As with anything you have people that take do things full time and those that don't. I don't know about you but my home is by far my biggest investment. I would not invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the stock market with someone who does investing on the side. I also would not want a surgeon that operates on the side when he has time. That is why I would not use a part time real estate agent. I will cover some of the potential issues that could arise when working with a part time agent.
Homes are first come first serve
In most of the country homes are selling very quickly and it is not uncommon for the home to sell the first couple days on the market. To a consumer this means that you are going to have to act quickly if you are interested in a home.
If you are working with a real estate agent that is doing it part time it is not a priority to them and therefore you are not a priority to them. How likely is an agent to show you houses you want to see after they have worked their day job all day? I would say not likely, they will probably show it to you on the weekend when they get some time.
Agents only get paid when they help people buy or sell a home. Being that it is a side job they don’t likely need the income and therefore have no real investment in their or your success. Agents only get paid when they help people buy or sell a home. This means that if they are not dependent on the income there is truly no motivation to succeed.
Don’t trust your investment to just anyone
If you are a home seller using a part time agent that means that they are advertising your home part time, marketing your home part time, responding to buyer inquiries part time… You get the picture, even in a hot market homes do not sell themselves and if they get overpriced or underexposed they may well sit for months.
The initial time a home hits the market is the best shot that it has to sell. Making sure that the home is priced right and marketed correctly from the get go is going to make all the difference in the long run. Can you put your home back on the market with a different agent after it sits for a couple moths? Absolutely you can but now you have a home for sale that sat for 3,4, or 6+ month. This is a big turn off to buyer, it gives your home a stigma and makes people more likely to pass it by a second time.
What’s a person to do?
Save yourself time and money from the get go. Don’t trust yourself to an agent that does it on a part time basis. There are plenty of agents that do it full time and there is no reason to settle for a part timer.
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