I've been absolutely dying to write something about this interesting industry development....Lawyers jumping into the Real Estate Sales bandwagaon! lol Yes, I'm sure everyone is aware of the new service that some area Lawyers have started....they'll list your house on their "Private for Sale" website....and help you with absolutely everything...at a fraction of the cost of using a Realtor. lol

Now, looking quickly, this sounds like an incredible idea. Who best to serve your needs than a Lawyer! They can help you with absolutely everything...writing the clauses necessary to protect your interest, advice on how to arrange an appraisal to establish a value for your home, plus everything else that a Realtor does....and save you thousands of dollars to boot! From the surface, it would appear that a Home Owner can save literally thousands of dollars by cutting out the middle man!

Well, let's really take a look at the whole scenerio! First of all, Lawyers and Realtors do not work the same. I always say that Lawyers are warriors...and the Realtors are the lovers.....Lawyers have become lawyers because they love "LAW"....Realtors have become Realtors because they love "PEOPLE". Lawyers would like to love people the same as a Realtor does....however...they were not born that way! It takes a very special person to be a Realtor. It takes compassion, understanding and a dedication to utilize every ounce of empathy for a particular situation possible....without receiving a single cent until the job is completely done. A Lawyer on the other hand....asks for a retainer...and if you loose....well...you know the end of the story. A Realtor drops everything they're doing to present an offer to the Seller....because they know that "Time is of the Essence"....a call to the Lawyer may very well result in "Come into my Office on Monday at 10 " and perhaps Mr. & Mrs. Buyer see a better buy over the weekend....and there is no offer on Monday at 10!

I'm not saying that some people may not be very well served by this new service Lawyers are providing. If only Real Estate deals were so sterile, that all we had to do is put an ad on a website, put a sign on the lawn and write up the offer. It just doesn't work that way.  That's why Realtors roles are so very important. We know how to negotiate..we bring people together by assessing their needs...and how to keep parties working together, thru all the emotional hoopla and we know the business is very "instant". On the other side of the coin, we have always depended on the Lawyers to know the law surrounding Real Estate.

People should be aware that simply because a lawyer is willing to list your house on their "Private for Sale" website and do all the necessary Real Estate related work...it may not be a super good idea. Look very closely at your rights as a consumer....ask yourself if there could be a potential conflict of interest. In an era when there's great emphasis put on Realtors to avoid conflict of interest....and ask yourself a simple question..."Aside for the Lawyer....who really benefits from having my house on their website?" lol In my humble opinion....it's a great way for them to get business...and that's about it!

Just my thoughts....Donna