Does Commission Determine Who Becomes Your Lakeland Realtor?

Are you a subscriber to Consumer Reports? I always like reading the reports and the various tests on auto, appliances, computers and such. The September 2008 issue released a survey, it’s based on the Consumer Reports National Research Center’s recent Annual Questionnaire of 3,753 readers who sold or tried to sell a home, 4,029 readers who bought one, and 7,368 readers who did both during the past few years.

According to September’s issue “Paying a real estate agent a lower commission had no overall effect on the selling price.” This survey compared consumers that negotiated a commission vs. consumers who did not attempt to negotiate the commission. But what was surprising to me in reading this article was that overall independently owned brokerage firms who likely provided the fewest services, but sellers who used them were just as satisfied.

How should you choose your Realtor®?

• Experience
• Marketing Plan
• Listing Agreement
  

Granted the three attributes I pointed out do play an important role in choosing a Lakeland Realtor®. Nevertheless, I would want to make sure that my real estate agent has great communication skills, listening skills and is trustworthy.

Communication skills are necessities for a Realtor® – communication between a seller and his or her Realtor® is the foundation of a successful relationship. Talking with sellers on a regular basis while the home is listed, giving them feedback on showings and activity, being accessible when Sellers have questions and just being there would be very helpful.

Listening skills is just as essential as communication skills. There are some real estate agents that tell buyers and sellers what they think they want to hear. Genuine honesty will go a long way and will build a relationship between a Realtor® and his or her seller. Understanding what a seller is saying is hearing what the seller is really saying.

Trust is earned. Trust can be build over time by talking with a potential listing agent and checking out their testimonials and online ratings before signing a listing agreement. Trust can also be given as a test by giving an assigned task and it must be continuously proven over time.

There are Real Estate Agent shoppers out there, who only look at the commission as their only argument for hiring. Are you one of them? Did you know that there are also Real Estate Agents out there who only show homes with a certain commission split?

Negotiating a commission is part of the listing agreement. Your Lakeland real estate agent should provide you with a marketing plan that fits your neighborhood and your needs, which should be clearly discussed before you sign the listing agreement. There are agents that will negotiate the commission and there are agents that simply don’t. I will not argue the negotiating here in this post and that is not the point I want to make. Also, it should not really play an important role on how you choose a Lakeland Realtor®. As long as the attributes are there and you are satisfied during the course of the listing period, why does commission play such an important role in choosing a real estate agent? You always can fire your real estate agent if you’re not satisfied.