Recently on a forum , a consumer posted this question:

Our realtor broke her end of the contract, so now should we?

She went on to talk about the situation.

When I picked our realtor back in August, I felt she was the best woman for the job because everywhere you go, you see her face. “If anyone can sell our home, she will” I told my husband. She gets the listings, puts them out there, a real hustler. I was even told she looks for possible sales at funerals, a lost husband or wife, I suppose. But then what? No follow through? Weeks would go by without contact from her. We would have to call her to get updates… She has probably close to 50 listings and seems to be focused on the money makers. When we spoke to other realtor friends and mention her name, the feedback is not good. One realtor went as far to say that he would never bring a client to a home that she was selling. From what I gather, it seems to be all about her. We want out of
contract. Any advice or thoughts?

Selling or buying a home is a major decision, who do you know to trust? One of the things I think consumers should consider is whether the company they are looking to hire is a sales focused company or a service focused company.

Whether or not you are paying an agent an hourly rate, flat rate, or commission, know HOW they do business.

How do you know if a company is sales oriented?
Sales oriented companies and agents spew their numbers as their catch for business. Their tag lines might be…

“Home of the 1% listing”
“I can save you thousands”
“I will sell your home in 120 days or I’ll buy it.”
“Million dollar producer”
“#1 in sales”

That is not to say that a sales oriented company doesn’t offer good service. You need to judge agents individually. You as a consumer need to know that in sales oriented companies the pressure is high for new listings and closed deals. Now all real estate companies want listings and closed deals because that is how we get paid, but sometimes the focus can go to the extreme.

When you interviewing real estate agents, you know you are dealing with a sales oriented agent when they start spewing all of their impressive sales numbers first. That is the catch. Their goal is they will be so impressed with these numbers that you may or may not realize that you are not getting the best service.

A service oriented agent brings up their numbers if you ask for them, but they are not typically part of their listing presentation to you.

When you are interviewing real estate agents, you know you are dealing with a service oriented agent when they talk about what they think they can do for you. Their marketing plan is well thought out and appropriate for your home. So if you are a heavy smoker, they aren’t saying they will do an open house for you every weekend. They will be more focused on getting rid of the smoke smell. A service oriented agent won’t tell you what you want to hear, but what they really think. A service oriented agent can give you a long list of references as clients are satisfied with them. If you want to overprice your home, the service oriented agent might turn your listing down.

The consumer on that forum thought they were getting a service oriented agent because “she was everywhere.” Therefore she must be successful. What they didn’t know is that she is successful at selling herself, not so good at providing service. So next time you are looking to hire an agent, decide if you want a service oriented agent, or a sales oriented agent. It might be the difference between a good or a bad experience.