R.E.S.T. Real Estate Straight Talk – I’m #1

Hey Everyone and welcome to our series about the career that we love… real estate.

This is going to be your source for some real estate straight talk – the real deal, real scenarios, myths and myth busting, the rules, the ethics, the process, the expectations – what you really need to know. So here we go!

I’m #1

Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter T and the Number 1!

You’ve all seen the ads in papers and magazines, the commercials, even the 3 storey high billboards that tell you why you should use the services of that REALTOR® because they the most Trusted name in real estate, or they are #1.

And like all good and inflated marketing if you look REALLY close – you may be lucky enough to see an Asterix somewhere on the paper/commercial/billboard. What could that mean? And why is the print so darn small…. let’s break out that straight talk and we’ll go through it. This is one of our pet peeves 😉

Years ago you could advertise yourself as the most trusted or number 1 just because you felt like you should be – but now there are strict advertising rules between the local real estate boards, the Real Estate Business and Brokers Act and the Real Estate Council of Ontario. All of these are levels of governing bodies in the practice of real estate.

So now, if you want to say you are the most trusted or number 1, – you have to explain and outline the parameters that make you so. Are you number 1 in listings, in sales, in overall transactions, in the neighbourhood, in charitable giving, in trash talk, in google reviews….what? If so, for what year? Or years. It does happen – some REALTOR® advertises themselves #1 – but it was for the listings he or she got in 1997!!

And you are the most Trusted how? And by whom? Clients? Your Mom? The dog? Define Trust – it’s a pretty intangible thing.

All the things that you claim make you number one or the most trusted have to be able to proven….hence the very very small Asterix you will find on those signs and commercials. So when you call a #1 realtor – don’t be shy to ask for, or about, the Asterix…..or pull out the magnifying glass and see for yourself….and if you can’t find the Asterix….then they are absolutely number 1 – in misdirection – so you should move on.

The straight talk? Every industry has folks that claim they are number 1, or the Most Trusted… And for some it is a point of pride and the results of years of hard work. We aren’t debating that and it can be absolutely an earned right to advertise that way, But here is what it boils down to…you do want some one that is a number 1…..someone that treats you like you are priority number 1 – go find THAT person so you can R.E.S.T easy