Earning The Title Of Realtor: A Client’s Expectation From A Pro

The movie Top Gun is quite synonymous to the way most real estate professionals feel… They may feel trapped due to the immense speed that most clients wish to function at.

“Buyers are more educated; they’re educated by the Internet, they’re educated by friends and family,” says Andrew Libby, one of the owners of Modern Realty NB Inc. in Moncton, N.B. “Expectations are much higher than they were 10 or 20 years ago.”

Libby adds that such expectations from clients include the real estate agent’s duty to reply promptly, to maintain honesty and remain unbiased in property recommendations. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

“They expect you to be knowledgeable in all the different elements that go into a real estate transaction,” he says. “For instance, a home inspection, insurance, mortgages… and from what I’ve seen, they expect this to all be done quickly.”

Andrew Libby has carried on so many roles during his lifetime in both the mortgage and insurance sectors. With that depth of knowledge, he has been able to help in the realty field.

“Especially from the mortgage side,” he says. “We’re seeing more and more buyers that will call a real estate professional to go see a property, and the real estate professionals are pushing back, asking ‘Have you been pre-approved?’”

He mentioned that most buyers perceive this as the real estate professional’s way of spending time with buyers that have got a loaded pocket.

“I can understand the real estate professional is valuing their time,” he says, “but going to a single bank versus dealing with a single mortgage broker, doesn’t mean that what the bank is telling you is correct.”

With the backing of his independent mortgage brokering company, he is filled with a unique perspective regarding the whole matter.

“When I sit across from a first-time homebuyer, and I go through their credit application, review their credit bureau, review their income, review their down payment,” says Libby, “there is some sense of reassurance that if I do all that up front, there’s a level of trust and understanding that I wouldn’t be spending time with them wearing my professional real estate hat viewing properties if I didn’t think they would get approved.”