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It’s amazing how many times you will hear this, especially before people find out you are an agent. I’m not sure how dealing with a Realtor ended up in the same category as going to the dentist. Since when did hiring someone trained and licensed to help you make the biggest purchase of your life become synonymous with someone who wants to put a drill in your mouth? People will hold off getting an agent until they no longer have a choice. No offence, but it’s a really bad strategy.

Explain to me exactly what it is that you are so adverse to. Expert advice, experienced insight, another set of eyes that can see your 3 year old about to grab the cats tail, the chauffeur? Are you adverse to having someone explain to you why getting pre-qualified is the first thing you should do BEFORE looking at that $700,000 house you have your heart set on? Or why buying the house right next door to the school is not a good idea if you have to be on your way to work no later than 7:15? Or, could it be that 3 page document they want you to sign before stepping inside one house? I mean, “why should you have to sign a document just to see houses?”.

First of all in the State of Connecticut it is REQUIRED. Selling a home is not like selling paint. There is a reason that licensing is a requirement, classes and mandatory continuing Ed classes. This IS the biggest purchase most people will ever make in their lives. It requires lawyers, legal town documents, sometimes town board approvals and variances. It’s a big deal. It requires each party to be legally represented by your own people. You do want people on your team to work for you and look out for your best interest right? That 3 page document does that.

If for some crazy reason a realtor chooses to take you to see houses without that document, he/she legally represents the SELLER as soon as they walk in the door. Not you, because you didn’t want them to and you will have to sign a waiver stating such.

Lastly, as a sales person we don’t get paid by the hour. We only get paid after a sale closes. How would you like to spend weeks showing properties to a client only to have that client turn around after finding the house they want and giving the sale to their cousin Fred? Do you think that would be fair? Of course not. We only have your best interest at heart and rely on you being a satisfied customer; satisfied customers make recommendations and remember us when they are ready to move up or down.

All that being said, when you hire someone to help you sell or buy a home, you are inviting them into your lives. Know who they are. Go to LinkedIn, their facebook business page and their website. Read their bio’s check out their recommendations and feel free to interview them. You are going to be spending time with this person, be fair to them, look out for yourself and always use a licensed agent.

http://www.coldwellbankermoves.com/Cynthia.Penkoff

http://www.facebook.com/CindyPenkoffRealtor

http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindypenkoffrealtor

By Cindy Penkoff

As a sales person for the past 30 years, I have sold everything from candles to cars. I know that helping people to pick out what best shows their personality is the key to a happy client, whether it is their favorite scent or the overstuffed chair that will have a home in the family room for many years to come. I carry with me the experience and challenge of making sure every client feels at home. I chose Real Estate as a career as it combines my affinity for people, homes and the process of bringing the two of them together. With a natural love of form and function, color and texture and the ability to see things for what they can be, I find it easy to combine my talents to help my clients find the home they’ve been dreaming of or helping those that wish to sell their homes and move on to their next adventure. Although I wouldn't be considered a "seasoned" agent, I feel like I have been doing this my whole life. Add to that the experience of being the assistant to a million dollar producer, my clients get the best of all worlds. Someone who looks at things with a fresh eye as well as someone who has the knowledge to walk them down the road of what can sometimes be a stressful experience My husband and I have been together for 25 years and have a 14 year old son. We live in Trumbull where I sit on the Board of Finance. I believe in giving back. I volunteer as much as possible and have been known to juggle many balls at once. Nothing makes me happier than at the end of a project, seeing the joy it creates. I love my job, my family, my dogs and my country.

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