A Little Help, Please

by James L. Goldsmith
January 2017

One could argue that I don’t know what I am talking about (I see a few nods of agreement). After all, I give Realtors® plenty of advice without having walked in your shoes. So this once, I am not going to tell you anything: instead, I am asking for your help.

The loss of a family member gave rise for my need to hire a broker in southern California. I wish I could tell you I went about picking “my realtor” in a thoughtful, studied way, but that was not the case (I am writing an article for buyers and sellers regarding the selection of a Realtor® and if you want to offer your advice on this subject, feel free do it as well). Instead I took the recommendation of someone who knew someone.

I got more than lucky. Steve (Steve Abraham of Palm Springs, California) turned out to be superlative. I could go on and on about how generous he was with his time, even before we had a written listing agreement and after settlement. Generous to a fault, meticulous and knowledgeable. Who could ask for more? So my question to you is this: how do you “tip” an exceptional Realtor®? Yes, he made a commission (he shared it with a cooperating broker), but I would like to do more.

Before publishing this article, I posed this question to but one Realtor® and her response was to refer a client to Steve. But Steve is in California and I am in Pennsylvania (remarkably, however, I do have a very good opportunity of referring a seller to Steve).

Regardless, I’d like to hear from you. I am sure money always works, but what do you think about gifts or an appropriate way to say a little extra thank you from a very grateful client?

P.S. I hear that many of these articles are read by consumers. Maybe the satisfied ones will get an idea from this article!

Mr. Goldsmith is an attorney with Mette, Evans & Woodside and serves as outside legal counsel to PAR. A substantial portion of his practice is dedicated to providing advice and counsel to real estate licensees. He and his firm represent and defend real estate salespersons and brokers in civil lawsuits and licensing claims across the Commonwealth. Jim also defends Realtors® in disciplinary hearings conducted by the Real Estate Commission. Jim was one of the voices of the PAR Legal Hotline for the first 27 years following its inception in 1992.

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