Think Realtors Just Unlock Doors? You're About to Be Proven Wrong!

Do Realtors really deserve their commission... or do they just unlock doors and fill out paperwork?

In Episode #44 of Real Estate UnRaked, Eric Rakers, Dane Coussens, Bridget Hodges, and Jaycee Crawford tackle one of the biggest debates in real estate—and they're not holding anything back.

If you've ever wondered what Realtors actually do behind the scenes, why some agents are worth every penny while others aren't, or why real estate transactions fall apart, this episode pulls back the curtain on an industry that most people only see from the outside.

The reality is simple...

The showing is the easy part.

The real work begins after the offer is accepted.

From negotiating inspections and appraisal issues to navigating title problems, financing delays, contract deadlines, emotional buyers and sellers, and protecting clients from costly mistakes, we explain exactly what happens during a real estate transaction that most consumers never see.

You'll also hear us break down:

✅ The biggest myths about Realtors

✅ Why Zillow can't replace local expertise

✅ Why finding the house is actually one of the easiest parts of buying real estate

✅ What separates average agents from exceptional professionals

✅ Why communication, negotiation, and risk management matter more than opening doors

✅ The truth about commissions and the value a great Realtor actually provides

We also have an honest conversation about something the industry doesn't always like to discuss...

Not every Realtor delivers the same level of service.

We'll explain why experience, systems, communication, and professionalism can make the difference between a smooth closing and a financial disaster.

Whether you're buying your first home, selling your fifth, relocating to Northeast Florida, investing in real estate, or simply curious about how the business really works, this episode will completely change the way you look at Realtors.

If you've ever said:

"Why do Realtors make so much money?"

"Can't I just buy directly from Zillow?"

"Is a Realtor really worth it?"

This episode is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today we're probably gonna upset some people, and honestly, that's okay. If you ever thought realtors just unlock doors, fill out new forms, and collect a commission check, this episode is for you. Because today we're pulling back the curtain on what actually happens behind the scenes of a real estate transaction. The things that nobody sees, nobody talks about, and most people don't realize until something goes wrong. We're talking about what realtors really do, what consumers think we do, where agents earn their money, where they don't, and why some agents are worth every single penny while others probably shouldn't even have their license. So grab your coffee or something stronger and let's own the rank. Let's do it. Welcome to Real Estate on Rate, episode 44. Hello, everybody. Good morning. We're just rolling down the tracks with this, guys. Yeah, absolutely. Wonder how was everybody's weekend? It was good. It was good. Good, Bridget. You were out of town.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

Yeah, celebrated a wedding. That was beautiful. I love weddings.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I had family in town and JC, you you were you were working.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I showed like 30 houses at Beach and beat all of the rain. Like you know, we had tons of showers.

SPEAKER_05 1:17

Like and you didn't get wet. You beat all the rain. That's awesome. Some of them were kind of bad. That's really, really good. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Yep. All right. Well, let's suck this thing off because we got lots to talk about today. Dane, let's do it.

SPEAKER_05 1:33

All right. Well, this is two and one, I'm gonna give y'all today. All right, I like two and one. So always about my wife, right? Yes, of course. But I'm gonna throw some real estate in there with it. So my wife asked how the real estate market was. I said, it's a lot like our marriage. She asked, How so? I said, I'm constantly trying to negotiate and you're constantly holding all the leverage.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

That's actually really good at my gone. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

You want me to go? Okay, I'll go. I I just asked the gym if they can teach me how to do the splits. And they asked me how flexible I was. And I said I couldn't come on Thursday afternoons.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Oh, I get it. Schedule flexibility. That's funny. That was funny. Mine is uh to whoever stole my antidepressants. I hope you're happy now.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

All right, are you ready?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Did you hear that they arrested the devil? No, they got him on possession.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

That's a wonderful one. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Eric, you'd have like a delayed reaction, like five seconds after I told that joke.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

I was trying to like not laugh, but that was good. So it was good. Mine, lame as usual. Oh boy. Well, I think I'm just maybe I'm worn out from creating all the podcast information, so I don't have time to do with dad jokes.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

With dad jokes?

SPEAKER_00 3:07

I'm not sure what to do with my hands. So let's start with stereotypes because you know you spent if you spend more than five minutes in this business. You've heard one of them, okay? And I'm sure that we can talk about this a lot. But the truth is, most people only see about 5% of what we actually do and what happens during a real estate transaction. So they they see the showings, they see the sign in the yard, they see the closing photos. What they don't see are the dozens of conversations, negotiations, problems, and decisions happening behind the scenes. I'll tell you, I actually understand where some of these perceptions come from. Most of the consumers only buy or sell a handful of homes in their lifetime. They don't see the hours spent researching the market data, reviewing the contracts, coordinating inspections, negotiating repairs, communicating with lenders, title companies, appraisers, and of course the other agents. The average consumer sees the out sees this. Excuse me, the average consumer sees the outcome, but they don't see the process. Yeah, I agree with that.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

That's so true.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

I mean, usually we always hear, well, yeah, all you guys do is unlock doors, you put a sign in the yard, you fill out our paperwork, and then we collect a commission tech. Commission check, right? And then we'll watch HGTV, call it work, that kind of thing, right?

SPEAKER_05 4:25

Right, right. Now let me ask you a question before we go any further. What's the difference between a real tour and and we talked about this in a segment a while back, and a real estate agent.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

So the difference between the two is the fact is a real tour is certified and has ongoing continuing education.

