Is your Realtor the number 1 selling agent? If you’re a buyer, you want a real estate agent who has a proven track record, but be careful about statistics. They can be misused. This article will show you what the single most important statistic is if you are hiring a buyer’s agent or a listing agent.
What is the Most Important Statistic for the Number 1 Selling Agent?
The single most important stat is the one that shows who sold the most homes representing buyers in your relevant price range. That person is called a “selling agent.” In other words, a selling agent is a buyer’s agent. This often confuses people. Think of it this way. An agent who represents the buyer is the one who actually sells the home. An agent who lists is a listing agent. A listing agent does not sell the home, unless he is a dual agent and also represents the buyer. So we have a listing agent (also known as a seller’s agent which is different than a selling agent), and we have a buyer’s agent, aka the selling agent.
The relevant price range in Sequim for buyers who want a nice home is going to be above $200,000. You can’t buy much of a home for less than that. So if you are a buyer, you want a real estate agent who has a great track record selling the kinds of homes and the price range that you want. For example, you wouldn’t want to hire a Realtor who sells a lot of mobile homes if you want to buy a custom built $300,000 home.
Number 1 Selling Agent for Sellers
If you are selling a home, you also want a real estate agent who sells a lot of homes, not just one who lists a lot of homes. The difference is night and day. You want a Realtor with a fantastic marketing system [know what that means because nearly all Realtors say they have one] who actually sells homes like yours. So you might want the number 1 selling agent to list your home, because he doesn’t just list–he sells.
I work hard and rarely check on the MLS statistics to grade myself against other Realtors. Statistics are relatively unimportant to me. What is important is taking care of my clients, and doing that better than anyone else. That can’t really be measured with a statistic. However, this morning I discovered for the first time that I am the number 1 selling agent of single family homes above $200,000 for all homes sold over the last seven years in Clallam County which includes Sequim and Port Angeles. That didn’t really surprise me, but it did make me laugh. This goes to show how UNIMPORTANT statistics are to me. Obviously I have not focused on being the number 1 selling agent in Sequim and Port Angeles. But sometimes when priorities are right and you don’t focus on the wrong things, you get what you did not seek.
Beware of agents who tell you they are number 1, because you have to ask what statistics they are using. To prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am telling the truth and that I am the number 1 selling agent in this market for homes that sell above $200,000 for all sales going back to Jan 1 of 2009 through Dec 31 of 2015, I’m including this graphic from the Olympic Listing Service.
What does this show me? It shows me that my virtual marketing system is the largest in the entire county and maybe the Olympic Peninsula. It shows me that my business model is working exceedingly well. It tells me I’m doing a lot of things right, and that’s encouraging.
If an agent tells you he or she is the number 1 selling agent, tell them that when another agent sells one of their listings, that does not count as one of their personal sales. The most important statistic is the homes they personally sell by representing a buyer. The agent who represented the buyer is the one who actually sold the house. The listing agent only listed the house. I mention this, because listing agents are counting my sales of their listings as their own sales in their listing presentations. Isn’t that interesting?
What is more important than whether an agent is ranked the number 1 selling agent? Honesty, integrity, knowledge, experience, competence, skill, and truthworthiness. So here’s a thought. If an agent is willing to misrepresent statistics, doesn’t that kind of indicate there’s a problem with honesty and integrity?
So here’s what’s so ironic. I don’t really care that I am the number 1 selling agent, because there are other more important character traits and values in my business model. Being the number 1 selling agent is just confirmation that my business model is a good one. And that brings me a great deal of satisfaction.
Last Updated on October 1, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
