I was excited about a recent article on Physorg.com that showed how today’s U.S. college students are more focused on achievement than power.  This is a very significant trend and could be the beginning of a new generation with different priorities and goals.  This generation could be more innovative and successful especially in an ever increasing global world.

Maybe it’s the horror stories of abusing CEOs in the media, less than ethical politicians over the news that are finally waking up a new generation.  After all, achievements are very important and power is usual a residual effect of being perceived as powerless.  In other words, one of the reasons power hungry individuals seek power is because of bad self image.  Often time ethics fly out of the window when trying to secure a power position.   I think it was a famous 1960′s psychiatrist that said power attracts psychotics.

Click here to view the article.

Choosing between traditional real-estate brokers and a discount ones can be confusing. Some buyers and sellers turn to discount brokers but both have to do much of the work in finding or selling a home an agent would normally do.

The numbers show that homes sold by agents usually spend less time on the market and fetch a higher price.  Plus, and this is in my eyes the biggest and most important factor, an agent should help you avoid the pitfalls of negotiating contracts and should spot out problems that could arise later on.  After all, it is their jobs and they have not only studied transactions well, they negotiate them very often and know what to look for.

I’m not one to get scared and cry foul when another business model comes up.  Fifteen years ago I was teaching English as a second language which involved books and maybe video tapes.  Then came the revolution, computers, cd-roms, etc.  Many cried foul and doom-sayers called for teachers to be replaced by machines but it never happened.  Students are still taught by real human beings, however, teachers are using more pedagogical supports such as cd-roms, interactive systems, etc.  I embraced the new technology and adapted my personal style to it with success.

However real estate consumers need to be careful when choosing between a full service and a fractional service for discounted price.  There is no free lunch and everyone still needs to make a living. Buyers wanting a break from the commission earned by selling agent should understand what they are asking for. Would you, in your line of work freely forgo part of your salary for less work?  They should also understand the conditions attached to discounted services and make clear when viewing homes that they are represented by an agent. Obviously sellers using flat-fee listing services find buyer’s agents shun their homes as there are less incentives.  It is also a problem of  image as most people see agents pocketing a lot of money for very little work.  If you factor how the commission is split between both agents, then brokers, then add the advertising, gas, insurance, etc, you can see the agent does the foot work for you.

All in all, different systems for different people.  If you can trust yourself to do the foot work, analyze the market, understand the trends, know how to read contracts and spot out the eventual problems in transaction, homes, and lastly if you have enough time on your hands, than some discounted systems might work for you.  However, if you have little time, are not comfortable with signing a contract for half million dollar to above homes then hiring an agent will save you money and time.