Uplevel Your Relationship

We spend a lot of time in this space talking about all the wonderful things our agents can do for you.  F.C. Tucker Emge REALTORS®, as a company, places a high value on the positive power of relationships.  We also passionately believe in the necessity of superior and continuous agent training. Together, training and relationship building enables our agents to provide an unparalleled level of service to their clients. Likewise, one of the things our agents feel strongly about when it comes to serving their clients is the importance of proactively educating them about the entire home buying and selling process.  

So, would you believe us if we told you that you can maximize our real estate super-powers if you yourself adopt a few best-practices for home buyers and sellers?  

When you help us to help you, then together we leverage a larger cumulative effect on the real estate process.  Like any good relationship, the relationship you have with your real estate agent will work best when everyone is communicating well.  What does this mean?  

1. If you are a buyer, please do not worry about calling your agent about a new listing you spotted.  Agents WANT you to call them.  They do not want you individually calling each listing agent that has a sign in the yard of all the houses you like.  Also, those listing agents don’t want to field calls from people who already have an established relationship with another real estate agent.  Please, anytime there is a listing you are interested in, even if it is a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) your first call should ALWAYS be to your real estate agent who has already gotten you started with the home search process.  
2. As a buyer, please do not expect to see homes live and in person if you haven’t gotten pre-approved through a licensed mortgage lender. To make sure that everyone is on the same page, do share your pre-approval letter with your agent and then, stick to only looking at houses that fall within that price range, not above it. When you look at houses that don’t fall into the established financial perimeters, you waste your own time, the seller’s time, and the listing and selling agents’ time. 
3. Respect the personal and professional boundaries of your agent.  Yes, they can always be reached by cell phone.  No, this does not mean you should call them at 10:00 at night.  It also doesn’t mean that you can call them at 5:00  to ask for a 5:15 showing.  Real estate agents will bend over backwards for their clients to get them into new houses that have hit the market, but they also have personal lives that need their attention.  Please respect their boundaries.  
4. Don’t expect your agent to do all the research for you.  Your agents like you and they want to serve you, but they are not inside your head.  Responsibility for choosing the right neighborhood falls in the clients’ lap.  
5. Listen to your agent regarding how to make an offer.  If you insist on making a low-ball offer “just to see what happens” be prepared that you might insult the seller and completely screw up the deal.  Your real estate agents can advise you on proper pricing based on comparable properties so you can make an educated and informed decision on pricing so that you actually end up with the house with favorable terms.
6. Likewise, for sellers, listen to your REALTOR® when deciding on list price.  Just like it is not helpful for buyers to make “lowball” offers, neither is it helpful for seller’s to jack the price up to see if any one bites.  There are numerous reasons why that is a bad idea.  Set an accurate price from the beginning to stave off future drama.  
7. Stick with your agent.  If you have spent a few months with an agent scouring the market, you have an established relationship.  The last thing you want to do is go to an open house, make an offer with the agent working the open house, and leave your previous agent out to dry.  Now, if you have a legitimate gripe with your agent, it is understandable that you might want to make a personnel change, in which case it is good to be up front and honest with your agent and say “This isn’t working out. We are frustrated looking at homes with you because ________, so we are going to try a different agent.”  But remember, your REALTOR® doesn’t get paid until you get to the closing table: if you have an inkling early on that the chemistry isn’t right, cut ties sooner rather than later and stop wasting everyone’s time.   
8. Be reasonable about asking for repairs after an inspection.  This goes for buyers and sellers.  Sellers, if you know there are obvious things that need maintenance, make sure you take care of them before listing OR price your home accordingly.  Buyers:  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT HOUSE!  Listen to the guidance of your agent about what qualifies as a material defect.  Inspectors will put everything they find on the report, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything needs to be fixed before you have a deal.  If the seller’s price came down significantly when you made your offer, then they probably won’t be as flexible about paying for expensive repairs.  

The better relationship you have with your agent, the more likely you are going to have a positive experience buying and selling real estate.  Ask questions and listen.  Remember that your real estate agent sees many transactions every year and knows how to navigate tricky situations. If you trust their advice, they can help you avoid a lot of messy situations and in the case you end up in a quagmire anyway, your F.C. Tucker Emge REALTOR® has the resources and support behind them to find the way forward as painlessly as possible. 

We want your story to start with us.  Call F.C. Tucker Emge REALTORS® today and Let’s Talk!