Sailing in San Diego

In sail boat racing, heart and commitment are as true as in a marriage or any relationship. You become part of a team, you sign on “win or lose”. There is no guarantee that your boat will win, no matter how much you invest in mylar sails, bottom racing paint or matching shirts. You show up and try hard to do your share. You are at the mercy of wind, experience and tactical expertise.  If you win, champagne , high fives and fly by. If you lose, cold beer and mental replays of every tack and jibe maneuver…..get ready to come at it again tomorrow.

I recently had an experience that I am trying to learn from. I hired a marketing expert to help me configure my business presence. He wanted to get paid for his work, so he brought along a contract for me to sign. I had my needs in mind. I wanted to refresh my logo with some color, update my look on my blog and other internet sites to be more congruent with my business intentions, learn some new marketing techniques that would communicate my expertise in the real estate business to new clients.  We made an agreement. I was the buyer. He was the seller.

I wrote up all my insights into my business, providing a lengthy and in depth look at my commitment to my clients, my knowledge, my business ethics, my target audience. I wrote it all down and gave it to the marketing expert who copied it into a document that he returned to me along with a bill. When I asked him where the ‘new’ marketing ideas were, he referred me to the contract I had signed. He just kept on saying, “according to the contract …..” over and over until I got it! He was not looking at my business as a long term relationship. He was only looking at my business in terms of a transaction by contract. He did not build into his plan a way for me to refer other businesses to him or to secure me as a repeat client. His business was all contract…..and our relationship would end when our contract ended and the bill was paid. He didn’t really care if I was happy or not. My happiness with his work was not addressed in his contract.  Neither of us got what we wanted from this arrangement. For me, there was no heart and no committment from him. For him, I would not be finishing out our contract although I did pay my bill.

So the question of the day is, “What is included in the price?”  Clearly, each of us saw different things included in the price.  I saw a commitment to my business. If I was not happy, I saw someone who would drink a cold beer and come back to the table ready to see what was missing and make a new plan. I didn’t plan for someone who would tell me that if I was not happy, I would have to pay the bill and then agree to pay more until we came to agreement. Client satisfaction was and is top most in my goals for my business, and I (as the buyer) simply built that in to my expectations of someone else’s business. But it isn’t always true.

When you hire a real estate broker, I hope your expectations will be be included in the price. In my opinion, you should expect to get what you pay for. Your experience should include an ongoing relationship with your Realtor, whether you are buying or selling, commitment to your happiness and satisfaction as a client, ongoing information that will keep you informed and that will help you plan how to maximize your investment in your home or other property. You shouldn’t feel that when your contract expires or is paid in full, your relationship with your Realtor is finished until you need to sell or buy again. You should never feel that you have to pay extra for ongoing advice or information from your Realtor. It should always be included in the price as a lifetime guarantee.

Oh…and as the buyer of the real estate services? I hope you will agree that your loyalty and your referrals will be  to your Realtor. If you are happy, telling your friends is a good way to support your Realtor’s business. No strings attached. In this business, you get what you pay for on both ends.