Service Centered Real Estate

Ron Miller

Think service! When you work with a Jackson Hole Real Estate Brokerage, the agents top priority should be service to the customer. I encourage all agents to listen carefully to what the buyer or seller is saying to them and talk less if possible during any showing. When  a customer decides to buy or sell a property in the Jackson Hole Real Estate market, a good Realtor servant realizes that the experience of the showing or listing appointment is a primary focus for the person and not what the realtors opinion is about each property. Of course if there is a material defect or economic obsolescence with a particular property I recommend to always advise the buyer what is know or observed. A good Jackson Hole Real Estate Broker with a realistic attitude and good common sense is often other centered toward the customer.

I once worked with a Realtor attending an open house in another part of the country that did not listen to me when I was interested in the property an associate in her office had listed. I told her the price and terms I wanted to offer and got a blank look like I was crazy. As an experienced broker and buyer working in the Jackson Hole Real Estate market I fully understood the proper value of this property and most of the inherent risks associated with this higher end resort investment I was interested in. I usually shop for properties that are fairly unique and many times need some work or the property is distressed in some way. I usually look in high end neighborhoods for the diamond in the rough. My specialty is fixer uppers and this lady was sitting in this old dated condominium in a fantastic rental area of a nice resort area that I knew was popular. The property needed a lot of work and was over priced.

The Realtor totally discouraged me from making my generous offer on the property she represented in an open house. The offer was a bit low and she said it was a waste of her time. She advised me simply not to put in my offer in writing and wanted to show me properties listed much higher than my budget. She sent me listings via e-mail for 2 more weeks for millions more than I wanted to spend for some reason. Unbelievable!! I think she just needed a bigger commission or just did not have a servant heart with my interests in mind or the sellers best interest. I had a hunch the seller had no need for this particular unit by the shape it was in and probably needed out.

I did eventually buy that property but had to go to another brokerage to put in an offer and get the deal done. I found a great Realtor who was very motivated to write up my offer for me to purchase the property I liked. The moral of the story is the good Real Estate servant got the job done and it was a great experience after all and I got a great investment property. We fixed it up and got good rentals and sold it a few years later for a nice profit.