House Hawker or Trusted Advisor...Hmmm

I was reading the above article that my good friend HeyAmaretto posted from InMan.com and was dismayed at the way the information was presented for Realtors. I loved that Diane posted this but it steams me up to say the least. I have posted a link to the article for reference. http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/roberthahn/house-hawker-or-trusted-adviser

The article started out with a quote: "Well if you ask a Realtor, then it's always a good time to buy." This comes from some of the recent adverstising from NAR and others and to a certain degree I agree with that, but he goes on to state that consumers just don't trust real estate professionals to tell them the truth. On this point I disagree. There are unprofessionals in every industry to say the least, but to lump everyone together thoughout the article is just plain wrong.

He then goes on to point to a video from YouTube and states the message "Do not ask a real estate agent if you should buy a home it's like going to the muffler shop and asking if you need a muffler...the answer will always be yes." Hmmm, really?

He modified a commercial analysis worksheet for rent vs. buying and applied it to residential real estate and I do agree with the concept, but some of the formulas called for tax deductions, income thresholds, percentage of down payment etc...

I thought our job was to be a Realtor and not a CPA or tax preparer or financial advisor, just like we are not to be lawyers dispensing legal advice or contractors giving cost quotes or home inspectors performing inspections. We should have trusted contacts and professionals we have worked with that come highly recommended in that field to be able to point our clients to for that type of advice and be the instrument in putting those people together as that is THEIR job that those professionals know very well.

Of course we should give our clients what they need to help them from start to finish, explaining the process, answering questions, being proactive and not reactive, being sure to point things out they may not see or understand, access to the tools to help with their property search among other things...but NOT hand out charts and graphs with assumptions we may be wrong about. It is not always the right time for a buyer to purchase or seller to sell, but the correct financial advisors should be helping them with that piece of the equation.

I take offense to the author's statement that if your real estate agent is unwilling to project all these numbers for the client that we are fearful of losing a sale and we are just "hawking" a house and that the image of the Realtor cannot climb out of the gutter....that is paraphrasing, but I hope you get the point.

I am unwilling to do this because it is not my job and I do not know all the facts of that particular clients financial life, nor should I have to know all of that as it is private for that/those clients. I will keep on standing on my oath and ethics and be knowledgeable in my field, treat all with care and respect and head them in the right direction where needed.