Homebuyers

and sellers today, more than ever, view their real estate professional

as a partner, not just an agent.

The proliferation

of the Internet, which allows consumers to help themselves to information,

combined with the increasing complexity of the real estate deal, has changed

the way today's homebuyers and sellers use a real estate professional,

according to Michael Faulkner, President of the Fayette County Board of

Realtors.

Consumers are

looking for a partnership with their professionals and service providers,

rather than someone who takes care of every detail for them, Faulkner

said.

"Collaboration

is the name of the game for today's consumers in everything from home

buying to health care. And today's Realtors are responding to this consumer

demand," he said.

"In 2000

we began to see a major shift in consumer behavior toward a new, more

collaborative style of working with Realtors and other professionals,"

Faulkner said. Dubbed "strategic control" by the highly regarded

national research company Yankelovich Monitor, this trend has important

implications for how Realtors do business.

The Yankelovich

research, along with other comprehensive studies of real estate professionals

and their customers, inspired the National Association of Realtors to

launch a new set of television, radio and print ads in 2002. The new ads

carry the tag line, "Work with someone who will work with you. We're

Realtors. Real Estate is Our Life."

"The new

ads dramatize the collaborative style of working with customers, showing

how Realtors and homeowners work side by side, in a team effort, to get

the job done," Faulkner said.

Faulkner pointed

out that different customers want different attributes in their "Realtor-partners."

A successful real estate professional learns quickly to adapt his or her

style of work to the situation at hand.

"Some

customers see their real estate professional as a white water rafterhelping

them get through the wild ride to closing; some see their agent as a social

worker, focusing the on the interpersonal relationships that make a deal

go through; others see their agent as a financial planner; while some

are just plain looking for a level-headed negotiator," Faulkner said.

The attribute

everyone is looking for is trust, he said. "Today more than ever,

it's the Realtor's adherence to a strict Code of Ethics that sets them

apart from licensees who are not members of the National Association of

Realtors," Faulkner said.

Faulkner reminds

consumers that whether you're buying or selling a home, you should first

find a Realtor who makes you feel comfortable and assured that you will

get to the end of the deal successfully.

Real estate

is one of the most competitive businesses in America, so local Realtors

must fight hard to succeed in each community. "That puts you in the

driver's seat, when it comes to finding the right real estate professional

for you," he said.

Faulkner suggests

that consumers interview at least three Realtors before selecting the

one that is right for them. He also suggests asking friends and neighbors

about the Realtors they have used to get informed referrals.

"The most

important thing is that you find a real estate professional who is a Realtor

­ one of the 840,000 members of the National Association of Realtors

who is qualified to carry the registered Realtor trademark after his or

her name," Faulkner said.

"What

you're really looking for is someone who will work with you, just like

the ads say," Faulkner said.

Watch and listen

for the National Association of Realtors TV and radio spots, which are

running on network television and radio shows through October of this

year. To see/hear the spots online and to learn more about the ad campaign,

check out www.realtor.org/realtororg.nsf/pages/tvads031802.

(Michael

Faulkner of Faulkner Commercial Group is president of the Fayette County

Board of Realtors, which serves a membership of over 600 Realtor and affiliate

members in Fayette County.)

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