Let’s start with joke or two about real estate agents

Q) There is a Used Car Salesman, a Realtor and a Lawyer. And you have a gun with two bullets… Which should you shoot?

(A) You should shoot the realtor twice… Just to be sure

Two women were walking through the woods when a frog called out to them and said: “Help me, ladies! I am a real estate broker who, through a curse, has been transformed into a frog. If one of you will kiss me, I’ll be returned to my former state! “One woman took out her purse, grabbed the frog, and stuffed it inside her handbag. The other woman said, “Didn’t you hear him? If you kiss him, he’ll turn into a real estate broker!” The second woman replied, “Sure, but these days a talking frog is worth more than a real estate broker!”

Now that there is a smile on your face let us think about the real reason for the public’s perception of agents.

The Difference between a great agent and the perception the public has of the typical agent is simple. It all comes down to education and training. To become a real estate agent you need no real education, no college degree and in most state you don’t even need a high school degree. You just need to take a state class and pass a state test and you are basically off and running. How many professions today have no real education requirements?

Can you imagine being a lawyer, doctor, electrician, etc. with no training or education? Of course not, that would be ludicrous. Since becoming an agent is a simplistic endeavor there are thousands of agents who have become agents because it was easy and the potential income is technically unlimited. The real estate industry is primarily filled with large numbers of people to no fault of their own, who have a license to sell but have no idea how or what it takes to be proficient in the industry. It would be like giving a toddler a license to drive.

Unskilled uneducated agents can become great agents but it takes years of training, continuing education, and experience to really become a top agent. So next times you think about hiring an agent what are you going to look for? The toddler with a license to drive or an experienced trained professional with a proven track record for success?