Matt McCuistion

 

         As a new real estate agent I am faced with a dilemma. My choice, to turn down an opportunity to help a person with selling their home, or accept the deal at half of my commission. Time after time people want to reduce my commission to save money in this difficult market. Today, a homeowner cannot simply put a "For Sale By Owner" sign in their yard and run an Ad in the paper and expect to sell their home. In the past that was possible. A homeowner could actually beat a real estate professional in the time that it took to sell their home. Literally, I hear this all the time from other real estate agents, "I would put a sign in the yard, and by the time I got home, I would have 3 offers."

 

         The market is just different these days. Buyers now begin their search on the Internet. The cost of gas is too expensive to just drive through every street to look for that perfect home in that perfect neighborhood. Buyers have so many resources that allow them to view the entire inventory without ever having to leave their home, for free. Virtual tours allow a buyer to enter a home from their desktop. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past, people are moving more and more to non-print forms of information. We don't even leave brochures on the "For Sale" sign anymore, we have a call capture number that gives the information to the potential buyer while alerting us that some one is interested in that property. Sellers need every tool that real estate agents have.

 

         On the other hand, I just want to help people. If you love what you do, you could do it for free, right? At the same time, I need to be realistic, this is my job, I am a professional, this is how I pay my bills. I need to make money. In my mind, I fear losing the deal because I have to be a professional, and at the same time I need the deal. At what point is it hurting me to help another? This is the question that I am asking myself every day. Where do I draw the line?