Business

Working With a Real Estate Agent

Robert Reffkin

Lesson time 16:30 min

Robert helps you get to know one of your most valuable resources: your agent. Find out how an agent makes a difference in your search and what kind of insights they can share with you.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: The Agent Is Your Quarterback · How to Find a Great Agent · Ask Your Agent the Right Questions · Agents Have Invaluable Insights · Agent Commissions

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] - A real estate agent is more than agent. They are therapists, they are family counselors, they are psychologists. They are people that protect you from your own instincts, the instincts to overprice, and as a seller, the instinct to overnegotiate as a buyer. They are people that help you ask the questions that you don't know to ask, and they are people that can help you answer questions the internet cannot answer. A great real estate agent calm you, as opposed to create stress for you, right? They're the ones who simplify this complicated process and make it easy. Now, right now, the real estate process is full of friction and fragmentation. Mortgage over there, title over there, escrow over there, move-in service over there, inspector over here, listings over there. The agent is the person that's holding it all together. They're the ones who are effectively that quarterback for you, making the process easy. A quarterback in football is the person who sets the plan so things don't fall to the ground. You go there, you go there, hut hut, boom. Let's go do this. The agent is the same way. They're the one who we're scheduling the tours. They're the ones who are doing the open houses. They're the ones who are creating the competitive market announces, the valuations. They're the ones that are sending back the contracts. They're the ones who are scheduling the photographer. They're the ones who are working on the floor plan. They're the ones who are deciding where and when and how to market it. They're the ones who are creating the plan of how to stage and renovate and prepare the home and paint the home, because they are professionals in interacting with those different stakeholders. I wish the world saw real estate agents the way I do. I see them as incredible entrepreneurs, CEOs, small business owners. They care about their clients at the highest level. I've always been so inspired by entrepreneurs. People like my mom. I see my mom in action. She's a great agent. What makes her great is that she really loves her clients, and she obsesses about them. She obsesses about what they want and obsess about opportunities to find what they want, and she really knows the neighborhood. She grew up in New York, where she lives now, and she really knows certain communities very well. And so that's what makes her a good agent for buyers. People don't understand why real estate agents exist, and people are skeptical about the real estate agent community. I don't know if there's an area where people's views are further off in reality than around real estate agents. The reputation of the agent has been brought down by agents that come into the business and-- or haven't really committed to it over the course of decades. It is an industry, where a lot of people come in and out, part time, and just leave after a year or two, and it's such a big populat...

About the Instructor

As the CEO and founder of Compass, Robert Reffkin has used modern technology to revolutionize the real estate industry in the U.S. Now he’s demystifying the ins and outs of the American home-buying process and sharing tools that will help you buy or sell a home with confidence. Learn how to approach your search, choose an agent, make an offer, and more. Your future home is waiting—let Robert help you find it.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Robert Reffkin

Robert Reffkin, the founder and CEO of Compass, helps you get closer to finding your dream home by simplifying and demystifying real estate.

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