SPEAKER_05 4:41

Yep. A real estate agent doesn't. They just and you know, a real tour is also held to higher standards, too. Very much so. So make sure, people, if you're looking to buy a house or sell, make sure it's a real tour. Yeah, and all four of us are real tours.

SPEAKER_03 5:00

All real tour.

SPEAKER_05 5:01

But you know, one of the funniest things I hear from buyers is well, we found the house ourselves online, and that's great. You absolutely should be looking online, but finding the house is honestly one of the smallest parts of the entire transaction. The real work begins after you found the house. That's when negotiations start, deadlines start, inspections start, appraisals happen, financing gets involved, title gets involved. I mean, there's a lot behind it, and suddenly everybody realizes that it's just not clicking a button on Zillow anymore.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:31

So maybe, maybe Zillow found the home. That's right. But negotiations start at that point when you're ready to go look or make an offer or what have you. Then you got timelines and deadlines you got to get done.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Well, you can break down the fact that what Zillow really is, homes.com, truly are redfin, what are they? They are search engines, basically. That's exactly what they are. They they are what our MLS is. And where Zillow and all those people do, Zillow doesn't sell homes. All those people don't.

SPEAKER_04 6:02

No.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

What they do is they take the information uh from us, realtors that we put in the MLS. If we put in the MLS, and they have access to the MLS and they post it on a third-party website, which is their their sites, right? That's where they get the information from. So all they're doing, sharing with you guys is what we what do what we do. And you know, I've actually heard a couple other things. Well, I don't want to deal with the realtor, so I'm just gonna go look on Zillow. Well, guess what? You're gonna look for the realtor, you're still gonna end up with one of us. Yeah, whether, and the this is the great thing, you don't have a choice on who you have is a real sticky with somebody, whether they're good, bad, or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 6:39

It's it's whoever paid what for right, whoever paid the most to get that lead.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Yeah, it whenever I tell people that they're like, whoa. Yeah, you don't know who or what you're getting. You're not you're not completely eliminating that step in the process. What you think you're bypassing it, you're not. All you're doing is taking your options away from that choice because you still have to do that. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 7:01

You're limited to one instead of being able to interview other people.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

You might as well have the control to pick one for you that you actually like. Absolutely you would want to work with, other than that. But yeah, I mean, on the seller side, I think social media has created some unrealistic expectations. You know, people see a home listed online and think it's sold, or you know, because the market is hot or because the house was beautiful. But behind the scenes of everything, what people don't see is the pricing strategy, right? Like what you know, what's it actually valued at at that time?

SPEAKER_05 7:30

Where do we come up with the price?

SPEAKER_03 7:31

How did we, yeah, how did we get here? The preparation, making it clean, making sure the staging is all well and done, photography. I highly recommend getting them professionally done. Don't take them off of crappy phone camera. We say this almost every episode because it's so true. Open houses, broker outreach, you know, there's a lot of adjustments that happen. It's always constant that's behind the scenes. And I think that's what people don't necessarily realize when you're listing. So sellers think the home sells it that sells themselves, which is not always the case, but pricing strategy, market plans, professionalism, managing expectations, all that really goes into listing it properly.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Yeah, yeah, it does.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

People think realtors have this magical life where we open a door, show a kitchen, collect a check, and then head to the beach. That could happen. The reality is most realtors are answering calls at 9 p.m., solving problems on weekends, and trying to keep multiple transactions from falling apart at the same time.

SPEAKER_05 8:26

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

There are a lot of realtor stereotypes. Those TV shows, the reality TV shows.

SPEAKER_03 8:31

Yeah, love it or list it. Or selling sunset. Oh, selling sunset. That's so good. That would be fun. I love that. It'd be fun.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Not not all realtors. Or the door opener meth. It's a lot of after hours work, weekend work, mind expectations. You've got to think about it. A lot of buyers, you have to work around their work schedule, so it's after five or weekends. So you have to be available for that.

SPEAKER_05 8:57

One other thing you can add to that too, we're psychiatrists.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:01

We are therapist. I mean, we gotta know the situation, right? So that we know, you know, let's set some expectations with our buyer or our sellers.

SPEAKER_05 9:11

Yeah, because some are very unrealistic and they don't realize, you know, yeah, that sounds great. I would love to have a house like that too. But finding that, unless you build it from scratch, bottom ground up, it's gonna be hard to find every single thing. You want to get as close as possibly can to finding everything on your box, at least definitely get the most major ones that are on there.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

You know, we're also a bottle of head and shoulders. We're never not working. Yeah, that's true. Never not working. That's still a running joke in my house. Well, that's true at your house. You know, I'll be at a ball field or somewhere and I'll be in the middle of a conversation, phone rings, and I'll step away, and my wife goes, There it goes. Never not working. Yeah. So let's let's let's deep dive. I want us to kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and really talk about what happens and what we do. A realtor job really isn't selling homes, the home is going to sell itself, and if it's priced correctly and marketed properly, our job is risk management out of all this. That's the way to put it. Yeah, our job is protecting clients from mistakes, protecting their money, protecting their timelines, and helping them make smart decisions based on facts instead of emotion, because selling a home and buying a home is a very emotional process. Very much so. And that's why you said that we're shrinks too, Dane.

