Today we live in a world where “starting a business”  truly isn’t that hard. If you think about it, what defines a business? Some might prescribe to the belief that all that matters is the right corporation documents being filed with the appropriate parties. Others look at the professional appearance that the business portrays (website, business cards, stationary, etc.). A lot of people  think of size as a determining factor. If a company has 10,000 employees, it must be doing something right…

In a normal scenario, these are all good things to look for. Unfortunately, in real estate, this isn’t the case. Realtors are independent contractors which means they work for themselves. While their brokerage plays a role in how THEY run their business it doesn’t always guarantee you will have a positive experience. Brokerages, for the most part, don’t care what kind of agents they bring in. The more agents they have in their brokerage the more money they make.

What does this mean to you?  When your friend, relative or neighbor mentions that XYZ brokerage sold their home and went above and beyond all while being professional, honest, and caring, they aren’t 100% correct. Their agent did that, not the brokerage. When you realize you need to move, you shouldn’t just call up XYZ brokerage and expect the same service. Make sure you get the name and number of the exact same person who went above and beyond for your loved one.

Ultimately, the broker is an agent’s set of tools. It’s the system behind the machine. I have been around Realtors and the real estate industry for awhile. I have seen great agents from small unknown brokerages and less than adequate agents with a well known brand behind them. Do you really care what benefits or tools said brokerage is offering your agent if it doesn’t affect your transaction? Let me ask you this. Do you care what accounting software your local deli uses as long as they provide a superior service and/or product? Didn’t think so.

So what should you do? Interview the agent not the brokerage. Find someone you like, trust, and in this market, want to be in constant communication with for potentially the next 3-8 months. At the end of the day, it’s your agent not their broker who are going to be answering your calls on the weekends, spending countless hours working FOR you, and going to be the person delivering the good news when your home has closed.

Thanks for reading!

• Jeff Buettner is a local Realtor, blogger, avid coffee drinker and chess player. With more than 4 years in the real estate industry, Jeff can be contacted through his personal site about Arizona short sales and foreclosure at http://realestatewizkid.com