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An
Interview with Sally Ackerman Eaton
By Adam Waitkunas, Milldam
Public Affairs |
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What are the major changes
regarding the home search
in the last 25
years?
Within the broker community, the competitive
dynamic has shifted to customer service from inside information.
When I started my career as a residential broker, the Multiple
Listing Service existed but was not yet the industry standard. MLS
presented property data in the form of weekly books. Information
about available homes was not widely shared among brokers.
Competition among the more successful brokers centered around
creating the perception that your firm had special and unique access
to information about the finer homes. This situation obviously
benefited the brokers more than the buyers and the sellers. Now MLS
can be accessed through the Internet by anyone, thus property data
is widely dispersed. Sellers get better prices because their homes
are offered to the widest possible community. Buyers have a level
playing field through equal access to the
information. |
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Who looks out for the
Buyer?
For years there was confusion in the brokerage
community and among the general public as to where the broker’s
professional loyalty lies. Listing brokers were the “agents” of the
Seller and selling brokers were “subagents” of the listing broker.
The subagent had often never met the Seller and could not be
reasonably expected to represent the Seller’s interest. Often the
subagent had an emotional attachment to the Buyer. The industry has
resolved this dilemma by eliminating the “subagent” designation. Now
there are Seller’s agents, Buyer’s agents, and Facilitators.
Confusion remains, however, because most firms try to offer all
three. For some, there is an appearance of conflict of interest in
this. Ackerman Properties represents the Buyer.
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What makes you a
better broker?
First and foremost, all Buyers want to pay a
fair price. Although it is easy to find out what is available for
sale, it is somewhat harder to discern which past sales are relevant
to the value of one’s target home. Assessing the dynamic quality of
the market is also important. Is it a buyers’ or a sellers’ market?
A Masters of Business Administration has provided me with excellent
analytic skills which allow us to ferret out the appropriate data
and put it in the format which will aid the client’s decision
making.
Choosing the right community is another challenge
that many people need assistance with. The suburban towns have some
similarities, but they have their own personalities. People need
help matching a town’s particular attributes with their own needs.
Those with children need to know about public and private school
opportunities in the area. For those who are moving back into the
city, there is much to be learned about neighborhoods, noise,
parking, access to services, etc. It is our job to listen carefully
and ask clarifying questions so that our clients find what they
want. |
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How do you ease the transition involved in
moving?
Making an overall assessment of the condition
of a house is key. Although Ackerman Properties is not a licensed
home inspector, I have renovated and built many houses and can give
an informed opinion of the scope and approximate cost of improving a
property. Many houses are, cosmetically, in good condition. I am
familiar with some of the hidden costs that can become an unwelcome
surprise. It is our job to keep our clients from such
surprises.
Finally, we are all incredibly busy. People need
referrals to good legal, financial, and insurance professionals.
They also need to be able to locate good tradespeople. It is our job
to connect our clients to the appropriate networks of support. We
can arrange concierge services on an as-needed basis.
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