Real estate, lies, and video tape
So I was on the phone today with a potential client who mentioned that she was considering hiring a traditional Colorado real estate company because her alternative brokerage was not working out for her. That’s fine. Really, I may own an alternative brokerage but I honestly feel like there is room here for many models…including the traditional companies.
Where are all the Colorado listings hiding?
But what got me was the reason she gave: that a more traditional agent would have connections with other agents that might facilitate the sale. It was basically the old argument that BIG brokerages use which goes like this: We’re big. We have lots of agents. Don’t you want someone who has access to all of those agents to list your house?
Selling Colorado real estate? You better list with the big brokers or else..
It’s such a crock. I don’t blame this person for believing this myth as it’s a very attractive picture. I can just see all the top producers in the region at their morning coffee telling each other about their hidden gems…uh oh. Oh darn. That was a fast. The argument falls apart THAT quickly. Just where are these gems hidden if not in plain sight? The fact of the matter is that they are on:
- The MLS
- Realtor.com
- Other websites like Zillow, craigslist, Trulia, etc.
So what listings are these agents sharing that are not actually available to the general public? The answer is: none. Their listings are on the same MLS that everyone else’s are on.
My brother (who does not live in Colorado) and his wife are trying to sell their house and he mentioned the same argument to me the other day. They’ve listed with an alternative brokerage as well and since the market has slowed down a bit in their area they are thinking that maybe they should list with one of the BigMax brokerages…”because they have so many agents…”. Again, the same old myth that my potential client presented to me today.
The idea that a big Colorado real estate company will sell your home simply by virtue of its SIZE is just ridiculous.
People are getting wise to the flaws in this argument. Self-directed real estate buyers are comfortable cruising the listings on sites like ours, and even driving past their favorite homes before calling in someone like Real-a-Save. The fact of the matter is that the availability of information has forever changed the real estate industry. We are not the gatekeepers of the information any more. I believe we have evolved into facilitators more so than micro-market experts with pockets full of tribal knowledge. There is no tribal knowledge any more. All of the information is available all of the time to anyone who wants to look for it. Can anyone really deny that?
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