Should Real Estate Agents Work in Dual Roles as Home Buyers?

Representing yourself in the dual role of a real estate agent and home buyer in a real estate transaction just to hang on to the buying side of the commission seems a bit defeatist to me, but that’s not to say an agent won’t do it –unless, of course, one subscribes to the adage that a lawyer who represents herself has a fool for a client. Further, you should probably pity the poor real estate agents in my life who have had to represent me in a real estate transaction. In retrospect, I was a terrible client.

I would not want to work with myself as a client. When the shoe is on the other foot, compassion be damned. I forget all about my comfy slippers with the soft lambswool lining and act like I’m strutting about in 8-inch heels. I demand immediate responses, expect instant communication and tolerate zero mistakes. I am like every real estate agent’s worst nightmare, and I apologize right now to the poor agent who will undoubtedly represent us when my husband and I retire somewhere exotic down the road.

While I strive to offer a client excellent service and often receive glowing reviews for my service, not all real estate agents behave in this manner. I will stop whatever I am doing when a client calls to take that phone call. In the middle of the frozen food aisle at the grocery store or in the midst of more intimate activities that you don’t want to know about, I answer my phone. The only places I turn it off are at the movie theatre, in flight or after 7 PM.

I do it because that’s what I would want if I were a client. I try to match performance to meet expectations. Client satisfaction is paramount to me. If I believe a client is better off with another agent, I will refer that client to another agent. It’s easy to see the situation at arm’s length when you’re not the client.

Singleness-of-purpose works well for a successful Sacramento real estate agent. It means the agent doesn’t do home staging, doesn’t do mortgages, doesn’t peddle other products to the client and doesn’t try to play the dual role of a buyer and agent. The agent simply works in real estate, focusing on representing her clients with integrity and purpose. Other agents will disagree with this premise and you know what? It’s OK. We’re not all the same.

Having said that, I will leave you with a link to an article about home buyers that I wrote yesterday for About.com. It’s a light-hearted yet accurate description of home buyers and the 7 different types of home buyers we work with in this business. I invite you to read more about What Kind of Home Buyer Are You?