I'm a little tired of hearing how real estate agents can't afford to work with buyers anymore -- UNLESS that buyer has signed a buyer agency agreement AND has an iron-clad loan commitment in hand -- because of the high cost of gas. What a crock.

Okay, let's do a little analysis.

Over the last several years, gas has hovered around the $3.00/gallon mark. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower, but I think that $3/gallon is a reasonable place to start.

In some parts of the country, gas is now around $4.00/gallon. That's $1.00 per gallon difference.

If your car gets 20 mpg, you're spending ONE EXTRA DOLLAR for every 20 miles you drive.

If you take a buyer out and drive sixty miles with him or her, that's three extra dollars you spent on him (over and above what you would have spent on him last year and the year before).

Are you really saying that you can't afford to spend an additional $3.00 in exchange for a shot at a $7,500 commission ($250,000 x 3%)?

Tell ya' what. I'll be happy to take your Denver buyers for a ride, whether they've signed a Buyer Agency agreement or not. Whether they're pre-qualified or not. Because I know that being out in my market with a warm body in my car (and that warm body probably has lots of friends he can refer to me in the future) is a MUCH better use of my time than sitting back at the office congratulating myself on saving $3.00 in gas.

I'll even pay you a referral fee. So, on top of the THREE BUCKS you saved, you'll also get $1,875 just for giving me a call!

Published: July 3, 2008

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Jennifer Allan is the author of Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect, as well as a number of eBooks including The Seduction of Your SOI: Generating Business and Referrals from the Very Important People Who Know You, Dorky Announcement Letters - DEDORKED! and For Sale Signs Don't Pay the Bills. Jennifer began her writing career after ten years of selling real estate successfully in Denver, Colorado. She was dismayed at the low level of professionalism she frequently encountered in the real estate industry and, with her "soulful" message, hopes to encourage the real estate community to self-correct the negative stereotypes of the profession. Jennifer's message is that agents should strive to be competent real estate advisors instead of simply competent real estate prospectors. That agents should respect the intelligence of their clients, rather than attempt to insult that intelligence with aggressive closing techniques. She preaches that agents should appreciate the significant commissions paid by their clients, rather than complain that they, themselves, are not appreciated. Her personal mantra is "The clients I have today are far more important to me than the ones I hope to have tomorrow." She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at SellWithSoul.com.  Subscribe to  The Daily Seduction Tips & Inspirations to Generate Business and Referrals from The Very Important People Who Know You  Your Email Address: Your Name: