I am amazed by how surprised prospects are when I advise them I will provide references from past clients who have used my services, particularly, short sale clients.  Yes, in the case of short sale clients, it is understandable that clients do not want to bring up and discuss the unpleasant hardships of  the past with complete strangers.  But as consumers of services you should have the right to see what you agree to buy.

Unfortunately in our changing business environment, there are too many people out there claiming to be “experts” in certain areas of our profession without providing any proof of their adequacy, let alone expertise.  One simply is not an expert because one declares oneself as such.

Under normal circumstances, selling a house is important but does not have long term implications if the house cannot be sold.   It simply means the homeowners stay in the house until a better time to sell comes along.  However, in a foreclosure situation, if the house cannot be sold or if the terms cannot be negotiated with the lenders to get the approval for the sale, people not only lose houses, but they lose that important sense of “home” and go through an emotional roller coaster ride that comes along with being foreclosed.  Houses can be replaced, but the emotional scars can remain for a long time……

Ask for references. When you are talking to a Realtor, you are essentially interviewing him/her for a job.  And what job interview does not involve providing references from past employers?   If a Realtor does a good job for their clients, it is not difficult to get the latter to share their experiences with potential clients; as a matter of facts some become your evangelists if they had a good experience with you.

Some Realtors belong to an organization that rates the service via independent surveys and post those scores on the web.  I belong to the QSC organization  because I believe in its philosophy and strive to provide the best service I am able to provide and believe if I were on the opposite side, I would want to know how that person’s past clients rated their service before engaging them.   These are difficult times and you should get the best quality service available  out there.   After all, don’t you deserve it?