SPEAKER_05 10:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

But we really take a deep dive and when we look at market analysis, we we do it consistently, we do it daily. Heck, we do it multiple times during the day. Yeah, pricing strategies. Oh my gosh, we do it the old-fashioned way, we do it algorithm-wise, we look at a bunch of stuff, and we can put all that together and then we assess the risk. So risk management is is is key for us, especially right now in this current market. And then we also, when we get offers in, we we go over them with you, but at the same time, we analys the crap out of this stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah, and I look at every single line. You have to, and we have to make sure everything's legit, that's right, that's gonna work for our listing, our sellers. We're gonna work for our buyers, and if we need to to make any counters or do anything like that, it it it it does, it's it's kind of an art. No, it is, it really is. But experience goes a long way with that, and then we can also guide our buyers on contract guidance, including our our sellers, right? Of how we want to do everything.

SPEAKER_05 11:27

Right. One thing I like about our team, if we have any questions that we haven't seen before, which does happen at time to time, we talk to each other, we we figure it out, and and you know, we work with a great uh brokerage, United Real Estate Gallery. And you know, if there's some extreme cases, we can even ask the two brokers in charge, yeah, Sonny and Ray, and they are ready to help at any time. So that that's uh one of the great points we have with our team and with our brokerage. But you know, most deals don't fail because somebody couldn't find a house, most deals fail because something unexpected happened during the uh process. You're joking. Yeah, like for example, I had this just happen last year. Appraisal came in low.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Yeah, that is a nasty situation. It's not easy because you're already through all the negotiating stuff, everything's done, and then you got to go back to the table about something.

SPEAKER_05 12:16

And I and I know I every agent I can tell you this the inspections uncover major issues. That that happens more times than not, you know. And and so you just got to work through that. You got to make sure you get the general contract right there. Everybody agrees to get it done and repaired. So, you know, and a lot of loans won't like FHA and VA, if those repairs aren't done with the inspections, they won't approve that loan. Yeah, you won't get the loan. Loan approvals hit roadblocks, and that's one of those things we were talking about. If you they don't, you know, the house needs to be a certain way and certain things need to be fixed for they can give it to you. And then, as well as you know, title concerns and you know, inspection negotiations, you know, transaction management, you got all these issues coming.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

So yeah, no, it pops up everywhere. This is probably the least talked about part of our job, too, is that real estate is a very emotional game, it's a very emotional process on both sides of the coin, buyers, sellers, and the agent.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Oh, okay. We were talking about that earlier, Dave.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Oh my gosh, yes, it's very, very emotional. All of us have could probably think of like three stories minimum in our head of how that has affected it. But people are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, right? Families are relocating, kids change schools, life is always changing, and so a big part of our job is helping clients stay focused on their goals when emotions start taking over, right? So, I mean, personally, I mean, I've had I've been working with some people that I have a family that I'm trying to work with that has like six kids. That's really hard. Welcome to my world, yeah. Right?

SPEAKER_04 13:51

Like, man, like, yeah, that is.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

I can't like I can't imagine their day-to-day, right? So, me just trying to help them get to this goal of getting a house is a little bit tricky. I so I gotta be there and understand the timeline and that stuff changes. Oh, yeah, there's so much going on, you know. Oh, there's so much going on with them. This might be on the back burner. Buyers get anxiety because they are spending all this money, they want to make sure that the house is perfect for them. But again, there's no such thing as a perfect house. It's just what checks all your boxes the most, right? Sellers get stressed out because maybe their house isn't selling right away and it's been on the market for over a month, right? What does that mean? And just helping them out with decision making and just again trying to stay on track of the goal. What is the goal? You want a house, you want to sell it, we're here to help you do it. Right. So you got to kind of let us help you do it.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

If you've never worked in real estate, you'd be shocked how many problems pop up in a single transaction.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

No doubt. No doubt.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Something happens almost every time. The question isn't whether problems happen, it's whether your realtor knows how to solve them. There are so many pop-ups. I can't think of a transaction where something didn't. Is there the blood pressure a little high there?

SPEAKER_05 14:58

Well, I'm gonna be honest with you. This one I'm going through right now, closing uh Monday. No issues yet.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Knock on wood, is it wood yellow?

SPEAKER_05 15:08

This has been the smoothest best, and I'm just waiting for the bottom to fall out before Monday. I I know I've knocked on wood. I can't find it. Oh, you got a weekend before it closes? Yeah, oh my goodness, I'm so scared.

unknown 15:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

That's no less than the surprise.

SPEAKER_02 15:22

No less than the surprises there.

SPEAKER_03 15:24

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

I was gonna ask, that was gonna be my question. I'm like, has anyone had burger had a closing that, like you said, like it's going really smooth right now? I can't think of one that I've had.

SPEAKER_05 15:37

Well, this this is the best. Oh my gosh. So fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_03 15:41

Seriously, I want you to knock on wood.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

I oh I'm going to go check repairs on one I've got under contract right now that's closing on the 2nd of July, and I haven't had any issues with it. That's good.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

You know my favorite story.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

I will I think you've got to drive over there and check the repairs.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

So you know my favorite story. It's final walkthrough. Every single light fixture is added. That one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

Oh my gosh, that would blow my mind.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

24 hours before closing. I'd be like, bro, what did you like? What realtor thought that was uh realtor.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Yeah, I bet the realtor didn't even know.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

She was equally as yeah, upset.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

And the realtor had no idea. Oh no. Nope. I guarantee you that.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

She didn't like my lance. She didn't like my solution. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:26

You definitely did I needed to take my Lanta after that.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

But it's important that your realtor can handle last-minute surprises. Yes. Has some good problem solving on the ready communication. They've got to help manage your expectations, honestly.

