Cleveland Real Estate And More

Good blog, most buyer's think that all you do is "show" houses!  It's our job to educate the buyers of what we really do and how we earn our fee!

If buyers only understood the risk of calling the listing agent, they would never put themselves at risk with that mistake.

Why I think you're playing my song.  If they only knew, but that's part of our job to inform them.

John, Lenn, and Charita - Thank you so much for your comments. You are all right, it does come down to us educating the buyers, which was our motivation for writing this.

Dan & Amy -- please call folks attention to your entire collection of Buyer Agent Guidance. Very well done. You are a credit to our industry. (Especially after reading the other featured post of the Listing Presentation lacking Sold properties....a travesty imho.) Thanks!

Thank you for this post. We need to educate the public on what we do for them. It is so important to have buyer's representation especialy now with all the issues that can arise. Great post!

Hi Dan and Amy -- It's amazing how many buyers don't understand these topics and it's our job to educate them so they have a solid understanding the value a good buyer agent brings to the table.  Congrats on the post, so, so important! :)

What about verifying taxes and code compliance? I do that also.

Dan & Amy-- Great post on what we do.  Why a buyer would ever choose not to be represented in a transaction is beyond me. They are setting themselves up to be taken advantage of in negotiations, and it could cost them more than just money!  Buyers NEED representation--not a tour guide. Thanks!

In my area it has become a common practice of some people to only work with listing agents with the hopes of beating them up on their commission.  It's sad, but they are doing an injustice to themselves.  They'll learn that when they go to sell the property and find out there were no permits for the finished basement, etc.

Good job with this post. I think you covered a lot of things that many buyers generally don't think about until it's too late.

Dan & Amy, I love this so much I reblogged it. I hope you two know you will get all my Solon buyers!!! I know they will be in great hands. Excellent post.

Great information. We need to educate buyers as to how we really work. I've had a few tell me they liked my company car. Ha... Only if that were true :)

Excellent article for all buyers to read.  All agents get the same information but not all agents provide the same level of service for our clients.  Find one you like and commit to them. I had to reblog this article since it is so well written, and says it right!

Well Spoken! Who do you represent is what matters. Buyer's always want buyers represntation or goodness knows what can happen??

I wish just most agents would do half.  We have way too many agents who are not technology savvy nor do they understand construction.  I'm sorry to say, even when you watch HGTV, many agents are just property showers...they unlock the door and fill out papers.

Dan and Amy - My husband and I generated a list of things agents do to kill time as we were driving across country.  The actual list was about 8 typed pages long.  No one would ever believe it!

That's an excellent article that buyers should pay close attention to. To add more impact to the complexity of the work a buyer's agent does, I would add information about creating contracts that are thorough. You could include it with the job of negotiation of offers, but writing a contract and handling disclosures and preliminary title work is a very different task.

Hi Dan & Amy,

A Buyer's Agent does have many hats to wear and has to be able to "read" their clients well and help them process their visual stimulation to make the decision to buy... Excellent points indeed!!!  ;>))

Hi Dan and Amy~  Great list you posted here for buyers.  Now, if only they would find this and actually read it! 

Dan and Amy, if the people who insist on calling each listing agent to view their home had a clue of this list, most of them would run, not walk to find a Realtor® for their personal representation. I'm bookmarking to read the rest of the series.

Dan and Amy,

Did I miss somethinge here or do you get a signed Buyer's Agreement?

Good post! We also help with deed restrictions, surveys and HUD reviews. It's unfortunate we don't install 'taxi meters' on our dashboards...

GOOD MORNING DAN!  Congratulations on the feature and congratulations on the terrific information for Buyers to help them see the value of a Buyer's agent! -- Gab (PS - I re-blogged this - thanks for allowing that feature!)

We had two customers through an open one of my agents held.  They insist that working with the listing agent has been, in their experience, the best practice.  I actually spoke with them and gave them the best information I could to the contrary, but they are continuing down that path regardless.  Even after getting some great information from the Realtor as well.  You can't teach them all! 

Great list and well said.  As you said, there are many more things that we do to represent our buyers but this communicates most of the  biggies!

Dan and Amy - Many buyers will thank you for providing this great information regarding the role that buyer agents can play.

Great blog!   I think one of the biggest things a Buyer's Agent does is help educate the buyer and in turn becomes their advocate.   Their assistance is priceless to a buyer!

Great post! There are indeed so many hats a realtor wears and working with a realtor when purchasing protects you in so many areas!

Everytime an untrained agent agrees to meet a stranger at the property they undo all that you've shared here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dan and Amy this is such great information for a buyer to have. Your post has already been reblogged a number of times, and I'm going to reblog it again because it's so important.

So glad you earned a gold star with this one.  You made your points so clearly.

Wow, I didn't realize we had so many comments. This may take a while, but we always like to personally address and thank everyone who took the time to read our post and comment, so here we go:

Curt - Thank you so much for your kind remarks. Hope all is well in beautiful Annapolis.

Erik -  Education is really the key. As agents, we all know what we do for buyers, but we need to continue to educate the public to show the real value of our services. Thanks for the comment. 

Chris -  Hope all is well and thanks as always for your comments. No doubt you do a great job educating your clients. Knowing first-hand how you conduct your business, your clients are very well served by using you. Sun is out here in Cleveland, so enjoy the nice weekend.

J. Philip - Very good points. This list can certainly be expanded. After reading many of your posts, I'm sure you are very thorough and do a great job for your clients.

