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Wednesday, July 9, 2003 Why a real estate professional can help you Homebuyers and sellers today, more than ever, view their real estate professional as a partner, not just an agent. The proliferation of the Internet, which allows consumers to help themselves to information, combined with the increasing complexity of the real estate deal, has changed the way today's homebuyers and sellers use a real estate professional, according to Joanie Keller, President of the Fayette County Board of Realtors. Consumers are looking for a partnership with their professionals and service providers, rather than someone who takes care of every detail for them, Keller said. "Collaboration is the name of the game for today's consumers in everything from home buying to health care," she said. "And today's Realtors are responding to this consumer demand. "In 2000 we began to see a major shift in consumer behavior toward a new, more collaborative style of working with Realtors and other professionals," she added. Dubbed "strategic control" by the highly regarded national research company Yankelovich Monitor, this trend has important implications for how Realtors do business. The Yankelovich research, along with other comprehensive studies of real estate professionals and their customers, inspired the National Association of Realtors to launch a new set of television, radio and print ads in 2002. The new ads carry the tag line, "Work with someone who will work with you. We're Realtors. Real Estate is Our Life." "The new ads dramatize the collaborative style of working with customers, showing how Realtors and homeowners work side by side, in a team effort, to get the job done," Keller said. Keller pointed out that different customers want different attributes in their "Realtor partners." A successful real estate professional learns quickly to adapt his or her style of work to the situation at hand. "Some customers see their real estate professional as a white water rafter, helping them get through the wild ride to closing; some see their agent as a social worker, focusing the on the interpersonal relationships that make a deal go through; others see their agent as a financial planner; while some are just plain looking for a level-headed negotiator," Keller said. The attribute everyone is looking for is trust, she said. "Today more than ever, it's the Realtor's adherence to a strict Code of Ethics that sets them apart from licensees who are not members of the National Association of Realtors." Keller reminds consumers that whether you're buying or selling a home, you should first find a Realtor who makes you feel comfortable and assured that you will get to the end of the deal successfully. Real estate is one of the most competitive businesses in America, so local Realtors must fight hard to succeed in each community. "That puts you in the driver's seat, when it comes to finding the right real estate professional for you," she said. Keller suggests that consumers interview at least three Realtors before selecting the one that is right for them. She also suggests asking friends and neighbors about the Realtors they have used to get informed referrals. "The most important thing is that you find a real estate professional who is a Realtor one of the 840,000 members of the National Association of Realtors who is qualified to carry the registered Realtor trademark after his or her name," Keller said. "What you're really looking for is someone who will work with you, just like the ads say." The Fayette County Board of Realtors is a nonprofit trade association with over 600 members.
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