SPEAKER_04 16:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

If they're telling you it's gonna be a painless process, no issues, it's not painless. Like you have to you're there are a lot of moving pieces in a transaction, and it's not you can't really rely on everyone else to do their job, so you need to be able to rely on the realtor.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Well, I've just come to the assumption that that's why we can't have nice things.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

That's why when you when you if any big advice for someone, if you're looking for a realtor, make sure the realtor is just gonna be there for you no matter what, in whatever situation, because they can't guarantee something so smooth, you know. I feel like that's like a first alert red flag. I hear a realtor like it'll be the most smooth process ever.

SPEAKER_05 17:20

Liar Yeah, it's a roller coaster ride.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Hang on tight.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

But we're hanging on with you.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

So there you go. So let me ask you something, guys, before we jump into another section here is you ever have a listing and you end up losing the listing because the obviously the seller thinks you didn't sell it quick enough, you didn't do good, a good enough job. I'm sure that happens to everybody, and then you decided to check in on that listing 60 days later and find out that it is now still on the market and $25,000 less than what they said they didn't want to lower the price for. Yeah, I saw that yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Hurts a little.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

So today we're gonna be settling this once and for all. Okay. Because after years in this business, I've come to one conclusion. People have absolutely no idea what real orders do.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

So today, in honor of that, our new game is called What the Hell Does This Person Think a Realtor Does?

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Perfect. I'm so excited. Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

There's only one answer that's correct, guys. And there's three answers that are ridiculous. Unfortunately, the ridiculous answer is probably gonna be usually the correct one.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

Uh oh. So here we Wait, you just told us how to win the game.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Go.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

Oh, okay.

unknown 18:45

Ready?

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Ridiculous. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

A buyer sends us 19 Zillow listings at 11:58 p.m., then texts us, can we see all these tomorrow? What does this buyer think a realtor does? Schedules the showings, owns a helicopter, has no family hobbies or need for sleep, lives inside Zillow waiting for assignments.

SPEAKER_04 19:10

D.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

Literally that's what they think. They do.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

They don't think yeah. I don't think they're considering scheduling at all. So yeah, we're going D.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Gonna go D? All right. That's interesting. What would you guys do? What really happens?

SPEAKER_05 19:27

What are the first options? Uh schedule the showings. I'll call I'll call the next morning. I wouldn't do it at 11:58.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

Yeah, I was gonna say I would be asleep by that.

SPEAKER_05 19:37

Yeah, I go to bed at 10 at the latest.

SPEAKER_03 19:39

Right. So I would call them first thing in the morning.

SPEAKER_05 19:41

Yep, first thing in the morning. Check on them, make sure and say I'll try to get what I can.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 19:46

And uh, but some places that are occupied require a 24-hour notice, some don't, so we'll see what we can get.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

All right, here's here's a here's a sub-question to us. What would your team lead do?

SPEAKER_05 19:57

He would call back at 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

Uh he would call back at yeah, you would call back at like 115. You would say the exact same thing Dane said, like, hey, I'm gonna try, but I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Yeah, so basically 11:59, I'd be I'd be texting back what time would be good for you. Yeah, right. Because I am almost all the above. Yes, I'll schedule the showings. I don't own a helicopter, I do have family hobbies, but I don't need to have a I don't have any need for sleep.

SPEAKER_04 20:24

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Um and I don't live inside Zillow, I live inside the MLS and at my desk. Yeah, you would do uh yeah, yeah, okay, but not us, we're normal. Yeah, I'm in bed, and again, guys, that's why I don't have nice things. Um, anyway, I seller's gonna say this for this next question. I know every house around me sold for $500,000, but mine should be worth $650 because I love it. What do you what what does the seller actually think the realtor does? Provide market analysis. Definitely don't think that nope price homes, don't think that either. Convince strangers to pay more for memories, probably uh or D run a charity.

SPEAKER_05 21:12

See, well, it's funny you say that. I'm I'm I got a situation similar to that right now going on, and uh I don't know what to think.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Buy them a scrapbook, yeah, but the memory's there. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:25

I mean, you take you look at the market, you check everything out, you give them this price, and they're like, no, I want to go up higher. I'm like, well, it's gonna sit now. Let's throw it way up there where nobody wants to look at it. I think they do that on purpose. And so um, even though you advise them and try to lead them in the right direction and then follow up mu weekly with uh reports of you know what it looks like, uh, you know, people looking at it, uh, you know, how many views we've had, blah, blah, blah. Don't want to do anything.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

That's an issue. That is an issue.

SPEAKER_03 21:57

That sounds very stressful.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

It is. Apparently the buyers are supposed to pay extra for the emotional attachment package. Sure. Would you like fries with that? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:09

I know. I was just thinking like that maybe hungry.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

A buyer wants waterfront, a pool, no HOA, a new roof, two acres, fully renovated, under budget. What does this buyer think a realtor does? Has a magic wand, is what he thinks. Search the MLS and quotations endlessly. Build houses. We travel, we could travel through time. Or manifest properties through positive thinking. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Probably the manifest.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

We've got a vision for it, Jess for you. Yeah. Please help me find a house with a new roof, pool, no HOA, two acres, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

That I can afford.

SPEAKER_03 22:49

Yeah. That will be in my price range.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

You know, I had a customer ask me that one time and Doc Brown and I got in the Todd DeLorean and went back to 1998. Couldn't find it, but we did found it in 2018. Yeah, no doubt. By the time I got back to the customer, it was already sold. Yeah, imagine that. Okay. Rates go up. Buyer gets mad. What does this buyer think the realtors do? Market homes, negotiate contracts. We set Federal Reserve policy. Control the economy from a secret underground bunker.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

C and D. Both of those. That's exactly what they think.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Guys, I'm gonna tell you, if I if I seriously control the rates, I would not be here right now. I love you guys. I would not be here. Yeah, no doubt. I'd be owning an island somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

Yeah, I would be, yeah, I'd be off grid.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

You know who I'd be hanging out with? Johnny Depp.

