What is your REALTOR®'S Job?

What is your REALTOR'S® job anyway? If only it was as simple as buying and selling houses. Selling or buying a house is one of the biggest financial transactions of your life, so with every client, I remind myself of 3 things - 1. My client doesn't do this every day 2. Real estate is constantly changing; and 3. Every real estate transaction is different. My job is to guide clients through the process of buying or selling a home, which can include a million different things, but here are some things that you might not know your REALTOR® does. One of my jobs is to help you take the emotions out of the transaction. First time home buyer loves the house - "Let's pay full price, skip the inspection I don't care." Long-term home owners, "My house is the best house on the street, we've maintained our home over the years which makes it worth more." And investors, "But I paid more than the house next door, so mine should sell for more." These are emotional statements, and our job is to help you navigate around those emotions and help you make the right decision for you. I often say to my sellers, "This is no longer your home, it's just a house you are selling" and to my buyers, "This is not your home yet, just a house that could be your home someday." I know, easier said than done. Doing my job doesn't always mean you will be happy with me and that's okay. Sometimes, we are punching bags too (definitely not our favourite part). But that's another great reason to have a REALTOR® - we get to be the middle person, so when you decide that the offer is too low and the buyer is too stupid to live in your house, I can suggest we "respectfully decline the offer." We open doors! Both literally and figuratively. Yes, we have the magic powers (or maybe it's an app) to open the blue box on the door to get you into your future dream home or to open the door to the house you're selling to let your buyer in (or you when you've locked yourself out of the house, we can help with that too!) We also open the doors to possible buyers that you wouldn't have reached on your own. I don't just take some photos and put a sign on your lawn, I work hard behind the scenes to get your house sold! I'm constantly searching for your buyer using websites, open houses, conversations and more! If you're a buyer, I'm spending hours on the computer making sure it has the white cabinets with the dark floors, going to caravan to get a better look at the layout of a home you might be interested in, and I've been known to do a drive by at a certain time of day to check on the traffic situation too. In regards to all that real estate jargon, I'm a translator too! Closing date? Condition date? RPR? Title Insurance? Material Latent Defects? WHAT? Don't worry, we are here to explain every term so that you understand exactly what you're signing. As a REALTOR®, I work 24/7. I've negotiated deals on almost every vacation I have ever been on. I'm writing contracts at the hockey arena, scheduling viewings while at the playground with my kids, and replying to your texts and emails outside the restaurant on date night. Heck, I was even answering texts about rescheduling viewings, while evacuating. In fact, on my way out the door I sent the following text, "I'm being evacuated, I'll text you as soon as I hear back from the buyer." Sometimes being a REALTOR® is like being a mom, you think no one notices all your hard work, but then a client says this "(Joelle) made my first home buying experience amazing and comfortable. Best realtor in fort Mac!!" It's just like an "I love you Mommy" and you remember why you're a REALTOR®...to make people's dreams come true!