Home Buying Confusion–On the Path to Chaos

In our increasingly global economy, outsiders from everywhere in the world want an “in” to the U.S. real estate market. There seems no end to the amount of money people, companies and investment groups can and will spend to get in to our market. Most claim they “know” how to improve efficiencies, speed up and simplify the processes, save consumers money, aggravation and eliminate the need to talk withe lenders, agents and Realtors. Funny thing is, almost none of these people, investors or companies have any actual real estate industry experience. They speak with supposed authority from a 40,000 foot perspective. None of them recognize a fundamental that every Realtor, agent or loan officer who has survived in this industry for more than 5 years knows–this is a people business, not a commodity or even transaction business. People have personalities, unique needs, circumstances and subjective criteria driving much of their decisions about real estate.

There are Disruptors in every business or industry out there; some better than others with some industries better suited for Disruptors than others. The point being, most of them only want to talk about efficiencies of removing the people, the conversations, the variables and the calculus of weighting all of these market and subjective factors for any one person’s circumstances. Home buyers can look online and get computer generated valuations for most properties, but is that really what they’re worth? According to who and what criteria?

Many think they know what it takes to write a winning offer. They aren’t seeking the advice and counsel of an informed agent in the area they are looking in. They only find out what doesn’t work when their offer is rejected and the home is sold to a different buyer. How can an automated company, unwilling to talk about all of the options you may have available, answer this? It’s not usually just about price. What makes a better  offer varies with every property but usually requires a conversation with the buyer, the seller’s agent and the lender involved. Find the common ground and solutions to win and get the home. This takes a willingness to care, to listen, to educate and to be involved. Putting a priority on what’s the most efficient use of the agent’s time shouldn’t be in the matrix of factors for your offer.

New tools and technologies can help make the process more efficient but they can’t replace true conversations, understanding and educating. While Disruptors and Outsiders see buyers and sellers agreeing to sell a home or property, they don’t see the relationships and the time it took to build them, to gain buyer and seller trust with their agents and lenders and to work together to  benefit their clients and customers. With all the promise of new widgets and gizmos to make this process simpler, easier and better for the consumer, they don’t
have a way to replace the simple fact that this is a people business. One that requires people talking, educating, understanding, coaching, assisting and counseling Buyers and Sellers on how to find the best opportunities in any market for their actual needs. Speed or simplicity may be “a” factor for some, but when we’re usually talking about people’s long-time homes to buy or sell, speed or simplicity are only a couple of many variables likely considered. Sadly none of the rest will ever be known without an actual conversation with an informed agent or lender to help you.

No one person, group or company will stop Disruptors, but on their present course, the simplification will only lead to more chaos. Information is getting easier to find but knowledge and the ability to apply it are getting more rare. The cost is usually the same for an ill-informed or under-informed person, company or program to help you. Why not get real advice  from a quality agent or lender who will truly benefit you, saving you time, frustration and effort as a Buyer or netting you more for your home as a home Seller?

You may know where you want to go but how do you get there?

Photo by Andres Haro on Unsplash