Guest Post: I Thought I Knew Everything About Real Estate

Our daughter, Audrey, and her husband, Clayton, are getting ready to put their house on the market. She wrote this piece and I thought it was worth sharing on the blog. I look forward to your comments.

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My dad has been a real estate agent my whole life. I have watched him analyze the ups and downs of the market, follow real estate trends and help countless clients buy and sell real estate. Being around real estate for my whole life, I speak Realtorese fluently and thought when it came time to sell our house, it would be a piece of cake.

I have wondered over the years what my dad did to earn his commissions. What value did he bring to his clients? What benefits did they actually receive?

In the weeks leading up to listing our home, my husband and I have discovered the answer. We have called my dad with real estate questions and worries almost every day. We have emailed him with questions about various comparable homes in the neighborhood, bugged him about the status of the inspection, appraisal and more on the house we are purchasing. We have texted him pictures of our upgrades and staging to make sure we are  “doing it right.” We have made assumptions in our Realtorese that had to be corrected and explained. We’ve needed to be talked off of cliffs, redirected and focused -- and our house isn’t even on the market yet.

Once it hits the market, my dad will be handling an influx of showings since we are in a hot market. He will have to sort through offers to determine the pros and cons of each and then explain them to us so we can make the best decision for our family. He will have to field other agents’ calls and emails wondering if their client will get the house. He’ll manage inspection objections, appraisal conversations and make sure we close on time. He will run negotiations on our behalf to ensure we are walking away with the best possible deal.

In short… my dad is earning every penny of his commission. It turns out being around real estate your whole life doesn’t turn you into a REALTOR®. Knowing is one thing. Experience is something much different. Yes, he’s my dad, but through this process we have learned he is also our advocate, sounding board, counselor, and advisor. He’s our REALTOR®. He is doing a heck of a job for us just as I have watched him do for clients throughout the years by giving us the same level of expertise, counsel and patience he gives to all of his clients. I am sure the same can’t be said of every agent, but I am proud to say it is true of my dad.

Our home hits the market in the next couple of days. As we continue through our real estate process, I will write again to share other aspects of our real estate journey… until then, it’s back to patching and painting. Oh… if you are interested in seeing our home or selling yours, call my dad. He’s available to answer all of your questions better than I can ;)