I am not sure that it is coming to a point of being a commodity. The service is critical and necessary for buyers and sellers. A great Realtor can save a consumers thousands of dollars, in some cases tens of thousand of dollars but also the point that you make “ease of use” and helping a consumer with a seamless transaction is “pricless”. Saving someone stress and ogoda is very appreciate as well. Last week I just had a deal for a seller who commented that “I cannot believe how smooth this went” . To sum it up, when I hear that, I know that we did a good job !

Just subscribed to your blog via email as well.

I am not sure that it is coming to a point of being a commodity. The service is critical and necessary for buyers and sellers. A great Realtor can save a consumers thousands of dollars, in some cases tens of thousand of dollars but also the point that you make “ease of use” and helping a consumer with a seamless transaction is “pricless”. Saving someone stress and ogoda is very appreciate as well. Last week I just had a deal for a seller who commented that “I cannot believe how smooth this went” . To sum it up, when I hear that, I know that we did a good job !

Just subscribed to your blog via email as well.

My latest philosophy is that the realtor these days is pretty much a commodity. As a consumer I find it hard to differentiate one’s service from the other. Some might have better service, some worse but overall the same services.

There is this concept of the fourth economy, http://www.managingchange.com/masscust/experien.htm, one that is based on selling an experience instead of a service.

I think you’ve touched on this. Personally, I think the cult of personality around the top agents is rather strange. I for one would like to see a company come in be the Apple of real estate.

The customer service and the products are high quality. No matter where you buy it is the same level of price and service. And the whole buy/sell experience is more enjoyable and memorable.

My latest philosophy is that the realtor these days is pretty much a commodity. As a consumer I find it hard to differentiate one’s service from the other. Some might have better service, some worse but overall the same services.

There is this concept of the fourth economy, http://www.managingchange.com/masscust/experien.htm, one that is based on selling an experience instead of a service.

I think you’ve touched on this. Personally, I think the cult of personality around the top agents is rather strange. I for one would like to see a company come in be the Apple of real estate.

The customer service and the products are high quality. No matter where you buy it is the same level of price and service. And the whole buy/sell experience is more enjoyable and memorable.

Thanks for continuing the discussion on how to define a good agent – it’s absolutely key for the business I’m going to launch and alluded to in my preso at RETechSouth with regard to agent ratings. I think it is has to be multifaceted, objective and subjective, and include peer comparison. And, as you point out – it needs to be clear enough so that it can be actionable.

I was excited to hear about the HAR initiative but I don’t think it goes far enough – but I applaud them for a good start. Should the client (buyer/seller) have the final say on the agent rating? I think the client review should be only one of several components. On some levels, performance should be a measure of exceeding expectations. If a client insists on listing a property too high, the agent needs to either refuse the listing or clearly set the expectation that the house may sit on the market for 9 months. Likewise, clients need access to more data and peer comparisons for list price/sales price ratios, days on market, and other statistics.

Agent ratings are needed and many formulas will undoubtedly be hatched – and so will they evolve, iteration by iteration.

Keep the dialogue going.

~Marc D

Thanks for continuing the discussion on how to define a good agent – it’s absolutely key for the business I’m going to launch and alluded to in my preso at RETechSouth with regard to agent ratings. I think it is has to be multifaceted, objective and subjective, and include peer comparison. And, as you point out – it needs to be clear enough so that it can be actionable.

I was excited to hear about the HAR initiative but I don’t think it goes far enough – but I applaud them for a good start. Should the client (buyer/seller) have the final say on the agent rating? I think the client review should be only one of several components. On some levels, performance should be a measure of exceeding expectations. If a client insists on listing a property too high, the agent needs to either refuse the listing or clearly set the expectation that the house may sit on the market for 9 months. Likewise, clients need access to more data and peer comparisons for list price/sales price ratios, days on market, and other statistics.

Agent ratings are needed and many formulas will undoubtedly be hatched – and so will they evolve, iteration by iteration.

Keep the dialogue going.

~Marc D

Not sure that my working definition is ‘better’ in any real sense. For me, it provides a bit more clarity because I think it’s more actionable. You’re surely correct that a bad agent makes good agents look good. But that bit of insight in and of itself doesn’t let me know what I need to do to become a good agent, or a better agent.

I also don’t know that I would say a good service provider is one who never believes she is worthy of her compensation. Continual learning, continual attempts to get better — yes, I agree with that. But all truly good professionals know that they are worth whatever they are charging. David Boies charges $750/hr without blinking an eye or losing a minute’s worth of sleep over whether his services are really worth that or not. But what he provides his clients is maximum peace of mind in what is a high-stress context: do or die litigation.

I know I need to do more to flesh out this concept. But I do feel that the ‘axis’ of ease-of-use is one that can be useful, and provide actionable direction to those who consider it.

-rsh