What are specialty agents?

That is a relatively easy question. Specialty agents are those agents who didn't stop at just being a broker. They went on to be educated in more than just selling real estate.

You have some agents that are training in home appraisal, interior decorating, and the ever popular Home Staging. You have those that specialize in commercial real estate and those who have training in the loan application of home buying. They are experts at knowing which loans to apply for how to get the best rates and whether or not your situation may call for special financing.

These are the super agents. They felt that just selling real estate and being like everyone else was just not working for them. In order to stand out or just do a better job of serving customers or clients they extended their knowledge and expertise.

As a real estate broker I also went to get my certification as a loan officer or agent. I took a break from selling real estate and went to work for a loan office in my area. I worked there to get a better understanding of the whole loan process.

 In my area of real estate we have a very mixed selling and buying field.  I felt that I would be better equipped to sell to my average and lower income buyers if I had a better understanding of the programs that are out there for buyers in general. It was an eye opening experience. I got licensed in financial planning as well. When a buyer came to my office I could help them buy the house they could afford as well as help them decide the direction they needed to go with a loan.

When it came time to deal with the banks they had better understanding of what to expect and were more prepared to give them the information that they would need to process the loan in a time fashion.

In the end I left all decisions up to the clients and they all have said they walked away better for it. Some have thanked me for making their first home purchase as easy as I could and some had to walk away to get their finances in order to come back and try again at a later time. I feel good about what I do. I am not just a real estate agent, to most we are friends.