John McLennan

To my fellow Realtors...

Have you ever had a client that you thought was a 'for sure' deal? You had spent many hours educating your buyers, showing them numerous houses and doing multiple comparisons for them; not to mention the gas used to drive them all over the city and time spent away from your other clients or family. And then you got that phone call/e-mail/text/un-subscribe notice that they have just bought a house privately or with another Realtor without you?

You felt that you and your client had a connection; that you were “Theirs”. This may be true if it's your parents or children but for anyone else it's Realtor Beware!

Perhaps this happens because there is a lack of appreciation for what a Realtor does for their clients. I have a sense of professionalism and commitment when I work with clients and strive to provide them the with best service and advice that I can give. In most cases, this is reciprocated in the form of appreciation and commitment. Unfortunately, one cannot bank on all clients to remain loyal throughout the buying process.

I’ve decided that I am now making it mandatory, for any new buyers that I'm going to work with, to sign a Buyer's Agreement. This contract will provide me with the opportunity to educate clients about the hard work Realtors do for their commissions. The agreement will show them that I take my profession seriously. It will also be an opportunity for the buyer to show that they are serious about buying a property and that they value customer loyalty.

I realize I may not be able to persuade everyone to sign this agreement.  At least I know the ones that do are serious about working with me to find them their new home!

Feel free to share your stories of success with using Buyer's Agreements...or even if you don't use them share other strategies that you use to maintain client loyalty.