Doug Schrandt - Real Estate Consultant

DOUG SCHRANDT
The survey found the biggest reason cited by those who decide not to use agents is the commission agents receive. Consumers have the skills to complete certain tasks themselves, and don't want to pay someone else do it for them, the study said.
Long-Term Mortgage Doug Schrandt
They think when they find the buyer, that's it. But you not only have to negotiate, you have to troubleshoot the transaction all the way to closing. We find sometimes people learn this too late in the game.

Doug Schrandt Consultant
One example of a service agents should charge for is the comparative market analysis they prepare to define a property's value, Garton-Good said. Typically, an agent spends three to four hours creating one, then leaves it with a prospective client after being interviewed.

Doug Schrandt Landscapes
So why is Garton-Good against the commission system? "It's more friendly to other agents than to the consumer," she says. "Consumers complain that brokers split commissions with competitors but won't give the consumer the benefit. I think resistance to a consulting system is not knowing the difference between discounting and unbundling services.

Doug Schrandt Real Estate Consultant
Proponents of fees say the traditional commission system needs to be overhauled because many agents are giving away services and are not being properly compensated for their time. The new price structure defines what an agent's time is worth and what a consumer will receive for the fee, proponents say.

Real Estate Advisor Doug Schrandt
"The Internet is a great tool," wrote one respondent. "I’d like to see listings get online faster, with all the facts about the house (so we can) make decisions or at least rule out a house."
Real Estate Predictions Doug Schrandt
There is definitely a huge need for an excellent book like this to explain real estate fee-for-services. It will alert agents to the new opportunities available for providing services and earning fees. There has been a need for well-qualified real estate consultants, and this book shows how to find them and benefit from their services. The book is certain to change the way sellers, buyers and agents view typical home-sale transactions.
Doug Schrandt Real Estate Market Research
It might mean that locally, more consumers could see an alternative to paying that structured commission of 6 percent or thereabouts that riles so many of them. For the Realtors, it might be a tool for getting the compensation that they say they deserve -- and sometimes lose out on because customers walk away from a deal.
Doug Schrandt Real Estate
One of the most valuable things a sales agent does is prevent or resolve conflicts between buyer and seller, which is no small task considering the naturally adversarial nature of the relationship.
Professional Consultant Doug Schrandt
Sellers should ask prospective agents whether they will represent their interests exclusively and not represent the buyer in the transaction as well, according to the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit association of consumer groups in Washington, D.C.