Viewing your realtor like a financial advisor

Dear Joan,

As a senior citizen, I have bought and sold property for decades. My last purchase was a lovely home in the Vail Valley two years ago. My question is a little different from what you normally get. My Realtor that represented me in the last transaction has called, emailed or mailed me something every few months since. I closed the deal. I am not quite sure if I am impressed or irritated that I keep hearing from her. I feel like she is trying to get me to sell, or buy, something else, and I am not in the market for either anytime in the foreseeable future. Should I ask her to stop, or be flattered?

Dear Past Client,

Be flattered, as long as the conversations, emails and mailings are friendly, informative and continually updated. Let me tell you why. If you think of your Realtor like a financial adviser, then I think the message becomes clearer. Would you like to invest a million dollars in various investments that your adviser recommended and then not hear from him for two years ... or ever again? Wouldn’t you rather be updated on the market and how your investment was doing, and maybe be made aware of other potential investments that might be equally as good, or even better? Don’t you make some of your biggest single investments with the real estate you purchase? Therefore, your Realtor can be as important to your investment portfolio as your financial adviser. Unfortunately, many real estate clients don’t look at the process in this professional manner. Actually, some real estate agents fail to look at the process as so important to their clients current and future financial portfolio. A great Realtor feels responsibility to their clients when they are actively working with them and after a transaction is complete.

Excellent Realtors keep their current and past clients informed of the market in their community and the valley. It is a task that many agents shun, as they don’t like doing busy work, such as continual follow up. Many Realtors are just concerned with their current sellers and/or buyers. It takes time and discipline to stay in touch with past clients. The interesting part of your question is why no other agent has ever done the follow through of keeping you informed. Needless to say, no one is perfect and some tasks fall through the cracks over the years. The best way to keep informed is to give your diligent Realtor (financial adviser) some feedback about the information you would like to have about the real estate market in your area. You also can let your friends and family know about what a great job he/she is doing! Thanks for your great question!

Joan Harned is an owner and broker for Keller Williams Mountain Properties and heads up Team Black Bear, her own real estate team of qualified experts. Harned has been selling real estate in Eagle County for 27 years, is a past chairman of the Vail Board of Realtors, past Realtor of the Year, past director on the Great Outdoors Colorado Board and a member of the Luxury and Land Institutes. Contact Joan with your real estate questions at Joan@TeamBlackBear.com, 970-337-7777 or www.teamblackbear.com.

Originally published 9/27/14 and can be seen as it appeared in the Vail Daily here.