Lisa - The sad truth is buyers probably just don't understand what we do or see a need for our services. This goes back to lack of education and we agree they are doing themselves a huge disservice by not using a buyer's agent. Thank you for commenting.

Kathy - The thing that really amazes me is the buyers who work directly with the listing agent thinking they are going to get a better deal. I didn't realize that was common in Princeton but it really is too bad and not in their best interests.

Agent Aaron - Thank you for commenting. Our intention was to get this information to the buyers before they make the mistake of not using a buyer's agent.

Dawn - Thank you so much for your kind remarks and the re-blog. You are a true professional and I hope to see you again at an upcoming tech event. Wouldn't it be great to have an AR Camp in Ohio?

Roland -  Thank you so much for commenting. It all goes back to education and that is why having our blogs is so important, to get the word out, because our local papers sure don't do a very good job.

Cyndi - Thank you so much for the re-blog, we greatly appreciate it. You made a great point in that not all agents provide the same level of service. Perhaps having a bad prior experience in buying has turned a lot of buyers off from using an agent.

Monique - When one understands the process, having representation certainly makes sense. Sometimes a buyer is so fixated on a particular home that they lose sight of the process or just don't want to take the time to learn about it. I am convinced there are a lot of buyers out there who bought directly through the listing agent and have no idea that they weren't represented and probably overpaid.

Linda - Sad, but true. Sometimes we are portrayed as glorified chauffeurs and very few of the TV shows really show in detail everything that happens behind the scenes. I guess that wouldn't be as entertaining, would it:)

Margaret -  I hope you share your list with your clients. I'm sure all the agents who have responded to this post could generate a huge list of all the things they do. Thank you for commenting.

Dave - Very good points about the contract and disclosures. I bet you could write an entire post on just these steps of the buying process.

Ann-Marie - Yes, there is quite a psychological aspect do our job that we didn't even touch on. Some would say we are actually part time psychologists/therapists. Thank you so much for commenting.

Vickie - I wish every potential buyer could read this post. Quite a few agents re-blogged, so at least that's a start.

Frank and Sharon - Thanks so much for commenting. It always amazes me how many buyers just call on signs and I'm pretty sure the listing agent won't tell them the advantages of using a buyers agent.

Terry - We use a Buyer's Agreement although many in our market do not. Many agents here in Cleveland are either afraid to bring it up for fear that the buyers won't want to enter into such an agreement or simply don't know how to properly articulate what they actually do for the buyers. The buyers we work with, once they have an opportunity to sit down with us, understand what we do for them and appreciate us explaining everything to them.

Mike -  You are right, we really didn't touch upon the actual closing process too much, although it is certainly an important part of what we do. Thanks for bringing it up and commenting.

Gab -  It always makes my day when you comment on our posts and we greatly appreciate the re-blog. Hope all is well and you are enjoying your summer.

Don -  Great point. Some people just have in their mind that working with the listing agent is in their best interest, probably thinking they will get a better "deal" this way. No matter how much we try to educate, there are some buyers that just don't want to listen.

Kathryn - Thank you for commenting. I'm sure you could add quite a few more to the list.

Marc - Thank you for your kind words. If even one buyer out there decides to use a buyer's agent because of reading this, than it was certainly worth the effort to write it.

Kathy - You are so right. If someone went to court, they would have their own attorney, not use the other parties attorney. I don't know why someone would enter into a major financial transaction without an advocate.

Barbara-Jo - Some buyers unfortunately are so caught up in finding that great home that they don't think about the complexity of the transaction.

Michael - You brought up an excellent point that I almost mentioned, but will write an entirely new post on that topic. When an agent takes a call from a stranger and decides to just meet them at a home, that buyer will lose respect for the process and ultimately that agent and view us as nothing more than a door opener. I can understand why an agent would be tempted to do that, but there is no substitute for meeting someone at the office ( much safer as well ) and sitting down with a buyer in a professional setting. If they aren't willing to do that, than they aren't serious anyway.

Val - Thank you for the re-blog and your kind words.

Lottie - This post has been on my mind for a while, just didn't get around to writing it until yesterday. Getting the word out was most important, but the feature is always appreciated.

 Very useful article!

 Thanks for allowing us to re-blog it!

Dan & AMy - nice job with your outline of all the things a good buyers agent can do for a client!

Dan and Amy - Well said !  Often times buyers just do not realize all the work that goes into representing a buyer and in most states with buyers agency, they do not even have to pay for it.  Also, some sellers think that buyers agents just open the door as well.... it is amazing.

Bob - Thank you for commenting and we always appreciate the re-blog.

Bill - Thanks for commenting as well. Always great to hear from one of my favorite bloggers.

Christopher and Stephanie - As a regular reader of your blog, it sounds like you guys do a great job of educating your clients and showing the value of using you when buying a home. Hope all is well in Philly. 

Super post Dan and Amy, I think this is definitely worth a re-blog.  Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words, Gabe and we appreciate the re-blog to get the word out to buyers.

Great post!  When I first got into the business, my broker explained to me the importance of making sure that my clients KNOW what I am doing for them by sending them a weekly update with a little check list of things that I did for them that week.  He also likes to say that if you are showing homes to buyers who have not made a committment (not under contract) then you are just a taxi driver with an expensive Dept of Commerce licence.  I like how you used the same concept.

Patti - Thanks for reading and commenting. I think it's great that you are so proactive with your clients, and yes, getting a commitment is critical.