Real Estate and beer…

I’m not actually a beer drinker, but my best friend has a passion for micro-brews.  Being a good friend, as I traveled around the country, I often picked up brews for him.  He liked them more than a trinket, and there was always a cold Coke at his house for me whenever we were wrenching on Jeeps or whatever.

Back to the beer.

Obviously, I was not buying enough micro-brews for him to ALWAYS have a stash, and the ones that were good he kept around as a treat, so he also drank more “normal” beers.

Beer is divided into several types…

Cheap Beers - You know the brands.  They’re cheap.  That is how they sell their service beer.  It isn’t about performance quality.  It’s just about the price.

Average Beers - Again… you know which ones they are.  Massive marketing.  I can’t tell you that they are better or worse than other services beers… but they are quite effectively marketed… everywhere.  You know their logos mascots and spokespeople.

Premium Beers - They actually deliver pretty good service quality.  They don’t market as much because they are advertised by their clients fans.

Micro-Brews - Many have almost NO marketing budget.  But, the ones that are good have a dedicated fanbase.  They will go out of their way to work with their favorite agent pick up their favorite brew.

And you know… real estate companies are a lot like beer.  There are discount brands, average brands, premium brands and local brokerages.  But there is a major difference.

Every bottle in the six pack is the same…

And no two agents are alike.  Brand R in Kalamzoo (home of Third Coast Beer) will likely deliver a completely different experience than Brand R in Lilburn, GA.  Better or worse, but unlikely to be the same.  Even though there is a similar access to technology and techniques… they just aren’t delivered the same way.

And the other problem is that the local brews agents might be great… or might not be.  And it takes an inside track to know which ones are likely to deliver a great experience.  But, with beer a bad transaction will leave a bad taste in your mouth for a few minutes… with real estate it can be a lifetime.

Look for exciting news next week…  I’m moving from being a fun micro-brew from well known brand to being part of a premium brand…