The value of transparent blogging

I find myself referring to this blog frequently in conversations with clients and prospective clients. The ability to refer to what is essentially a public record of my opinions has proven to be invaluable (and I guess dangerous).

Can we see how long a property has been on the market? Sure, but the data may be worthless.
I have been talking to an internet lender … That’s fine, but be aware of the potential problems.
Is Dual Agency good? No, no and no.
What about Zillow? Well, they could be right …

In a conversation the other day with another Realtor, we were discussing the soon-to-be-released Buyer-Broker form (to replace this one-PDF), which I sign with all of my buyer-clients.* He was wondering whether we should put a disclaimer in that says that we may not know about all of the properties that are out there, either by the limited-service firms, unrepresented sellers, etc., in light of the current wording in the Agreement that states:

Broker shall use professional real estate knowledge and skills to represent Buyer in a diligent and effective manner and to locate property which is available for purchase and suitable to Buyer.

My response to him? I’ve written a story about that, stating that there are so many different sites to search, frankly I need my buyers’ help in locating the property sometimes. I’ll say it again, my value is in representing my clients, not necessarily searching various websites.

My constant references may seem annoying at times, but the fact is that I write almost every day, and I will inevitably write about many aspects of the real estate market, transactions, agency, etc. through the course of now years of of writing.

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar ~Abraham Lincoln

What’s the difference?

Client is anyone that you or your firm has a formal agreement to work with. It could be an agency relationship or you could be providing a non-contracted service.

Customer is a party to a real estate transaction who receives information, services or some other benefit from you, but doesn’t have a contract with you or your firm.

Source: The Code is Good Business (no longer available)