My question is, do you steer clients away from vendors you dont use for reasons other than loyalty?

@Mark – I’m lucky, I’ve been told by management I have nothing to do with orders, so it’s easy for me to move on and not get upset about it

@Jonathan – I don’t think a one strike policy is harsh, personally. There are so many REALTORs and lenders out there, that they should be good at what they due because of the amount of competition. That’s a good point that many consumers also aren’t loyal – when I bought my house, I worked with one agent at a time. It took me three, and I was searching online myself, but anything I found, I took to them because I know I need their expertise.

@Matthew – I definitely agree (and those are some awesome points and it sounds like a great service you provide). Gone are the days of “here’s my monthly postcard, send me your business and family/friends”.

@Benn – Very well put. I love instant gratification as much as the next person, but I can’t think of one person I instantly trusted the first time I laid eyes on them.

@Danilo – I completely understand that agents want that kind of loyalty from their clients, but are they willing to give that same loyalty to their vendors (lender, title, escrow, inspector, etc)?

@Bob – I understand that buyers can technically stipulate their T&E company, but most don’t have a clue about it, so it is directed by the agents. I personally go with a mortgage broker, who is able to shop around for rates and I am willing to pay her fees because I know she will work harder than anyone else I’ve ever seen to make the process as smooth and painless for me. I totally understand that if a company or vendor changes their whole business model or operating procedures in such a way that it makes your job difficult, go elsewhere. But if you’re happy with one vendor and a competitor comes along promising to pay your postage, is that worth breaking loyalty?

The lender biz is fluid. What lenders that I have used for years can offer is now limited. My clients would prefer that I know which lender has the best rates at a given point of time. It isn’t as if they are offering numerous products – they arent. They are primarily differentiated by price.

An escrow company I have used for years has decided to also handle short sale negotiations. They are now so tied up chasing lender tails that it takes them too long to get out a HUD that I need for my lenders.

My job is not to steer business to my friends. They know that. Those that don’t get that – oh well.

You say loyalty and I say fiduciary.

I, too tend to be an idealist, but Benn summed it up best in his comment (unfortunately).

Jonathan – The use-multiple-agents scenario is all too common in Northern VA. I tell folks that I can’t commit to them 100% unless they commit to me 100% – period. If that means “losing” a client, so be it.

Idealism is great, but we apparently live in a world of expiring relationships designed to go with the instant gratification society we’ve cultivated- those you once thought of as a life long friend or partnership can turn on a dime, for a nickel.

It’s sad, but I think it’s true.

Where I totally agree that there is rampant (what I call) follow-the-shiny-object loyalty out there, I think that one has to ask themself the question at the same time:
“What have I done in the past, and currently, to deserve the loyalty of my consumer/client?”

I worked in Real estate recruiting for a very long time, and if ever wanted to see a bigger lack of loyalty, that was it. Pay me a bigger split? You’re going to feed me leads? I’m yours. But what is different now… is that the consumer, and the agent in that matter, has the right to question that relationship and in turn question their loyalty.

As an agent (or other provider) have I :

- Worked in the best interest of my clients throughout the transaction?
- Followed up with them about changes or improvements they wanted to make to their house and provided referrals?
- Assisted them with movers, tax exemption information, etc?
- Sent them a RESPA for tax purposes at the end of the year?
- Updated them on recent sales in the neighborhood that effect their eventual resale value?
- Not only SENT them, but sat down with them on a yearly basis to go over a CMA of their property?
-Called them with the recent headlines and helped them make sense of it all?
- Sat down with them to differentiate National real estate headlines from Local real estate market conditions?
- Made recommendations on how to enjoy their neighborhood, schools, parks, etc?
- Overlooked my greed and advised clients that don’t need to sell right now to sit tight if it’s in their best interest?
- And lastly, if my clients ARE in financial straits and facing Foreclosure, have I come to their aid and helped them?

That… would cause me to be LOYAL. Heck, probably half of those things would probably cause me to be loyal. But in this market, and in this day and age, I think we all can admit that the bar has been raise. The question becomes, has the REALTOR we used to BUY the home, raised their game along with it.

- Matt Dollinger

Title company? Set in granite. I’ve been countered to others but will not choose to do business anywhere else (unless my buyer happens to have a preference, of course.)

As for the loyalty I see … loyalty for most consumers only seems to go as far as the next house they see. We’re viewed as interchangable, maybe not be everyone, but by a significant portion.

Too many people are using three and four agents to look at homes in the same area. I’ve had to decide whether to spend the time in the off chance they happen to like the house we found together and then sweat out the home next door (which I could have shown just as easily) or just skip the entire exercise and let them take their chances with whomever else they found.

you’re probably preaching to the choir with this one at AG. i sincerely doubt the caliber of folks that frequent this site would fall to that.

but, perhaps you’re looking for answers as to “why?”

i think it has to do with people failing to hold themselves under the same microscope they so readily turn on others.

now, how to cope with it? hell, as easy as it is to say “move on” it’s tough to have a thick skin when you’ve invested so much time building a relationship. so, i’m open for comments on this point, for sure.