Do I Really Need a Realtor?

I was talking to one of my clients a while back. He is a trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and has been so successfully for over 20 years. I asked him about some investments I was thinking of making. I wanted to buy some stock options for a company I though was over bought and subsequently over valued. His first question to me was, "are you getting out of real estate". I replied, “no”. He then cautioned me to stick with what I know, and stay away from risky speculation in the stock market. It takes up too much time, and there are some pretty smart, successful people working on Wall Street - because that is all they do – full time. So, he gave me the name of a couple good advisors, and I have been working with them ever since. This conversation came back to me today, when I was reading an article concerning the need for Realtors. I found it quite apropos, considering the fact that, once upon a time, I considered day trading online while still selling real estate fulltime.

Similarly, there is a growing population of people who what to do everything themselves – online. And the real estate transaction is no different. Some would have us believe that we just need to subscribe to there service and order their proven marketing package and buyers will just pour in with full-price offers. And researching a purchase online is all they need to do, even when it is their fist purchase of real estate. I have a few stories of friendly sellers turning quiet vicious when little things like appraisals did not go there way.

With technology what it is today, we have more information within our grasp than ever before. And, interpreting volumes of information can be a daunting task. Similar to the Wall Street investor, when Realtors watch their local market, and study it each day, they see patterns evolve. Sometimes markets are driven by legitimate factors, such as changing demographics, employment trends and local economies. . . and, some times markets are driven by illegitimate factors, like fear and anxiety, or an over bought market. Interpreting this data and knowing what to believe takes a great deal of time – full time. In an article published by Market Watch for 8-28-6, the question of "Do I need a Realtor" is explored:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B7A2570BB%2DC704%2D45EF%2DB904%2D2B8B7FD5AB9D%7D&siteid=. Take a look and tell me what you think.