Customer Service? OR Client Partnership? A Real Estate Agent's Ethos
By Zack Rouse,
503.381.0552
Customer Service. What does it even mean?
Does it mean selling a product to a purchaser? Does it mean helping a friend find something they need? Does it mean blasting products out to the public? Does it mean dishing out ice cream from behind health department sanctioned glass windows? What is customer service anyway?
Well, obviously, the term "Customer Service" can mean many things, and varies wildly depending on the industry you are performing the service in. But for a moment, let's break down the phrase into its components.
First, there's the word Customer. What is a customer in Real Estate? Well, I don't even like the term customer because it incorrectly labels a person who is doing something large. The largest purchase you can make is real estate. And likewise, the largest sale you can make is real estate. There is nothing bigger, except for maybe selling or buying a company or a really, really fast car.
Then there's the word Service. This implies that I am doing tasks for you, and you are paying me for those tasks. Like shining your shoes, or like feeding you at your table. And those jobs are extremely valuable. There is no doubt. In real estate, there is definitely an element of this kind of service from me as your Realtor to you as my Client. But there's something else in the mix as well. I serve you much in the way an attorney, or a counselor, serves you. You hire me because I am a professional, who has spent years learning the complicated process of a real estate transaction, so that you don't have to! You come to me because I know the answers to the questions that will come up in the process of selling or buying your success. I am trained, licensed, and professional. I sure hope I am! And so, the term service only partially applies to the real estate industry. You're not buying ice cream. You are buying or selling the most expensive item there is: Property. That's a big deal.
In a real estate transaction, there are many roles. We all play our role in making the transaction happen, and we are all necessary parts of the venture. The Seller is the owner of real property that she/he is converting to capital. That part is obvious. She understands that her investment is important to her livelihood and wants it handled in the most efficacious way possible.
So, she calls me. I'm the Realtor. I know how to figure out what the investment is worth in the current market. I know how to market it so that a willing and able Buyer appears and makes an acceptable offer. And it's my job to negotiate the highest and best price for her, while balancing with it her best interests, which can be different from the highest possible sale price. And I make sure the paperwork is flawless, so that no one gets bit in the butt on the rear end of the deal.
Then, there's the title and escrow people. They are an invaluable part of the endeavor, because they make sure the Seller has the legal right to sell the property, they draw up the necessary documents for the title to properly change hands upon closing, and they issue title insurance, which protects the Seller from massive lawsuits and arbitration sessions five years afterward, when it's found that there was an easement from 1897 that the neighbor, who's the grandchild of the person who got it, is claiming rights to in 2015 just to be a jerk.
On the Buyer's side, there's another major player in the venture: The loan officer. He is the one who makes sure the money is there when it's time to close. And he works his tail off to get the major lending institutions to say GO. His job is to jump through hoops for the Buyer. That's all he does. He is a track star for the lending world. Only the hurdles are on FIRE, and poisonous snakes wrap the hurdles and coat the track. The loan officer is a poet, a track star, and a fireman. He's our hero because without him, there is no borrowing.
So what is this group of rock stars called? Is it Customer Service? I don't think so. I don't know of many in this industry who phone it in, to use a theatrical term for being absentee. I think this group of Bonos should be called your partners. I would rather call a Seller or Buyer of property a Client. I would also rather call a Buyer or a Seller of real estate my Partner.
Real Estate is an industry that requires a team to do something for one client. That's different from customer service. That is team building. And when you find your Realtor, who will work with you to buy or sell your next property, you are selecting a team of highly trained professionals to handle the biggest investment there is. And we are all on your side! I gain friends through my business, because these transactions are centered around the building of lives, and that is as personal as it gets. That's not customer service. That's community.
And that is why I love what I do. Let's get it done, and then let's barbeque!
Zack Rouse
Licensed Real Estate Broker in Oregon
Summa Real Estate Associates
503.381.0552 c
4506 SE Belmont St., Suite 103
Portland, OR 97215
I ANSWER MY PHONE
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