Realtors offer clients many more services

As a Realtor, I take great exception to this Citizen article. The Canadian Real Estate Association has always taken great pride in encouraging different business models, and area Realtors welcome Joe Williams and his approach.

As a firm believer in the adage that "You get what you pay for," we at Royal LePage certainly do not "find it hard to compete," as Williams says, with his business model.

Many area firms, and indeed, we, at Royal LePage Gale Real Estate and Royal LePage Team Realty, offer a full slate of services, whereby our main concern is to protect our clients. We do not leave the seller to fend for themselves when they are making the single largest transaction of their lives.

Our main and primary concern is the clients' well being, and it is not tied to loaning them money to cover our costs. We list homes, we sell homes, we work with buyers and we look after our clients every step of the way.

Williams also states that "... the buyer should have the right to call the seller directly." While there may be a few sellers who wish to deal directly with a purchaser, one of the main reasons of hiring a Realtor is to have the Realtor pre-qualify the buyer, avoid face-to-face confrontation and protect the buyers' and sellers' interests.

While we encourage clients to examine all their options, I do not believe that "lessening the seller's chances to sell without the involvement of a real estate agent" is the purpose of the MLS system. Clients who wish to work without a Realtor have many other options open to them, from private for-sale firms to Kijiji, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with any client and explain the advantages of a full-service firm.

Source: Ottawa Citizen, April 10th, 2010.