SPEAKER_03 23:46

Boy Johnny.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Because he got all that rum.

SPEAKER_05 23:48

What did you do with all the rum? And when he gets messed up, he kind of walks funny.

SPEAKER_03 23:56

Yeah, so you want to hang out with Captain Jack Sparrow. No, not just.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

I would, because like I'd like I'd like to say to him when all the rums gone, where'd the rum go? It's free entertainment for sure. Absolutely. There's gotta be some truth to that.

SPEAKER_03 24:13

I still haven't seen those movies. Anyway.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

Oh my word.

SPEAKER_03 24:16

I know, I know. We're talking.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

You can't have a squirrel moment and during game time.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Because we are gonna we're gonna address that. Because guess what movie I saw this weekend?

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Wait, no, not you. Jurassic Park.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

Which one? I keep getting the view. Oh man. Oh, it's bringing tears to my mind. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

It's it's I I don't get it. I just don't get it. Well, did you not watch Jurassic Park after we had this?

SPEAKER_05 24:45

No, she's actually refusing to do that.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

I don't want to, I don't know. You said you were going to yeah, and then I looked at it and I thought I found it on my whatever streaming service I was on. I watched the trailer and I'm like, I don't think I could do this.

SPEAKER_05 24:57

Oh my word. Uh-huh. Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Just cool cute. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Seller refuses to claim to paint to declutter. Okay. Then ask, why aren't we getting any showings? Why does this seller think what do you think this seller thinks us as realtors do? We're home decor from market homes. Give advice, photoshop reality. That or do we hypnotize the buyers?

SPEAKER_03 25:31

D and D.

SPEAKER_05 25:33

Okay. I can't argue that.

SPEAKER_03 25:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:36

Or uh, you know, again, the magic wand.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

I'm just trying to picture like actual Photoshop.

SPEAKER_03 25:41

Yeah, can you imagine sitting there just actually photoshopping clean toilets? Like, no, I'm not doing that.

SPEAKER_05 25:46

Oh my lord. You know, that's a shitty job.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

That'd be a terrible job. That's what I'm gonna sit at my desk after I take no. Oh no, I'm not doing that.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

Oh, wouldn't that be great if Zillow had smell of vision?

SPEAKER_03 26:05

Oh no. Oh no, no. Ew, some of them would smell crusty.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Okay, that house smells like wet dog and regret. All right, next one. Client disappears for 12 days. Good. Then then taxes. Uh just checking in any updates. What does this client think we do? Communicate.

unknown 26:30

Nope.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

Provide updates? Frack the market. Or do we practice telepathy?

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Telepathy. I think that's kind of common.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

That's so common. I'm going through that now. I'm like typing, look at this. This looks like something you'd like.

SPEAKER_00 26:46

Crystal ball from Timu. That's that's that's kind of an actual useful tool if we have it. Would be good. Would be yeah. All right. The home inspection finds a roof issue, an HVAC issue, and a plumbing issue. The buyer tells us, can you just fix all that?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

What does this buyer think we do? Negotiate repairs, coordinate contractors, own a Home Depot, transfer into a licensed plumbers after sunset. C and D?

SPEAKER_02 27:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

You like C and D, don't you?

SPEAKER_02 27:24

Because that's true.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

DC would be better. I mean, I like those initials better. A and B.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

I wonder why.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

And there is a point in there while I would take care of some of that.

SPEAKER_05 27:34

Yeah, I've done some buttons too.

SPEAKER_03 27:37

Yeah, but it's like to a certain point, you know? Like, we can't do all that for you.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

Can't usually, but we can organize everything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

Did you know that at midnight, when it clock strikes midnight, I turn into a master electrician?

SPEAKER_03 27:51

Oh god. Were you doing some light work?

SPEAKER_00 27:55

No.

SPEAKER_03 27:55

Last night after midnight?

SPEAKER_00 27:58

No. Uh-uh.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

What?

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Oh no, now move on, move on.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

All right. Buyer watches three TikToks. Now they're challenging everything. What does this buyer think realtors do? Provide expertise, guide transactions, compete against social media influencers, or ruin all the fun facts from TikTok University.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Oh, look, another C and D. Yeah, imagine that. Another C and D. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

C and D, huh?

SPEAKER_01 28:28

Do you remember that one trend where people were standing on lockboxes? Like balancing on a lockbox?

SPEAKER_05 28:33

No, I did not see that.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

It's like what?

SPEAKER_05 28:36

What?

SPEAKER_01 28:37

We're like balancing like one foot on the lockbox.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

Are those the ones that are dancing and throwing themselves into pools?

SPEAKER_03 28:45

Yep. Yep. Do you have a lock? Anybody have an extra lockbox in their car we could try after this?

SPEAKER_00 28:50

Negative. It's just the super box, right? Not regular combination lockbox.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

Oh, that trend. I know that trend. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Yeah, I don't I don't know. Okay. You guys ready?

SPEAKER_03 29:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

Final round. What does every client think a realtor does? Open doors? Fill out paperwork? Negotiate contracts? Or fix every problem in their life?

SPEAKER_02 29:18

D all of the above.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Well, that was our game. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry, I seemed like I drug on a little bit. You guys don't have to tell me how you really feel.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

No.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Damn. Well, I thought it was a joke about the biggest conceptions about realtors. And let's bust and myths right now. I've had clients upset about mortgage rates, insurance costs, property taxes, and appraisal value. The reality is realtors don't control any of those things. We help clients navigate those challenges, but we don't create them.

