5) You need a huge advertising spend to sell a home
Ok, so you do need to spend money to sell a property. Unfortunately it’s no longer free. From websites to signboards and photos. It all costs money but you shouldn’t have to sell a kidney to afford a decent advertising campaign. Many agents like to get owners to spend huge amounts of money on advertising in local newspapers, banner adds on websites and expensive staging for homes. Most of these are to promote the agent. Not the property but helps the agent because when a seller has committed a large amount of money to sell the property already they are more likely to accept an offer than if the seller has not spent much and has nothing to lose. Note: Don’t get me wrong. Some properties really need staging but this is not always the case.
6) Agents just sit around in cafe’s all day right?
I wish!!! Haha. If only that was the truth. Unfortunately it is far from that. The role of a real estate agent is varied and no day is the same. One day I’ll be fixing up a toilet or lighting in a house ready for settlement and the next minute I’ll be meeting a seller to advise them on the best marketing approach for their property. There is also a shed-load of paperwork and admin involved. It’s quite a cut-throat industry with some agents willing to step over your dying body to secure a listing. Thankfully after 14 years in the industry I’m fairly immune to the competitiveness and nastiness that goes on in the industry. I do however enjoy a nice coffee though.
7) Agent’s selling fees are ridiculously high
This one is a doozie. Some people think that for the work we do our fees are exorbitant. I completely understand how they may come to this conclusion. All they see us doing is opening up a home a couple of times a week, meeting with buyers and writing an offer. And if this was all we did then yes, the fee would be high. What is not seen is the work that goes on in the background. From organising photos to writing copy, ensuring the property is not misrepresented, fielding enquiries, qualifying buyers and negotiating with said buyers. This is done 24/7. Real estate is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. Half of my work is done when everyone else has quit for the day. Taking a holiday is almost impossible as home opens require weekend work and many clients like to meet on weekends or after work hours as this is the only time they have free. We do all this with the full knowledge that we may not even get paid at all if the property doesn’t sell. Would you like to work for a few months only to find out you are not going to get paid? I charge what I feel is a fair fee for the work I put in and the risk I take on board.
