RE/MAX hires in-house attorney to better serve clients

Things have never been so complicated in the real estate industry. There is so much paperwork, so many new rules and no straight answers coming from the state’s legal department. The amount of work it takes to close a real estate transaction is daunting. It’s also frustrating.

But rather than being frustrated by the seemingly daily changes in the industry, RE/MAX Platinum has hired an in-house attorney to represent us at no charge to the clients or agents to make sure we do everything just right.

All the changes in the industry since its collapse have everyone feeling like we’re operating in a quicksand of legislation.

Everyone is feeling the pressure.

“Don’t you hate this business now,” someone from a title company recently asked me.

I was taken aback by the question.

“No,” I answered honestly. “I enjoy the business more now that I ever have.”

Mind you, I don’t enjoy the suffering and struggle on the part of our clients, but to be effective, you can’t let yourself get absorbed into the pain. It’s like a doctor with a lot of sick patients, or who goes from a safe environment into a war zone.

Now is the time for us to stay focused and really help our clients.

We are so needed, and a computer or the latest technological thing can’t replace what we offer.

I look at what we do each and every day and ask myself whether we’ve earned our money, whether we’ve been useful.

Not a day goes by that we don’t learn something to better help our clients. We study the rules and figure out all the problems up front. When we find a new challenge, we set up systems that work.

In real estate these days, anyone can sell, but few can close the deal. So, I feel needed. And I feel rewarded. I go home at the end of the day tired and with less money, but I feel good. Our clients would not have been better off without us.

So, no, I don’t hate this industry. What I hate are the consequences of people giving bad advice, which could cost someone their home, or lots of money, or cause a sale to fall through. A lot of time this bad advice is coming from people who are not being compensated, and this free advice is guiding people down a dark path.

By hiring an in-house attorney, I am making an investment in the RE/MAX Platinum infrastructure. In addition to our new attorney, we have a short sale department and our agents keep on top of all the latest changes in the industry through our educational opportunities.

The public has never required the services of a full-service, well-educated real estate firm more than today, especially with all the new rules and regulations. The industry is a pretty intimidating place for our clients right now. It’s also a tough industry to navigate for those who work in it, especially for those who are ill-informed. It’s so easy to do more harm by giving bad advice, which I see happen daily.

So I decided the best thing is to have our own legal real estate expert on staff.

Our new in-house attorney is an upfront investment, one that makes wise use of our resources. Most importantly, though, this, in additon to our other strategic investments, enable RE/MAX Platinum to do an even better job for our clients.