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What do Realtors do for their clients? Look at the above photo. We see a man placing keys into the hands of another man. His wife/girlfriend clutches his arm and smiles with approval. What we have here is another happy couple. They have just purchased a home using the services of a Real Estate Broker. Unfortunately, some people in this high-tech digital world think they can bypass a Realtor and complete the process themselves. Fortunately, they are still in the minority. Most people today will still use the services of a Real Estate Broker to meet their sales transactions.
Hello again everyone. This is Charles McShan, a Real Estate Broker with Century 21 Universal. I wrote this blog post in 2020. It is August 2022, and I will update this post only where necessary because most information will always be relevant.
Article Guide
Is The Real Estate Broker Still Essential in 2022?
Should a person still choose a professional Realtor to represent them? After all, there are self-help books, Videos on to sell your home yourself, and others saying all sorts of negative things are Realtors. The answer is still yes, more today than ever; you need the help of a Realtor. Back in the day, Century 21 Agents wore gold blazers and stood out. Real Estate Agent is still used in certain areas of North America. In the State of Illinois, we are now called Real Estate Brokers. As with other forms of business, Real Estate is constantly evolving. The year 2020 bought forth many business changes due to the coronavirus. What happened from January to the end of June in the Chicago housing market was addressed in my last blog post, which you can read by clicking here> https://www.charlesmcshan.com/2020/04/the-corona-virus-effect-in-my-west-ridge-chicago-neighborhood/
The year 2020 bought many changes to the United States, but the buying and selling of homes kept this country afloat. As Real Estate Brokers, we had to adapt to keep the public safe. Virtual tours and zoom became part of the norm. The homes we displayed had to be constantly disinfected. Today in August 2022, we are still going the extra mile to keep both the Seller and the homebuyers safe. By doing all of these things, we all can safely go home to our families at night. However, real Estate Brokers also do things that are behind the scene. Those essential things will get our clients to the closing table. What are some of those things? Let’s discuss 5 of them.
5 Things A Realtor Does For Their Client.
1:During this pandemic, you hear the experts constantly refer to the medical data. They use this data to determine what their next step should be. Real estate brokers are experts in their field. Consider me. My office at Century 21 Universal is located in the heart of the West Ridge area of Chicago. The areas of West Ridge, Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, North Park, and Albany Park are unique within themselves. Add to that the Suburban regions of Lincolnwood, Skokie Evanston, Niles, and Morton Grove.
Each area has its own data/market. A realtor understands this data/market, but there is also the human side. The sellers and buyers consist of people of all ages and generations. Over 85% of Sellers and buyers use the services of a realtor. These numbers also include Millennials, whose numbers are now over 90%. So why do they choose a Realtor? Because we Realtors understand the market, the data, and more importantly, we also understand the people within these areas. We interact with them daily because, by our profession, we are in their neighborhoods daily.
2: To know the market means that a realtor must see the home’s value to price it right. That goes for both the Seller and the buyer side. The Seller wants to get every penny they can because they need to spend it elsewhere. If they can, they will try to overprice the sale of their home. The Realtor knows the selling price of the homes in those local areas. Their job is to inform the Seller that if you overprice your home, it will not sell.
Today in 2022, that above rule is being bent to a certain extent. The ongoing housing shortage is causing a lot of home sellers to overprice their homes, and they are selling their homes within days or weeks on the market to homebuyers who have cash. So you see, a cash buyer does not have to worry about an appraiser saying the home value is not the price you are offering. The person with a mortgage loan is the one who will not be able to secure that property.But that is not to say that homebuyers with preapproval letters are not buying homes; they are being successful, but the pickings are slim. And you might have to look in areas that were not on your list. Your local Real estate Broker/agent has the skills and knowledge to look at the data and help you make an informed decision.
The home buyer’s Real Estate Broker also uses the same data. The Buyer’s agent will know your budget, and the homes above your price range will not make it onto the list they will prepare for you. There are some homes in 2022 that are overpriced, and those homes will sit on the market until one of two things happen:
!: The Seller decides to lower the price. The buyers who would have purchased that home earlier have moved on and bought homes, or they might come back to you. If not, then you, the Seller, must now wait for a new group of homebuyers.
2: You, the Seller, refused to lower the asking price of your home. You have dollar signs in your eyes, so your home sits on the market unsold and will most likely become an expired listing. Yes, there are still expired listings during this time of low inventory.
If the home does not sell, who does the seller blame? They will blame the Realtor. But the Realtor asked you to lower the price. How can you, the Seller avoid that situation? You do it by listening to your Broker. Realtors know their market, and whether they represent the Seller or Buyer, they understand what the Buyer will pay. They know what range the property will appraise for. They can advise the Seller which improvements will improve the home without breaking their wallets. 90% of the homes priced right will sell.
How Are Homes For Sale Advertise Today?
3:Listing the home. Back in the day, you got a listing; you would then place ads in the local newspapers and magazines. Your Managing Broker would then put that new listing into a giant folder to be shown. Next, you created flyers and placed them on laundromats and bulletin boards. Your main option was placing the listing on the Multiple listing services or MLS for short. Do you remember those days? I do. Today few ads are placed in newspapers.
What do Realtors do for their clients? Open houses and allowing Realtors to showcase your properties to their clients is a time-honored tradition that will never go out of style. However, back in the year 2020, we had to adjust to the times by postponing open houses and showing properties/rentals that were occupied. Today many rules regarding facial masks and gloved have been rescinded, but if the homeowner insists on face masks and gloves, we must and will have them on the premises, and we have to keep the property sanitized and disinfected.
