I have a great job. I’m a REALTOR®. I help people with one of the most important decisions they will make in their lives. I help people pick a place to live, a place where they will make a family, make friends, make a community, and make a home. Is there anything more important in this entire world than a home?
While buying a home impacts all aspects of life, buying a home also happens to be the biggest financial decision of most people’s lives. I have a great job, and I take it seriously.
As a REALTOR®, I have been trained that I don’t necessarily offer any specific advice. I provide general information, and I can point you to experts who specialize in roofing, foundations, concrete, plumbing, etc. We’ve even been taught that we don’t offer financial advice, but we can refer you to an accountant or a financial adviser.
That being said, every day when I pick up the phone, I am asked:
Are there any good deals out there?
How’s the market?
What do you think my home is worth?
Is now a good time to buy?
What could I do to help my home sell?
Aren’t these all questions essentially about finance? Each and every one of these questions are directly asking my opinion on the biggest financial decision they will make in their lives. Their home. I’m a financial advisor. I don’t directly handle money, make investments for my clients, or give tax or legal advice, but as a REALTOR®, I am giving very specific financial advice. While I can’t predict future values of the market, and while I can’t guarantee that their home will appreciate 3% or 6% over the next 4 years, I can help my clients manage their life’s most important investment. As my dad always told me:
If not me, who? If not now, when? (From my life’s hero, my dad!)
If I can negotiate $5,000 or $10,o00 or more in savings, then my clients will probably think I’ve done a good job. At the end of the day, if they have an extra $5,000 or $10,000 or more in their pockets, then I’ve done a pretty good job.
However, what I’ve discovered is that while my job in helping find homes and negotiate offers is very important, my clients can save 10x that amount after they get into their home! I hope my clients save $100,000’s. That’s what I’m talking about. In fact, I wrote the book on it.
Your home is the biggest investment of your life! But what I will show you through Homes in Order, the micro financial decisions you make every day will have macro effects on your financial future. A dollar Saved is Five dollars Earned. And even better, Two dollars Saved is a Thousand dollars Earned.
Thank you for visiting Homes in Order.
As a real estate agent, I love your perspective! I agree.