A buyer contacted me earlier this week and we agreed to meet for an interview on Thursday.  This morning  his wife wanted me to bring them the average sales to list price ratio for 8 areas that they were interested in, along with a list of every property I helped someone buy in the last 12 months, including address, property type, list price, sales price, date, and name and current phone number of the buyers.    

It wasn't easy to say no because I am accustomed to providing free info in hopes of getting the client.  I told them that they hadn't yet hired me as their agent and that I hadn't agreed to represent them yet.  I told them I have an hourly consultative fee and would be happy to give them more information about that program.  And, btw, I'm not giving out my client's personal information.

I have to admit that, regardless of the outcome, I feel pretty good about this.  I'm behaving like the trained professional that I am instead of a panhandler.  Hopefully my refusal will humble them a bit and we'll be able to work together.  If not, it's okay.  I'm pretty tired of being a beck and call girl.  Hoping to start to like my job again.

I am the broker of a large office which operates on commission fees. I believe that some consumers will opt for consulting fees if given the choice and I am curious to know how brokers are splitting the fees with their sales associate.

In our office there is a minimum cost to open and process a transaction which attracts a file fee to the sales associate, If a sales associate did a small consultation there would often be very little left for them after office fees.

I am hoping to generate some discussion around this topic with brokers or sales associates who are currently using the consulting fee model or anyone else who has information or opinions on this topic.

I completed the ACRE study program and earned my certification.  I added a consulting services page to my website and prepared myself for this shift in the way I approach real estate.  Today I got my first consulting gig!  Here is how it went:

I received and email through my website requesting a meeting regarding my real estate services to list a couple's home.  I showed up both prepared to list the home in the traditional manner and also to present my consulting services menu for the first time.

We sat down at the dining room table and the husband says to me, "I am curious, we read on your website about your consulting services and we really want to hear about how that works."  I was so delighted!!!  The consumer asked me about consulting and it made me think..."This is really where our business is going, people are curious about having options and choices!!!"  AWESOME!!!

I launched into how I came into the whole consulting concept, about ACRE and about how the wants and needs of consumers are changing and moving in a direction that affords them to have the service that they want without being held hostage by only one way of doing real estate.  They both agreed that what I was telling them was true and then they proceeded to tell me which services they wanted from me!  It was amazing and somewhat surreal!

I am putting together a proposal for them for helping them sell their home and just had to get online and share my first consulting experience!  The take-away...this is really cool and I love it!  Thanks ACRE for lighting the path to a new way of doing real estate!!!

This is an exciting time to be in Real Estate and the Consulting part of the Business. I feel that this should be the norm of our practice and the foundation to future growth. I am excited to be part of the ACRE team and Thank everyone that is evolved. Best Wishes and Regards to all in the business.

Nadeem I. Haddad, ACRE, CNE, SFR

I received this article today from NAR and thought I would share this because to me it confirms the value of the ACRE(r) program for real estate agents. http://ypnlounge.blogs.realtor.org/2011/03/15/to-cut-or-not-to-cut-your-commission-that-is-the-question/.  

I don't recall reading how to address the situation or question of reverting back to fee base pay after an agreement has been made to pay the commission and you have gone all the way to the day of closing and the client thinks or knows that they made an error in there decision to go commission as compensation.I would think that if that commission agreement has been made there is no turning back. I understand that the fee based agreement can be applied to commission.Thank You. 

I posted this on Active Rain if you'd like to join in on the conversation click here

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later. Heidi keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers' loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit. By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.

Posted this article on the Times Community. Your thoughts are always appreciated!

Info and paperwork to take out to a FSBO to try and get the listing or atleast some kind of business from them.

Hi Everyone,I am jumping right into this,One week Old. I have a client who has used Help You Sell in the past. Obviously he wasnt happy because he now is working with a Realtor and I have worked on 3 transactions with him in the last 9 months.  But have had to drop a half a point on the sellers side each time. That being said he is interested in my consulting as a way to save money. He use the HelpYou Sell model as a comparison and if you read there service description it sounds similiar. Help me with the difference for you who have that experience. Thank you