Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market
I’ve got to be in the craziest profession of them all. Strictly commission based in a business where the company never even asked to see my diploma from the University of Kansas. Although the diploma didn’t end up playing a pivotal role, at least I got to play a lot of pickup basketball with some of the great KU basketball players from 1989 to 1992. Once I left college I jumped right into real estate and have since been a partner in the development of many Kansas City area home communities. For the last five years however, I’ve focused strictly on representing buyers in sellers with their Kansas City real estate needs.
For those who don’t know much about the industry, real estate agents are 100% commission based – or at least all of them I know are. There’s no base salary or draws against future income like you’ll find in sale’s positions in the insurance industry, automotive industry, etc. But I’m not crying the blues. Though the risk is undeniable, the rewards can be many. Still, without any guarantee that there will be any check waiting for you on Friday, real estate agents must have a plan that serves their clients well if they’re to survive in this business.
I’ve read many times over how easy it is to be a real estate agent. But the truth is that it’s not easy at all. There’s so much that goes into this business if an agent is truly looking out for their client’s best interests. No it’s not hard to get licensed and it’s not too difficult to keep up with the continuing education. But for many it’s hard to remain disciplined, focused, and put in the time necessary on a daily basis to get their sellers homes sold, ensure their buyers are receiving expert guidance while all the while creating a stream of future business.
Returning messages in a timely fashion, staying organized, marketing my listings, keeping an eye out for homes that meet my buyer’s needs, following up on my client’s transactions, providing detailed market info and everything in between is what I do on a daily basis. I’m in my office at 7 am nearly every day and that’s not something you’ll get out of most agents. I’m not knocking agents who don’t come in early, but getting into the office early helps ensure there’s enough time to get the necessary business done. Buyers and sellers are counting on their real estate agent to get them the best deal and if an agent is always rushed, there’s no way that’s happening.
Much of the time, Kansas City home buyers and sellers don’t see the subtle things a good agent has done to bring them success. But, in the end my clients know that I took care of the little things along the way. Brokers and agents certainly go out on a daily basis and assume liability and risk with no guarantee of ever getting paid. But the successful days make up for all those days spent working with buyers who never bought, sellers that stuck to the list price despite feedback the home was over-priced, and other deals that fell apart when the buyer lost their job, the appraiser decided the home wasn’t worth what the buyer was willing pay, the lender decided to run the buyer’s credit after issuing a pre-approval letter, and so on and so forth.
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