Special Agents

As the Broker / Owner of one of the few Exclusive Buyer Real Estate agencies in Boston, I saw this trend happening many years ago. It is very difficult for one agent to be a one-stop-shop for all real estate needs (i.e. rentals, listings, buyer agency, property management) and do it well.

Consumers, whether they are buyers, sellers or renters, have different needs and expections which require different skill sets - it is not surprising that agents are realizing that by focuing on one market segment, they can do it better, with higher client satisfaction and be more successful because they are focused on doing just one task and doing it well.

Consumers benefit because they know exactly who the agent or agency they are working with is representing. Each consumer is represented by a licensed professional that has a fiducary responsibility to advance their interests and not those of another party. Within each of these roles, agents who are REALTORS (remember, not all agents are REALTORS) can earn designations such as the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) or Accredited Seller Representative (ASR) which demonstrate not only a certain level of experience in working with buyers or sellers, but also advanced classroom training in the skills required to perform these roles.

For seniors, whether they are buying or selling, there is a designation that they should look for in a real estate agent - the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) which indicates that the REALTOR is trained and experienced in issues impacting seniors when it comes to real estate.

hogwash, it's just another way to try to get business. Agents are able to do both and it is important to find an EXPERIENCED and REPUTABLE agent not one with a gimmick for example Sell with Me and use this truck for free. I understand the need for the mentioned licensed sign language agents and agents that speak other then english, but on the other hand this is a lot of noise and nothing else. Sellers agents in this type of market are losing money because the houses aren't selling and they are putting time and resources ($$$) into advertising etc...The industry needs change it's the only profession you can have that you can work very hard for nothing at times on the other hand you can get paid a lot of money for very little work. It needs correction.

Really, the best of luck to any realtor in this collapsing market who tells buyers that days on market are none of their business.

All the best to you. Smooches and kisses.

No, really.

Ramen, aisle 3.

The Special Agent Niche right now is finding Real Estate Professionals who works hard and gets those people out of their financial situation no matter what the circumstances there in. As the broker/owner of Ridge Hill Realty, I believe some of the media is hurting the public. Yes, the market is stressed but in no way is it collapsing. Yes, lenders throughout this country who gave out loans to small group of people and who can not afford the payments are hurting the market but the bottom line is the consumer has to find the Niche and find (Special Agent) Real Estate Professionals that gives them a fiduciary responsibility which includes honesty, trust, and experience in ANY Real Estate transaction.

And I imagine soon there will be agents / realtors who specialize in representing homes on particular streets - specific home sizes and conformations - people who only shop on certain days of the week - etc...... Slice and dice. Give me a break.

I can't understand why any real estate professional (especially in slow times) would deliberately limit their potential clientel. However, if those who specialize are busy and making a living, power to you............

I personally would want a realtor who knows and practices the entire market; someone who will provide me with the greatest qualified buyer and seller exposure. You just never know where these people will come from.............

This is ridiculous. Are you telling us that the agent side of real estate is so complex that one "can't do it all" and you need to specialize? Good lord, far be it for me to insult anothers profession, but it's not rocket science. This professional is becoming obselete because everything is on the intranet for buyers/sellers and soon enough there will be direct access to MLS. This is agent hogwash.

Having a niche or specialization, in a world crowded by media messages and an overwhelming amount of information coming from every direction, is really the only way any type of small business can thrive in today's marketplace.

In fact, best-selling author and popular speaker Seth Godin recently wrote a post on his blog about how real estate agents need to be super specialized.

An agent can develop a niche *and* be open to clients looking outside of that niche. Agency is not becoming obsolete, Carol. A buyer or seller can do some or all of a real estate transaction themselves. They have always been able to. But most people choose not to. I liken it to any service out there where an expert's help is needed. I could fix my own plumbing or install a chandelier but I prefer to have a *licensed" professional do the work for me.
In reference to "it's not rocket science". I would challenge anyone to study for and pass the exam. It's not that easy!! To keep their license, agents must continually learn by attending specialized courses. And how much do you know about the ethics, law, attention to important details, and negotiating skills that go into being an agent? There are many good, ethical and capable agents out there!

A plumber or electrician doesn't charge you $20,000 or $30,000 to install a lamp.

Any buyer that believes she/he can be as effective as a knowledgeable real estate agent in locating and accurately interpreting current market data, historical perspectives within specific neighborhoods and how this information confluxes in becoming critical information when making a real estate decision is akin to Bill Belichick, knowing my size and age, emailing me the details of how to execute a particular play. I may have all the information in front of me but I'll get killed when I try to execute the maneuvers on the playing field because I don't earn my living playing football – I simply don’t know where the trap doors are located. Consumers get professional advice on stock purchases, retirement planning and insurance coverage but for some reason believe they're perfectly well equipped to handle their own real estate purchase or sale. Wonder if that's why so many of them can't now pay their mortgages? Before making any major investment, get quality advice or get burned.

Great post. Hyper-local and NICHE is definitely the wave of the future. Our firm is concentration solely on urban condominiums in downtown marketplace. We work as an exclusive buyers brokerage and actually operate on a flat fee business model

Our niche: Condos, Buyers Only, New Construction and savvy web-shoppers who want to work "with us" and ultimately save $$$!

The site: www.Boston.CondoDomain.com

I don't know if a person should use a real estate agent or should not use a real estate agent.

All I'll say is this, I don't even change my own oil.

Also, this blog hasn't been updated in a week ... what's up with that?

I was so glad Janice Hoffman was there to help me and my wife navigate the real estate market in 2001. My wife and I were both deaf, and had to tote around a 1 year old. But she guided us through the process and with her ability to sign everything the sellers were telling us, and to also add a few things they weren't telling us, made us feel confident that we would pick the right house with her.

We've been living in that house she helped us find for the past 7 years and we probably wouldn't have found this place without her help.

Janice was helping this 'niche' during the boom. She's helping that niche now during this 'bust'. And she'll be helping this niche for years to come, I'm sure.