Why Competent REALTORS Should NOT Have All the Answers

Written By: Nate Moquin  |  Posted: Thursday, February 26th, 2015

            Because most people only buy a few homes in their lifetime, and it's often the largest investment they make, home buyers have a plethora of important questions for their realtors before buying. We are inherently savvy consumers in this country and are naturally hungry for information when making a large buying decision.  Yet, there are certain types of questions that, when answered directly by an agent (instead of connecting you to an additional resource), can actually be a disservice to you.  I'll explain what I mean using specific examples.

Now, good agents will ultimately help you find all the answers to the important questions you have.  At the end of the day, a buyer should feel confident that their agent has provided the appropriate resources for any questions the agent is not qualified to answer.  For an agent to know which questions not to answer, takes discipline.  When eager, less disciplined agents try to answer questions they are not qualified to answer, and they can get their clients (and themselves) into trouble.  Since a big part of the value agents provide comes from their understanding of the process and the market, the temptation to please the customer and appear "helpful" strengthens this temptation.  Most of us agents want to help in every way we can, and great service is how professionals earn referrals.  So, this is tougher than it sounds.

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