SPEAKER_04 29:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

So obviously we don't control the rates. We don't control insurance, but what we do do is we tell you to provide, you know, with you with different contacts to get a hold of them. We can't control the taxes, but we do have certain things that we can discuss with you. If you already owned a home and you're buying, we can talk to you about portability. Right. That way we can get with the title company to help reduce that stuff. And obviously, appraisals we have no control over. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Yeah, that one we're going to do.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

But what we can do, there's some things that we do do, and I don't want to give that secret away. Because not every single real estate agent does that. So I'll leave that alone. But there is something that we do do to actually educate and help appraisers with some stuff.

SPEAKER_05 30:34

No doubt. But uh, you know, a huge misconception is that realtors can predict the future. Nobody knows exactly where rates are going, nobody knows exactly where prices are going. And anyone who claims they do is only just guessing. So, you know, you the market timing myths, you know, you gotta think about that. You know, well, I'm gonna wait, you know, till the market gets better. Well, if you wait, you may be waiting for more competition. So, you know, you need to uh if you see something you like, you might want to go ahead and jump on it. And then if there's a rate issue or whatever, maybe you can buy that, you know, get uh refinance down the road. You know, the waiting miss. There we go. I just covered both in one there, you know, predicting rates. Three, look, three and one. I'd covered them all. Yeah, I'm going over my tech notes here and I've got I'm covering them all. And predicting prices, nobody can do that. The market generates, you know, they the market dictates it. And so whatever the market, whatever the people wanting to spend, that dictates how much that house is going to cost. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 31:35

I mean, another misconception going on, and it's one of my favorites, is when someone tells us, right? One of us, hey, I think Zillow is saying that my house is worth this amount.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:49

No, sorry. Straight answer, no. I mean, it's nice, right? Just to see like an automated estimated value, as estimate, you know, it might make it feel good, but it's all an algorithm, right? Because it's not walking through your home, it's not knowing what work you've done to the house, if you repaired anything or updated it. So there's all these different factors that play into that. So it's not gonna be very accurate, right? So that's why coming to us, people who are local experts, we look at the market all the time. That's our job. You know, we can kind of tell you, hey, this is what we've been seeing in houses in your specific neighborhood that you're looking at that you really like. So just take that into consideration because automated valuations are nice, but that's not the true how do I say it, value.

SPEAKER_01 32:41

I think some people believe realtors have superpowers. I've had clients think we can somehow lower interest rates, convince an appraiser to change value and negotiate things that simply aren't realistic. It's honestly goes with unrealistic expectations. Your realtor should be very communicative with you, so you have more realistic expectations there. There's just you can't go into it blind and your agent's used to it. We've seen a thing or two. Yeah, no transactions the same, but we're gonna try and get you through it. Negotiation myths. Oh what's your favorite negotiation myth right now?

SPEAKER_03 33:18

Going like 30 under that's uh a very uh common one I've had.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Is there any wiggle room? I mean, there's a car sale.

SPEAKER_03 33:31

I think when they mean I understand what they're asking, but it just needs to be rephrased a little bit. Hey, what concessions can we do here?

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Does market support this price? What are we looking at? Yeah, that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

Do you guys remember the movie Parenthood with Steve Martin? That's an old movie. You're going back. Actually, it wasn't Parenthood, it was Father of the Bride.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

I'm seeing that. Isn't that funny?

SPEAKER_00 34:00

I mean that all the girls like, yeah, yeah. Do you remember the point where he had his almost absolute breakdown when he was at the grocery store?

SPEAKER_02 34:07

Yes, over bread.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Over hot dog buns. Yeah. That's hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 34:14

That's a great movie.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

I've had a couple buyers like that.

SPEAKER_03 34:16

That one I would watch again. That's so good. There's a second one. Yes, there is. Yes. Not as good as Steve Martin, great guy.

unknown 34:24

Great guy.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Yeah, great guy. No doubt. Okay. So what makes a great realtor? This is where the real debate's actually gonna begin. A great realtor isn't measured by how many homes they've sold, even though they like to tell you that. Right, they're measured by how they serve their customers. Communication, honesty, education, and advocacy are what separates great realtors from average realtors. All right, honest conversations. I'll tell you what, I love having the honest conversations.

SPEAKER_03 34:57

You're good at having honest conversations. Uh when like the past few times where I've had to have like the like I had that seller, you've always worded it correct, right?

SPEAKER_05 35:07

Yeah, but they're not always easy. Those honest conversations are hard because you're telling them sometimes what they do not want to hear.

SPEAKER_03 35:15

Oh, yeah. I mean, I remember that one when I had that listing, but it ended up being renting it. Yeah. And I I did not love to have those, but I would always call you beforehand because I'm like, how do I break this to them in a professional, nice manner?

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:31

That's also a thing. I didn't want to be too upfront.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

No. Most of the time, these people already know what what they need. It's just they don't want to hear it. And 99% of the agents that are in this business are scared to say it. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:45

For sure.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

They don't want to step on toes, and sometimes toes need to be stepped upon. Oh, I'm gonna lose my reality. I'm gonna give you whatever you feel like your heart's deserved and desired, want to hear. You know, I might as well just be blue and come out of a bottle.

