The Five People You Meet in the Real Estate Market: The Agent

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Illustration by Luci Guitierrez

Illustration by Luci Guitierrez

THE ROLE
A buyer’s agent takes clients to visit suitable houses; a seller’s agent markets a client’s house. Both drive attractive vehicles, carry tape measures, and earn their dough (commission or fee) by doing whatever it takes to unite a seller and a buyer with a contract to purchase, then riding herd on inspectors, appraisers, mortgage lenders, and title companies until the deal is done.

SPECIAL SKILLS
Getting up early, going to bed late. Genius at coining phrases such as “Rich in character” and “Ready for your creative touches.” Ability to mobilize full range of 21st century social media in order to engage potential buyers while simultaneously pounding For Sale sign into lawn using the heel of fashionable pump. Bottomless enthusiasm for newcomers and new construction; empty nesters and historic architecture; suburbs, exurbs, and inner city neighborhoods.

PET PEEVES
Sellers who can’t be bothered to tidy up, empty the cat’s litter pan, or fix the door that has been sticking since the Clinton Administration. Buyers who can’t see past dated wallpaper, wet bath towels, or kitschy fridge magnets.

NOTABLE QUOTES
“Perhaps those family photos could go in storage for a while.”

Who else do you meet in the real estate market? The Seller, The Buyer, The Inspector, The Mortgage Lender

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