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 bought death and financial ruin to many businesses and individuals. Many of us had loved ones and workmates who passed away or suffered long-term effects from the virus. We are still dealing with new variants of the coronavirus in 2022, and who knows what the future will bring but great assured of this one fact If a challenge comes up, your local Real Estate Broker will rise to the challenge. This is what we Realtors do for their clients.
Social Media and its Effect on the Real Estate Market
Back in the day, your home was still placed on the MLS, but today we also market on the internet. When you list with Century 21 Universal, your home is advertised on over 400 websites worldwide. People in India, Japan, and the Philippines will see your listing when they go online. Even though today, Century 21 Agents no longer wear Gold Blazers. The C21 Brand name is known and respected throughout the world. Speaking of that Gold Jacket of yesteryear, I found an old photo of a Century 21 Gold Blazer. If you wish to see it, please click here >https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-century-21-gold-jacket-blazer-220718000
If there is a C21 agent still wearing an old C21 Gold Blazer, I guarantee their use of technology is up to date. The internet was introduced to the mainstream in the 1990s and is still going strong. Add to that the explosion of social media. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Linkedin, and many others are used daily. 69% of Realtors use Facebook because it works. Thru ads, videos, or posts, you can target a specific area or sweep a community, town, or city abroad.
Instagram can receive instant feedback on property and neighborhood photos. Using hashtags(#) can pinpoint and place your advertising directly in that locally desired area. Marketing professionals say video content has the best return on investment. So by using YouTube and uploading a home tour of the property for sale, potential clients could envision themselves living in that home. Some Realtors are using drones to show how the property looks from above.
I do not know anything personally about Snapchat, but they say it has over 170 million viewers daily, so creative Realtors will find a way to market to those viewers. Regarding Twitter, they have over 320 million active users, and some Realtors market on it, and some do not. Then there is Linkedin. Linkedin is mainly a social network where professionals network together, and you can display your work credentials. You can market your home listings, but that is not their primary focus.
When you add it up, millions of Generation-X, Millennials, and Baby boomers are online daily. The ways we advertised in the 20th Century are gone. Social media dominates today, and if you ignore that reality, you will soon be out of business. Social media is here to stay, and we are using it to the full in the real estate industry.
Are Real Estate Transactions consistently Smooth Sailing?
4: Rarely is the offered price by the Seller accepted by the Buyer. This is where the art of negotiations, contract knowledge, and continuing education come in. Using the Real Estate Lawyers involved with the transaction, the terms of the sale and any repairs or concessions can be negotiated.
Do you know why? Because the Seller and the Buyer have a lot of emotions in the game, and sometimes they do not want to bulge. When that occurs, you will need the Realtors and the lawyers who have no emotional attachment to use their training skills to resolve the problems and get that deal to the closing table.
5: How does all this occur? I keep using the same word, and that word is training. We are licensed in the State we work in, so we are mandated to undergo vigorous training. Every two years, we have to take continuing education courses. Our licenses are not renewed if we do not accept and pass these training classes.
These continuing education classes ensure we have the latest training to deal with situations in today’s real estate world. Additionally, realtors can build on their knowledge by earning some of the 26 NAR recognized designations. For over 100 years, realtors have held themselves to a strict code of ethics. We in the industry police ourselves to fulfill our fiduciary duty to put our client’s interests first.
These are the five main things. Realtors do for their clients. Here are other things we do. They find properties that are within the Buyer’s price range. When needed, they have the property staged, and the property must always be photographed. Realtors must be there when the property has to be inspected or appraised.
Realtors anticipate potential problems ahead of time. There are many egos and temperaments involved in a Real Estate Contract. Therefore the Real Estate Broker has to navigate and soothe ruffled feathers. Last, we must now adapt to the everyday challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. With resurgence happening nationwide, who knows what tomorrow will bring? So are Real Estate transactions smooth sailing? No, they are not; remember Murphy’s law.
Realtors Provide Information To Addresses Specific Needs!
Those asked,” What do realtors do for their clients? I hope this blog answers that question. It takes a lot to go from the starting line of showing homes to the finish line at the closing. But, we all want to get to the finish line and, as the photo above says another happy customer. Realtors are trained to help their clients make it to the finish line. We also provide information that addresses the specific needs of our clients and the general public.
Conclusion!
In conclusion, I hope that I have answered the question of what Realtors do for their clients. First, we use the technology available to us.to advertise to people both near and far away for your benefit. We are on the phones; we still fax and use electronic signatures. Everyone is using zoom for meetings. But technology will never replace the time-honored tradition of being there in person, shoe leather on the ground to represent you as the Seller’s representative.
The same rule applies when you represent a buyer. You must be there to show the buyers or the renters the properties. Zoom can only go so far. Maybe in the future robots will replace Realtors but not today. Today, you still have to be up close and personal with your clients. But today, the new reality dictates closeness as staying 6 feet apart if you can.
My office of Century 21 Universal is an award-winning office with over 60 License Brokers who speak many languages and as a group will get the word out about your home being on the market. My office address is 7300 N—Western Ave Suite I Chicago, Ill.60645. We are located in the West Ridge area of Chicago minutes from Downtown and many Northside suburbs. This office has been proudly serving Chicago and its Suburbs for over 30 years, and we are still going strong. What do Realtors do for clients? Use the contact information below and I would love to show you personally. Thank you, be safe and we will talk later. Take care
Charles McShan
Main website https://www.charlesmcshanchicagolandrealtor.com
Facebook Business https://www.facebook.com/charlesmcshanrealtor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/cmac2121/
P.S.Here is a free downloadable Real Estate gift for reading my blog post; please click here>https://drive.google.com/file/d/19X5SfIK-FnX_IPFiOurkC01xJAew1KwH/view?usp=sharing.
