Low Fee? How non-LA!

The discount brokerage folks are at it again.  Threatening us full-service agents that they are here to stay and about to take over.  Well I’ve got news for ya’ll! The discount brokerage philosophy is not what you’re looking for…at least not homeowners on the westside who feel both entitled to and used to being “serviced.” ”You get what you pay for” is the old adage!  And it does apply even more so in this tumultuous real estate market.  Talk with family members, neighbors, colleagues and the like and it becomes more and more apparent that if you expect to get top dollar for your home today, it is going to take not only the experience of a full-service brokerage, but also the time, attention and marketing only a full-service brokerage can provide.   

Folks, if there is one thing I am most proud of being in this industry, it would have to be first & foremost my knowledge and experience of the business, my relationships with other agents, my ability to negotiate heavily on my clients behalf and last but not least, my ability to be creative in my handling of individual situations.  Often times I will do what it takes to get the buyer & seller to see eye-to-eye.  And that sometimes requires a concession in the form of cash.    I recently forfeited $12,500.00 of my own commission to, “seal the deal” as they say.  It wasn’t as if I caved in.  It was a matter of analyzing how far both buyer & seller had come, the time and energy both I and the selling agent had spent, and thus realizing it was way too far to throw in the towel.  Bottom line, a decision has to be made!  It is the simple task of massaging the deal at hand.

 The LA Times wrote this morning that even in the height of the market boom, why would anyone contract a full-service broker when homes were selling themselves-and quite often in multiples.  Well, the multiples just didn’t handle themselves. I can tell you that those multiple offer situations can go awry as easily as a drunk in a bar.  It takes skill and knowledge, professionalism and integrity to strategically place the right buyer in the right place!  There is no question nor should there be any doubt that just anyone can provide this type of delicate, yet precise service.

There is a reason us Realtors do what we do!  We assume the role of negotiator, ally, fiduciary agent, mediator, therapist, and much more, not to mention a pro-bono approach to everything we do!  We can spend not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money on a property or clients and never get paid until the deal is done!  We are more than justified in our levels of compensation! We should be hand-picked like the perfect avocado!