Agent Profile
My job is service...service to you and your real estate transactions! How can you benefit from my 25 years of experience and expertise? What can I offer to make the process more productive?
* Current information on available housing...comparative and competitive market pricing and analysis
* Daily involvement in the local real estate marketplace.
* Thorough, comprehensive knowledge reflecting years of helping others complete their real estate business.
* Extensive network of professional resources to make the process as smooth as possible.
My commitment is to you! Being available to you...returning your calls...answering your questions...addressing your concerns...respecting your money...matching your timeline...meeting your expectations...helping accomplish your real estate goals!!
JANEESE JACKSON: 503-709-0802 or jj@janeesejackson.com
“Money for Nothing” (???) Dire Straits
If you are a Seller, it should seem fairly clear-cut how your Realtor gets paid, you sign a listing contract with an agreed upon amount of compensation (based on the ultimate sales price), which is then split between the Brokerages (not the agents) of both the listing agent and the selling agent (they will each have their own deal with said Brokerage on how that commission is split). But, how does your agent get paid if you are the Buyer?
There are exceptions to what I’m about to share with you, such as developers who offer their agents base salary and benefits or builders who pay a wage for agents to represent them. But, for the most part you should be aware of how your agent gets paid and for what you are paying!
Real Estate Brokers/Agents (the state of Oregon keeps trying to confuse us by changing status…but, now all “Agents” are ”Brokers” unless they oversee other agents which makes them “Principal Brokers”) are basically autonomous agents under the umbrella of a “Principal Broker”. They are building there own independent businesses and their income is based on their own individual success. There are no salaries, no benefits, no paid vacations, no “in-house” business (other than very occasional paid referral business) and no retirement fund! Some of the “big” companies offer Principal Broker support, classes and the camaraderie of other agents but really all you get is a big “howdy-do” slap on the back, a phone and desk! If you’re a self-starter and a fan of roller-coasters, it’s a dream-job-come-true. Otherwise, it’s a wild ride! And, I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Now, back to the “punch line”. How does your Real Estate Broker get paid if you are the Buyer? Believe it or not, historically ALL real estate agents worked for the sellers, and it was generally understood that the listing agent worked for the seller of the property. It was not generally understood that agents who worked with buyers were sub-agents of the listing agents, and consequently, also worked for the seller. The seller of a property paid the listing agent for successfully marketing the property, and the listing agent paid the sub-agent who worked with the buyer. In 1996 the law changed and buyers could hire agents to work for them. Now we sign what is known as “Disclosed Limited Agency Agreement” for either the buyer or the seller (or, occasionally there is the need to reconcile both) or Buyers can procure their own representation through a “Buyer Broker Agreement”. Still the money for both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent is paid by the proceeds from the sale of the house by the seller, unless otherwise agreed upon in a “Buyer Broker Agreement”. However, the fiduciary responsibilities have changed…for the better!!!
All the time and energy your Real Estate Broker spends helping you decipher what you want in a home, determining neighborhoods of interest, brainstorming, helping evaluating cost vs value, setting up home searches, making appointments, showing property, referring contractors, inspectors or mortgage brokers is all time spent with the ultimate goal of getting you into a good investment and a home you will love (if they are a good agent). However, if they do that work without getting paid too often….they simply will NOT be there for you in the future! They will either have found “gainful employment” or they’ll be pushing a shopping cart around downtown. 
Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, you can’t expect miracles from your Real Estate Broker, you can expect honesty, dedication, resilience, perserverance, experience and integrity. But, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. If you are a seller, and your agent has told you that you’re overpriced or need staging or other changes and you don’t respond and re-list with another agent because you think “you need a change”, you are actually disrespecting a professional relationship. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, if you have “issues”, address them right away. If your Realtor doesn’t respond, it may be time to look elsewhere! Whether a buyer or a seller you need a “Full-Service-Realtor“!!
About the Author | Janeese Jackson
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