SPEAKER_03 35:59

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

Yeah. Genius. That's not the what it is. I'd rather have that honest conversation. I'm communicating clearly what's going on. I advocate for the client in all situations, yeah, whether it's good or bad. Yeah. I do have market expertise. One, because most of the areas that I'm working, I live in and I know a lot about. Right. And even the areas that I don't live in, I visit and travel frequently and get the inside information on what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

So if I have an All Estate client that's gonna come see me, I will go to that area and I just won't drive by going, oh, look, a Chick-fil-A. Oh, look, a Waffle House. I found where all five Starbucks is at for you. Right. All right, you're 0.3 miles away from that. I can get like crap from Google Maps. Right. I will literally go there, park, walk, meet customers or meet neighbors, meet people, and ask them what's the coolest places to go, what are the things to do? What do you think about the neighborhood? Sure. All the things that can't get from the internet. Right. That way I can educate the client when they get there, going, hey, this is a great house. I love it. But just so you know, right across the street is where they make dog food and it's gonna stink 90 99% of the time. Yeah, those little secrets they don't show on uh Zillow or whatever. Yeah, great house. It's it's a great for the price, but guess what? There's a sardine factory down the road. That just doesn't happen. So educating clients doing the right things, right? Having the tough conversations. Actually, I'm gonna rephrase that because I don't believe in that negative term. I like having real conversations with people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:34

That's that's how we close on every episode. Real conversations.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_05 37:38

Yeah. And you know, when you're you're having these conversations and you're buying a house, whatever, negotiation is not always about winning. You know, it's about creating the best possible outcome for your client. Sometimes that means pushing harder, sometimes that means just knowing when to compromise, and sometimes just staying quiet and listening and seeing how it falls out until you need to speak. Yeah. So those are very important parts. You know, that's part of your negotiation skills, which we have to offer. And that makes a big difference when you're looking at a realtor for sure. And strategic thinking, again, you know, you got to know when to push hard and when to, you know, slow down and listen and wait. Sometimes silence is your best weapon. I've learned that, you know, and that comes with experience. A lot of experience will help you learn when to use those different skill sets that you may have. And like Eric just touched on local knowledge, you know. We but you know, uh we the market I'm in, I know a lot about it. And with future segments coming up, we're gonna be talking about some new communities coming up and knowing these markets before most people know about it. So that helps out. And and what we also like to do, and we need to get back into it, we haven't done it in a minute, is new home communities coming out in our community that we're local in. So those are some certain things that a good realtor will know ahead of time that will help direct you, direct you in the right uh direction.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

Well, one benefit to our team is each of us live in different areas. Yeah, yeah. Well, Dan, you and I live pretty close. We're Clay County. Yeah. But JC, Bridget, you guys are across the river.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

And you guys have a little bit more you know insight and knowledge on some of those areas, that all I gotta do is pick up the phone and have a conversation with you and say, hey, my client's got a question about this. Right. That's what makes our team important. Our team is great with that. Because we have all these inside knowledges, and whenever you hire one of us, you get all of us. That's right. There is no doubt about that. So if you know you don't like me because I got a face for radio, and you know, you enjoy Dane or Bridget or JC, or even for Sophia, Sophia is always doing other things, so she never has an opportunity to get on the show. But Sophia is also a member of the team, right? Uh, all of us have a lot of experience in different angles that makes it really strong to help our customer out. And we do, we we utilize that, we leverage that, we work together because that's what we wanted to do and provide for her. Oh, about your business. That's that level of service for our clients. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 40:08

Absolutely. Another thing, another point I would say that makes a realtor great too is that we don't disappear from your life entirely when after closing, right? Like we're not just like in it for the transaction. I mean, there's realtors that are out there that are like that, but I think what makes you stand out is that you stick around, right, for the milestones, right? The relationship building still afterwards and checking in on you, saying, Hey, I remember you're telling me you had this event in six months and now it's here. Like, how did it go? You got heard you got married, great. Yeah, congratulations. Maybe sends a little wedding card. It's super, super important for a good agent to be able to stay in your life like that because they do, you know, it's important to show you that you care. You have someone in your in your corner that you can trust. And again, we're just what we want to. I mean, at least us as a team, we position ourselves that we want to be there for everything for you. And even if that means you're interested in looking at a house now, and then something happens and now you need to do it later down the road, we're still gonna be here for you. Like it's not we get we get it.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Yeah, we're definitely gonna be here for you. Yeah, every holiday, every anniversary, in between. Bridgie, you're right. I especially the last few customers I've I've dealt with that had some pretty major life events coming up. But I was calling them on it and see how everything went.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

For sure.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

And I always love talking to our customers after we saw them the house and checking in on them. How was the move? If you need help with anything, are you settled in your new home? Is there anything you see that's different that you didn't see that too three or four weeks ago from the excitement?

SPEAKER_03 41:46

Yeah, like it doesn't always have to be a phone, like a business call, it always doesn't always have to be about sending it about real estate.

SPEAKER_00 41:51

Right.

SPEAKER_03 41:52

We just want to be there because we care. Yeah, so you spend you we spend a lot of time with these customers when I get to know, and then all of a sudden it just happens like, oh, I saw your puppy on Instagram, so cute.

SPEAKER_00 42:03

I don't get to talk to you every day like I used to. I miss you.

SPEAKER_04 42:06

Yeah, like it's not even a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

You know, it's funny you say that because that's a reality, you know. After you find a home and you're like, I'm not conversing with them daily, you know, it's like uh I'm missing a friend.

SPEAKER_03 42:17

I always touch it. I'm like, I you know, because sometimes I I have some of my old investors from my other place, and I see them like flipping their house, or I see it, and I'm like, oh my gosh, it's so beautiful. How'd you think to do that? And like I comment on their stuff, or they like like my posts and they're like, Oh, that looks like a fun weekend you had.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

Like it's just yeah, like we like work with people they trust.

