Clients and Customers – What’s the Difference?
As a buyer of a property, have you ever felt totally ignored by the sales agent? Have you put in an offer for a property, been advised by the agent that it would be accepted and then told you have missed out because someone else has offered more than you? Does this sound familiar? There is one explanation for this. Real estate agents work with clients and customers, but fail to recognise that in this industry there can often appear a distinct difference.
The legal definition of a “client” in the world of property is the person who has signed a written contract with the estate agent and who will be paying the fee for service once the property has sold. In other words, the vendor or seller of the property is the person with whom the estate agent has a written contract or Agency Agreement with and therefore is the person the agent will receive their commission from.
Customers or buyers do not have a written agreement with the estate agent, (unless it is with a Buyers Agent – which is a totally separate agreement) and therefore do not pay any fees to the agent when the sale is transacted. To some agents, this means the vendor is treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, at the expense of the buyer.
Unfortunately many real estate agents lose sight that buyers of properties may well become vendors of properties. Not to mention the lost opportunity to have business referred because of outstanding service.
Thankfully times have changed. Marquette Turner recognises that true customer service is of the major factors both clients and customers seek. Real estate is a service industry after all, and should be no different to the major airlines, etc, in seeking to provide a service that is second to none.
Christine Watson
Email: christine@marquetteturner.com.au
Telephone: 1300 737 778
No comments:
Post a Comment