What's it worth to you?

There is an urban legend involving Picasso I thought of today. As the story goes, Picasso was in a restaurant dining with a friend when a woman approached him. She apologized for the interruption but told him he was her favourite artist. She begged him to sign her dinner napkin and promised she'd pay him whatever he asked if he would just take a moment to do that. She repeated that she would pay him whatever he asked. Picasso signed the napkin and when the woman asked him what she owed him he told her $20,000. She gasped, "but it only took you 30 seconds to do that!" To which he replied, "No, it took me 20 years."

Sometimes people think Realtors get paid too much on a successful sale. After all, if you broke it down into hours it seems a disproportionate amount. What is underestimated is the amount of training, knowledge, experience and accuracy a great Realtor brings to the equation. What is also underestimated is the understanding that a Realtor generally does not get paid until and unless they're successful! Just because they work hard does not mean that they receive a dime until and unless they've done their job.

Are there lazy Realtors just in it for a quick sale? Of course. There are duds in any profession. But you will hear me say again and again, a great Realtor is worth their weight in gold. They will make you money, save you money, steer you in the right path to optimise one of THE MOST IMPORTANT investments you ever make. They will lose sleep finding you the most perfectly suited home for you and your family...and your critters. They will hold your hand, fill you in and advocate for your interests like a badger on steroids.

A great Realtor is not a one hit wonder; they're invested in you and your future. They are educated, experienced, superb negotiators, knowledgeable, know their area and most importantly know you! If you don't think in terms of having a Realtor in the same way you think of having an accountant or a doctor or a dentist, you certainly should!

Jumping from pillar to post with one hit wonders in the real estate profession is no different to your long term goals than if you had a different investment counsellor every time you made an investment decision. You stay loyal to the investment guide who knows you, knows your goals, knows your capacity for stress, knows your tolerance for risk, knows your family. As a great investment counsellor a great Realtor is with you in the good and bad market cycles advising on timing and strategy.

Given the amount of risk, stress, uncertainty, drama, learning and liability a great Realtor lives with every day it does not take them several hours or days to successfully market your home. It does not take them hours or days to successfully find you a home. It takes them years of experience gained long before you ever met.

What's it worth to you to have a great Realtor? It's priceless.