There’s lots of blogging going on now in the real estate industry. Unlike this blog, a good deal of it is meant for real estate professionals. Cruising through some of these sites this morning I came across two articles that were thought provoking enough to interrupt what I had planned to do and write this.

One article cited a 2006 Harris Online poll on trusted professionals that ranked real estate agents near the bottom of the list just ahead of stockbrokers but lagging behind insurance agents and auto mechanics. Doctors led the list in trust but were “completely trusted” by only 50% of the respondents. The blogger’s conclusion was that nobody wants to completely leave major decisions about their health, finances or beloved possessions solely in someone else’s hands.

The second article was a series of tips by an “expert” in luxury home marketing who recommended making a long list of the attributes of your “ideal” client and then doing everything you can to become that ideal. She cited this as the “Law of Attraction” and a way to make yourself over and attract business so you to can enjoy the benefits of luxury home sized commissions. There is a big market inside the industry for this type of advice and maybe it works, but frankly, it makes my skin crawl. It’s hard to imagine better advice for becoming unauthentic…a phony…untrustworthy.

But I also have a less emotional reaction to it. First of all, it puts all the emphasis on attracting clients and neglects how you provide better service for them. It reminds me of a line from one of the current Charles Schwab commercials where the concerned client of another broker complains (paraphrasing) “He’s been my broker for 20 years and he’s a really nice guy. But, honestly, I don’t know where he comes up with some of these recommendations.”

This trust issue is why I like the analogy that’s used in the Durham Luxury Real Estate Market Report of the home seller as the CEO and the listing agent as the Marketing Director. It suggests a collaboration where there is mutual trust, good communication and professional respect.

There’s an old adage that you should have an old lawyer and a young doctor.  How about a real estate agent?  Like medicine, real estate is rapidly changing. The current market favors buyers and is different than it has been in many years. Whatever the age of the listing agent, the important thing is understanding how this impacts the marketing plan for a home. The same old remedies aren’t as effective anymore.