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A Day In The Life Of A Realtor
It seems an easy enough job. As an agent, your friend tells you about
someone who is thinking about selling their house. You give them a
call, stop in, fill out a few forms. Or you spend the day touring
beautiful homes with your friends until they find something they like.
A short while later, your friend/customer buys a house and you make a
commission that seems like a lot of money. The end. Not quite!
Most of us go to work and spend 40 hours more or less, earning our
keep. Unless you're on the night shift, you report in the morning and
leave late afternoon. You then go home and have dinner with family or
friends or maybe run errands or shop. You work hard but within the
confines of a schedule that allows for some sort of break in your work
week.
There is no such thing as a 40 hour work week for a busy agent. Real
estate agents are on call 24/7. Why do they do this? For one thing,
it's an emotionally satisfying profession and one that requires a
considerable amount of skill. However, helping someone through the
complicated process can be a lot of time consuming hard work.
Agents must successfully complete many hours of classes and continuing
education on a number of subjects, from marketing to mortgage options.
To represent you, they must earn a license and keep it current and up
to date. Your Realtor must also keep abreast of the subtle changes in
the market such as interest rates and the ever changing variety of
mortgage possibilities.
Because Realtors are self-employed, their out of pocket costs include
cell phones, pagers, computers, web sites and other marketing tools.
In order to travel to and from their listed property or if they are
going to transport potential buyers, they need a dependable vehicle.
And then there's the need to pay for or contribute to the cost for an
office and desk space. All of this BEFORE ever making a sale or
earning a commission.
A typical day will include tons of phone calls, some to prospects and
some just answering questions, showing property, helping clients
through the confusing process of obtaining a loan, explaining the many
forms that have to be dealt with, helping a seller with ideas on how
to 'stage' their home and assisting buyers by finding just the right
home at an affordable price. Many agents are also required to do 'desk
duty' for their broker as part of their shared office responsibility.
This also adds to your Realtor's busy work week.
One of the most valuable services provided is helping with the
closing. There are lots of important documents and you may feel as if
you are signing your life away. Your real estate agent will be a
valuable part of your team and can help with the process by asking the
right questions and making sure this process goes smoothly. If you
have chosen to have your lawyer present, your real estate agent will
coordinate with them.
Real estate agents may not know all the answers but they are experts
at knowing who to call. Over the years, your Realtor has built a
network of helpful people that are placed at your disposal. Realtors
have a working knowledge of such diverse subjects as building codes,
maintenance tips, decorating ideas, current mortgage rates and options
plus neighborhood amenities. This is especially valuable whether you
are moving cross country or just changing neighborhoods.
By the time the move is over, a good agent will feel like a part of
your family -- and hopefully, will remain a friend for life.
Copyright 2006 PropertySource Network |
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Jeannie Hamilton
ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GREEN, GRI, SRES
Broker/Owner
Hamilton Properties
1100 Deer Trail Road
Boulder, CO 80302-9437
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Office: |
303-443-9221 |
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Cell: |
303-817-9988 |
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Fax: |
888-449-3611 |
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Toll Free: |
800-443-9212 |
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Email: |
jeannie@jeannierealtor.com |
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Email
webmaster@jeannierealtor.com with
questions or comments about this website.
Copyright © 2012 Jeannie Hamilton, Inc
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Last Updated:
January 24, 2012
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