Monday, June 27, 2016

We Pride Ourselves on Rational Analysis and Non-Attachment

The market is hot again and with that comes buyers that are running a bit hot themselves. If you want a broker that will simply tell you to 'bid more'...you've come to the wrong place. That said I certainly understand irrational behavior, especially if you have the bank to make your dreams come true. When it comes to real estate I tend to be a bit conservative although I certainly understand that the current market may demand a premium to get a deal done. It is my job to try and understand what is a rational premium to pay for an apartment that tugs at your heart strings.

However it is not my job to bully you into paying an exorbitant amount of money for a home, beyond a rational premium. If you wish to, by all means go ahead and swing for the fences just so you can win that 'highest and best', we leave that decision up to you. As I always say to new clients, we are not sales people, we are trying to bring something new to the process. Not just flashier websites, Vows or apps that make it easier for you to contact us or search for listings. We don't have a fancy office with free espresso, bottled water and a fancy address.  We want to add real value to the process with the willingness to rebate a portion of the commission to make a deal work. Some are puzzled by this notion, even think it is wrong?? Some agents give a portion of their commission to their broker, we have a model that allows us to give a portion back to our client. The great news about this, clients trust us implicitly and with a rebate we get deals done that otherwise would have crashed and burned. And the really great thing, it didn't cost the seller or the listing agent a dime. No more than any other deal with a buy-side broker involved.

Yes, that makes us attractive to some. Especially when it is coupled with 100% transparent service and our best efforts to provide an honest evaluation of the subject property. The concept of my business model did not just pop into my head. I simply paid attention and asked questions of my clients. I read with interest the absolute venom some spilled into the Streeteasy threads about brokers and agents. I asked myself, "Can I come up with a model for these people?" It took a bit of research to make sure it was legal (yes it is) I spoke to a few attorneys at the AG's office (they called me. Wanted to make sure no one was interfering with me; meaning other agents or firms). And did a lot of trial and error with various systems to come up with a platform that worked.

So here we are 8+ years later, 100's of millions in sales completed and a boat load of very happy clients.

All the best!

Keith Burkhardt
917.770.4951