I subscribe to a research service….not just for Lake Martin, but the USA as a whole. After all, we impact each other no matter where we are located. This service, called The KMC Crew, helps me keep current on my Profession. Some of the articles are funny, all are interesting, and some make you think….in a different way.
I have been doing this for over 20 years (seven of those years in another state) and a lot has changed in that time. It was a “Buyers’” market when I first started, and I found myself feeling so sorry for my Seller clients. They were trapped by high interest rates and high inventory. We didn’t know it at the time, but the economy was actually pretty good. I remember thinking, “if the rates would just get down some, just down to 10% at least, then things would be okay.” At that time, rates were changing THREE TIMES A DAY…..YES, A DAY!!! We did a lot of work on the weekends because the rates wouldn’t change again until Monday morning so work while you can count on knowing some critical information, right? Like the interest rate.
I often wondered at that time what it would be like to be in a “Seller’s” market….more about that later.
The point of my story is that the rates do make a difference, a big difference. However, there are many things to consider when choosing an agent. Experience is a great teacher, none better. I have spent time this week reviewing the past year and more or less making plans for the coming year. There always seems to be something to “learn” or be aware of. There are so many ideas and ways of conducting business that you do a lot of educating yourself and learning on a daily basis.
People are willing to share….some for free and some for a price. I will certainly listen to what others teach and make up my own mind if it will help me or not. My chosen profession is not an exact science and that is what makes it so exciting. So much has changed in the past 25 years, and much of it for the better.
Certainly time frames have shortened. Once it took a week to get a new listing on the Multiple Listing System. Today I can do it in an hour, and someone in England can look at it right away, amazing and a good thing! The KMC Crew’s latest article detailed how critical the need for an agent is now more than ever.
Information regarding which homes are for sale is easily available online. We are all aware of that. This information by itself is no longer all you need from your real estate professional. You still need someone to deliver a thoughtful analysis of the information. There’s a large gap between information and actionable knowledge… In other words, information by itself is essentially useless. What’s truly important is being able to understand, analyze, and use the information for the best outcome.
And that is what a real estate professional does for you……
—Portions of the above are paraphrased from an article published by The KMC Crew.
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