When Pat Vredevoogd-Combs, a former president of the National Association of REALTORS, was asked to testify before a U.S. Congressional committee looking into industry commissions, she put together a list of how a Realtor helps sellers sell their homes.
The list is 184 items long, and details all of the tasks that a Realtor performs for a seller in a typical transaction. She broke her list down into 11 categories with a number of specific tasks and their descriptions for each category. This includes Pre-Listing Activities (20 tasks), Listing Appointment Presentation (13 tasks), After Listing Agreement is Signed (44 tasks), Entering Property in MLS Database (6 tasks), Marketing the Listing (26 tasks), The Offer and the Contract (21 tasks), Tracking the Loan Process (5 tasks), Home Inspection (7 tasks), The Appraisal (5 tasks), Closing Preparations and Duties (24 tasks), and Follow Up After Closing (3 tasks).
Vredevoogd-Combs admitted that most people really have no idea what real estate professionals do because, she explains, “most of the important services are performed behind the scenes.”