish you the greatest success in whatever your real estate endeavours.