The Relevance of Realtors

I suppose its not funny that I've had this prompt blinking at me for quite some time and I can't think where to begin, given the subject matter. I suppose its not funny, but it is making me laugh to myself.
I decided to write on this topic after I worked with a friend today on a presentation he had to prepare for his bosses. He had to describe the top three qualities of his office, his company, and himself as a leader. It got me to thinking about how important it is to work in a healthy office, with a good company, and to have strong leadership. I began to mentally tick off the things I think are most positive about my office and my business. And then, I turned on myself. How valuable am I? How relevant am I?
Fade to black. Enter blinking prompt.
How valuable am I? To the average seller, without exaggeration, I believe I'm the difference between success and failure. I believe that about myself personally, and I believe it about my profession as whole.
People don't sell fruit out of their pants-pockets for a reason. They sell fruit from markets because there's a system in place to protect them, the consumers and the fruit. And while fruit has its place on the lifetime value scale, I'd say you could probably value your home a bit more than a piece of fruit. So why on God's green earth would anyone take a product worth 300 thousand times the value of a piece of fruit and treat it so cavalierly? A little plastic sign on the front lawn is how you're going to handle the most important, most expensive to own, and most valuable to keep, investment you've got? You might as well buy your fruit out of some guy's pocket. Good luck with that.
No doubt, there are those who'll strike it lucky and sell their homes on their own. But luck is transient and temporary. The overwhelming majority of home sellers trying to do it alone eventually turn to professional real estate agents after spending considerable time being overpriced and overwrought. The clean-up of faulty thinking and failed sales strategy in these scenarios is a 'freebie' in the agent's marketing effort. Worse? In this economy, those months wasted translate into jaw-dropping numbers rolling back from the potential sales price, as values dropped precipitously in some markets over the past three years.
Trying to save a buck? On, in some cases, a more-than-a-half-million-dollar investment? Does that really seem smart?
I'm a qualified, licensed professional with training and experience which qualifies me to conduct complex analysis of financial data, market trends, values, forecasted conditions and so on. Working in my favor, I'm also sharp as a tac. (Ok, ok, I can't always find my car in the mall parking lot - but I feel the car has an unfair advantage, blending in with all those other cars out there...)
To a homeowner, his house is personal, it's special, it means something. I get that. But I also know the house is a product and it has to be branded, marketed and, with my expertise, sold in a specific niche to a particular buyer. I track things like rental seasons (for investment-specific properties), college graduation seasons (which impact rental and condo sales), weather (it affects sales!), economic announcements, (jobs numbers have a direct and almost immediate impact) new financing programs and more. Is the average home seller doing all that? Of course not.
That's why, eventually, I'm necessary. I'm important and valuable and most assuredly, in this market, I am relevant. If you're a professional real estate agent, value yourself. Know your worth. You bring something to the table that no one can bring except you. If you're a home seller, know that just as you would hire a professional roofer to protect your home, a professional real estate agent is needed to protect your investment in that home. Don't go it alone. Don't treat your home like its worth less than a piece of fruit. You may end up with a bad taste in your mouth.
For more information on how I can help you make the right choices for your property, please don't hesitate to contact me at 773-457-2495.