I had close to 20 listings at one time and I will tell you it's really tough! Even with help, your work/life schedule becomes erratic and in a upswing market, those particular agents will be stuck in a bind with too many conflicts and not enough time.
Just got off the phone with an ambitious newer real estate agent who is all fired up about selling some real estate. Some serious real estate. He has a plan. He's committed to this plan. He's passionate about his plan. He WILL meet his goal or die trying.
His goal? To have 35 listings in the next 90 days.
Impressive. And given his enthusiasm and commitment, I think he can do it.
But should he?
This agent is a follower of SWS which means, among other things, that he is committed to being the best thing that could ever happen to his clients. Which, it is understood, will result in business and referrals coming his way for years to come from all his happy, satisfied clients.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
No new agent can properly service 35 listings. Oh, I'm not saying that he can't HANDLE 35 listings (although it's questionable), but actually SERVICE them? No way. Very few agents of any experience level can provide repeat-and-refer-worthy service at that level of production.
So, what do I mean by "service?" Well, you can bet I mean more than taking a listing agreement, hiring someone to put a sign in the yard, having the receptionist write up an inaccurate and boring MLS description, taking some awful photos, creating typo-infused home brochures and showing up six weeks later with a smile and an amendment to reduce the price.
No, I mean overseeing all the moving pieces and parts of the complicated process of preparing, marketing, selling and closing a listed property. Really caring about the outcome. Making sure your seller knows you care about the outcome. Keeping your seller informed and involved. So many other things I've written about in the past.
Many say that most of the post-signed-listing-agreement functions can be handled by a $10/hour assistant. I disagree. But that's a post for a different day.
Anyway, I asked this agent if he really thought he could knock the sox off all 35 of his seller clients with his service... or if, more likely, he'd just find himself with 35 unhappy clients who would not use him again or refer him to others.
He's thinking about it. What do YOU think?
Stay tuned for more on the subject in an upcoming post...
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Sandy McAlpine, GRI, ABR, CDPE, SFR Broker,REALTOR Licensed in NC and SC
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I can also assist buyers and sellers in Short Sales and Foreclosure sales and purchases.
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Thanks for the repost...a very timely blog, as our business is about service.