SPEAKER_00 42:37

Yeah, yes, they do.

SPEAKER_01 42:38

You can have every con every contract in the world, but if people don't trust you, none of that matters, right? It's the all authenticity, relationship building, and consistency. You just consistently be there. You need to be if they have something come up after closing, they need some real estate advice or they want to know more about the area. We are local experts, but we kind of know what's going on. We like to stay up to date, we'd love to keep that conversation going. Yeah, let's converse, let's converse, get to know us, get to know us.

SPEAKER_05 43:09

We say that all the time.

SPEAKER_03 43:10

Get to know us, and I always know us with the real conversations.

SPEAKER_00 43:13

We say those are key words, and I'll always tell you that 60% of the time it works every time. Yeah, that's exactly right. All right, well, here's the brutal truth about the the industry right now, and I I like having that uncomfortable conversation. So, not every realtor provides the same level of service. Just because two people hold a real estate license doesn't mean they bring the same value to the table. Consumers deserve to know this. So the level of service is different, you know. Like just giving you sharing just some of the things that I do, you guys do some pretty hefty things as well. But you know, experience does matter. And here's where I think experience is different. If you have customer service experience and Different industry and that level of service that you provide, experience goes a long, long way. Agreed. But if you've oh you've this is the only industry you've ever known, you know, there is a thing called complacency.

SPEAKER_05 44:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

And a lot of agents that I've seen over the years have gotten complacent. Oh, yeah, they have. You know, and I'm not gonna point anything out, but the usual thing that I hear, I've been doing this for 45 years. Yeah, I know exactly what we need to do. I need to what does that does that respond and reflect to the customer that you're actually listening to them? Nope.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

No, it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

It shows lack of respect to you, in my opinion. You know, our systems matter, professionalism matters, everything does. And the reason why we do this podcast is one, is to share with you our expertise and knowledge, two is to allow you to get to know us.

SPEAKER_02 44:49

Oh, it's a lizard. So oh, I see it.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

I wish my lava wasn't in here.

SPEAKER_05 44:55

She would have killed the thing. We'll be good, we'll be good. It ain't gonna it ain't gonna bite you. I promise. We got a guest on the show. The lizard.

SPEAKER_04 45:02

I'll be good.

SPEAKER_05 45:03

It's Larry. That's Larry. Larry the lizard. Larry the lizard.

SPEAKER_04 45:07

No, no.

SPEAKER_05 45:08

All right. So consumers interview contractors, attorneys, financial advisors, and doctors. They should also uh interview realtors as well. Yep. And ask the tough questions like what kind of experience do you have? And and like Eric just touched on, you know, if you're got customer experience, experience, customer experience experience, what is that?

SPEAKER_00 45:29

Experience experience.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

Yeah, experience experience.

SPEAKER_05 45:31

Customer service experience. We'll go there. And then down the years on another job, and then you bring it here. That only adds value, in my opinion. Uh, your production, you know. Are you actually getting out there in front of people? Are you selling homes? Are you help listing homes? You know, how's that going? Your market knowledge, as we touched on earlier, and your communication style. Not everybody has the same communication style, and not all communication style fits with each cut client or customer. So, you know, that's a good interview point right there, and make sure y'all gel. Right.

SPEAKER_03 46:01

That's for sure. I mean, another important part of it is reviews, testimonials, and referrals about an agent or a realtor do tell a story. Look at beyond how agents serve their clients too. Like see their reputation, right? Like, look at Google, right? If they have a Google Business Profile page, check it out. See what people have been saying about that. If you've heard multiple people talk about this one realtor, maybe it's worthwhile to see what's so great about them. Why are these people talking about them so much? The reputation that they have in town, like, you know, if you get to know their friends or family too, again, because they're probably a referral, like what is that like for you? And then again, just a track record. I mean, if if it if it strikes you good and you're happy with them and you're curious about more, then it's worth your while to check out because it's uh different for everybody. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

So the cheapest option isn't always the best option. Real estate is often the largest financial transaction people make, choose accordingly. You're gonna spend a lot of time with your realtor, but I think you should have the same communication style, you should trust them, you should you shouldn't feel neglected in the process. So just interview your agents, value versus cost, experience, protection, long-term results.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

Yeah. Well, if there's one thing we hope you can take away from today's episode is this a great realtor isn't paid for opening doors, it's a great realtor is paid for protecting your investment, guiding you through one of the lights, biggest financial decisions, and helping you avoid costly mistakes. So whether you're buying your first home, selling your fifth, recloding, re relocating to Northeast Florida, or simply trying to understand today's market, having the right professional in your corner matters a hundred percent. Not because real estate isn't possible, it's because mistakes are expensive. And for all of us, I tell you, we've seen it, we've done it, and we always try to be proactive enough to not let it happen. Right.

SPEAKER_02 47:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:55

All right, so if you like listening to the things that we talk about, continue to listen to the show, share it with somebody else. This will help you be proactive and give you the knowledge as a buyer or seller. Absolutely. Follow us on social media, we're all over the place. We are gonna be doing more videos. Obviously, Dane says, call us, get to know us, call it in here. Get to know us as well. And like I said earlier, I have a face for radio. So reach out to Bridget, JC, Dane, Sophia. We're always here. We'll get you taken care of, but we're here to help you. So we got a lot to talk about next week. So thanks for listening in, guys, and we'll see you soon.