I Don't Sell Anything.

[Joe Shoemaker]

No, really.

It is true that I have a real estate salesperson’s license issued by the State of Indiana. And yes, I do assist my clients in their real estate transactions, whether they’re buying, selling, leasing or building.

The reality, though, is that I don’t “sell” anything.

When I represent a client with a property to sell, my primary role is as a “Marketing Director.” I assist my client in assessing the property’s value based upon recent sales data for properties which are similar to their home. And I make recommendations about improvements they could make which might help make the property more attractive to a broader base of the buying public.

That’s where my real work starts: marketing the property using a variety of methods and media. That’s really all I have control over.

The homeowner sets the price and controls the condition of the property. I handle the marketing. And the rest is out of our hands.

We can’t control the price the neighbor sets for their property. We can’t control the stock market. We can’t control interest rates, world events, picky buyers, hail storms...

I partner with my clients and use the information we gather from showing feedback to make adjustments to our marketing. If the feedback is consistently indicating that the carpet needs replaced, my client can make that choice. Or they might reduce their price accordingly. If the feedback indicates that the property is not located on a favorable lot, there’s really only one option - lower the price. We obviously can’t move the house.

Eventually - and hopefully quickly - we’re able to combine our best marketing practices with changes and improvements based on feedback to get a solid offer on the table.

On the other hand, when I’m representing a Buyer client I assist them in setting their budget parameters, determining their wants and needs lists, help them adjust their expectations based upon their budget and location requirements and point them in the direction of pertinent data sources which might help them in their decision process. Things like crime statistics, school performance data, etc.

From there, we head out to look at properties that fit their needs. I don’t particularly care which house they like or don’t like. For me, it’s about helping my client make a fully-informed purchase decision about the house that best suits their requirements.

And I do my best to answer questions like: How’s the market trending in that neighborhood? What might happen in the cornfield just behind the house? How will a new commercial development just up the road affect their neighborhood traffic?

So if you’re thinking of buying, selling, leasing or renting a property, it would be my pleasure to partner with you during your process in order to help you make solid, informed choices.

Just don't expect me to whip out my "salesman" hat any time soon.