Misconception #1: “If I work with a bigger real estate company I am more likely to find the property I am looking for …” While there is a somewhat natural tendency to imagine that this might be true and larger real estate companies will certainly not do anything to dissuade one of this view – there is no such actual relationship – as a matter of fact, Buyers will more likely find that the reality is that the opposite is true. Fact: Bigger companies sell more properties overall simply because there are more agents selling than for smaller companies, but on average, agents for bigger companies sell far fewer properties than their counterparts at these smaller companies. To understand the reasoning for this, one has to understand how the real estate business works, and in particular, two key aspects of the industry: 1.) Motivation/Work Environment and 2.) The MLS. Motivation/Work Environment: Top Producers typically do not flock to large organizations just so they can be a number in a cubical. Most often large real estate companies are where agents get their start, unfortunately, a majority do not make a success of it. To survive motivated producers working in smaller close-knit organizations need to be more resourceful – they have to know how to truly market themselves and their properties, how to develop Buyer leads and to build and service a Client base. And while the resources a larger company can offer may be an adage to a top producer, out of necessity such a party has already developed sophisticated mechanisms related to organization and getting the job done that aid them in their quest to be the best. A sobering fact: Nevada County alone has close to 1,000 active real-estate agents; sadly only a very small percentage have become (or ever will become) Top Producers (and a very small percentage of these could be considered a true Buyer’s Agent). MLS - The Great Equalizer: Better than 80% of all real estate transactions in the United States are listed and sold as a result of the MLS or Multiple Listing Service (the largest source of the exceptions being builder-direct sales). The MLS is a repository and searchable database for all listings generated by real-estate agents whose companies are members of their local real estate association (which virtually all real estate companies – both small and large – are). Because of this fact the MLS serves to level the playing field amongst companies and agents as all parties have equal access to a particular areas’ listing information. Therefore, any Buyer looking for a property who utilizes a company which participates on the MLS (which Foothill's Finest does) has equal (and tremendous) access to properties available for sale – i.e., a small company has no less information regarding current listings from an area than an agent from a large real estate firm. The Bottom Line: For these reasons and for a whole host of others the optimum situation for a Client is very rarely “to go with the big guy.” Copyright ©2004-2006 Foothills Finest Real Estate- All Rights Reserved Terms of Use | Privacy   about us | special services | selling a home | buying a home | buying land | building a home community info | testimonials | contact us | home