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REALTORS® are not all created equal. By asking a few good questions you could gain some serious insight as to which ones are most likely to help you achieve the best results.

Don't Make This Mistake

Here’s a few tips which will hopefully keep you from selecting someone who is nothing more than a “monkey with a key”.

Good questions often reveal interesting (and sometimes potentially embarrassing) answers.

You might start out with a clever one — ask if they have a C.L.U.E. This pertains to the gigantic database that the insurance industry has. It is known as the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.). Every real estate professional should be familiar with it (sadly some have never heard of it).

Before writing a new policy, insurance agencies check this database by pulling a C.L.U.E. Report. There are two components to this report — one is the home which is being purchased — the other is the buyer(s). The history of losses, claims, and inquiries will help determine what you’ll have to pay for coverage.

If you do happen to stumble upon an agent who is “C.L.U.E.-less” (someone with a blank stare, or someone who looks at you like you’re speaking in a foreign language), their lack of knowledge could cost you real money.

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Inquire as to how “tech-savvy” they are. You may want to know if they use e-mail (it may surprise you to know that many do not), and you should want to know how quickly they’ll respond to your e-mails.

Are They "Tech Savvy"..?

If you’re considering listing your property FOR SALE, find out how many websites it will be on. Listen carefully to their answer — then tell them to “humor you” by naming a few. This has the potential to be very embarrassing — ever heard of the word tongue-tied?

Not all buyers are from our local area. Will your property be getting exposure in markets such as Charlottesville, or the Washington, D. C. area?

While you’re on this subject ask ‘em how many photos they’ll be taking (and posting) of your home, and see for yourself the quality of their work.

Advertised on www.craigslist.com

Oh, and one more thing — go ahead and ask them if they’ve ever posted a listing on craigslist.com. It’s totally free and sometimes produces some pretty amazing results.

The home on the left went “under contract” on the very day that it made it onto craigslist. One phone call and it was a done deal.

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Article 1 of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics reads as follows:  ”When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client. This obligation to the client is primary, but it does not relieve REALTORS® of their obligation to treat all parties honestly.”

A real estate broker who becomes an agent of a SELLER or BUYER is deemed to be a “FIDUCIARY”. As a FIDUCIARY, a real estate broker is held by law to owe specific duties to his/her principal (the person who they are representing). These specific FIDUCIARY duties include:

• Loyalty
• Obedience
• Disclosure
• Confidentiality
• Reasonable Care and Diligence
• Accounting

Now that you know what Article 1 says — you can have some fun..!

Go ahead and quiz ‘em. This is all about the obligations that they owe to you.

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Let’s recap.

• Are they “C.L.U.E.-less”..?
• Are they “tech savvy”..?
• Do they know what it means to be a “FIDUCIARY”..?

If they don’t know their business…

...you might as well be hiring that "monkey with a key".

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Tags: C.L.U.E., C.L.U.E. report, C.L.U.E.-less, Charlottesville, craigslist, e-mail, fiduciary, monkey with a key, tech-savvy