Do You Want an Appetizer, or the Entire Meal?

The lion's share of any restaurant's business is made up of people who come through the doors to enjoy a full meal. They want appetizers, an entrée, some dessert, and drinks throughout every course.

But, there is also money to be made from people who are not ravenously hungry, who just want to sit down and enjoy a snack in between meals. Restaurants cater to these people by offering appetizers, menu items which still cost money but are less than entrées.

In some ways, real estate is a lot like a restaurant. Some sellers want to come into a brokerage and receive all the bells and whistles as they list, market, and come to an agreement on their home. And some feel they can take care of many of their selling needs on their own, they just want a brokerage to supply them with a few essential details they can't provide for themselves.

Today, there are plenty of brokerages which can satisfy the needs of both kinds of buyers. If you are the full meal deal type, you will probably want to use the services of a full service broker. You don't have time or the expertise to do the marketing, negotiating, showing, closing, and other parts of the process yourself. In other words, you don't want to make the meal. You want someone to make it and serve it to you, and you're willing to pay a few extra dollars to have that done.

For others, though, smaller offerings at lower prices are desirable. You recognize the need you have for some of the services a brokerage can provide, such as placement on an MLS. It's something you can't do on your own, so you don't mind paying for it. In fact, you may even realize you need help with closing and drawing up contracts (the dessert). What you don't need, though, is to have everything done for you. And, you don't want to pay to have it all done either.

If you are more of an appetizer person, the services of a limited service real estate brokerage will probably be more in line with your needs. You can use menu programs and flat fees to take care of the little things, while you deal with the main course. Like the food industry, the real estate industry today has something to meet everyone's needs whether you are an appetizer or entire meal kind of person.