It’s frustrating when people call me a salesman, because the connotation that emerges is usually negative. “Swindler,” “crafty,” “sneaky,” “selfish;” these terms synonymous with salespeople, especially those who call at 6:00 pm to sell you the latest insurance over the phone. And while Realtors are not salespeople, I wondered why salesman is associated like this. Why do we all put up barriers and feel this way when we walk onto a car lot or shop for appliances?
My theory is because in these purchasing situations, you are on your own. There’s no expert on your team, and no one you trust who is looking out for your best interests, making life easier. But what if, like working with a Realtor, there was an agent on your side for all of life’s major purchases? And, more importantly, would you be willing to pay for it?
Let’s look at the one industry that Realtors get commonly misrepresented with: car sales. What would happen if buyers were suddenly represented by agents, instead of shopping on their own?
In my hypothetical example, let’s say you are a family of four, looking for a minivan to help transport you around your life. You like the color red, are partial to certain brands like Toyota & Honda, and are not looking to spend more than $20,000..
As it stands now, you would spend hours/days on Craigslist, searching dealer websites, ordering Carfax, heading back & forth to a dealership or seller, negotiating on your own, and eventually be on your way without really knowing if you got a good deal or even if the car you purchased is in good shape.
If life was more like real estate, you would have an agent on your side the entire process. Buying a car would be so much easier because not only would you save time and money having your agent search for a car in your criteria, but they would also be able to verify the quality of the car, present you with all the available products, and negotiate a fair price on your behalf. In my (pie in the sky) example, once you chose which car you wanted, you would walk (or drive) out of there knowing that you got what you wanted for the best deal. I recently went through a car purchase where I had help like this, and I can personally testify that it took a lot of the burden off the experience!
In my mind, this is a no-brainer. For a small fee, you get peace of mind knowing that you were fairly represented by someone in the industry for a major purchase. But what do you think? Would you be willing to pay $600 (as in the above scenario) more for that representation & peace of mind? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!
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