The Consulting Times

"There has been much written and spoken, online, at conventions, and in industry publications, about real estate commissions and the pressures created on them by the proliferation of Internet-savvy consumers, national aggregators and discounters. Rather than take the position offered by many of devising arguments for protecting any standard commission schedule, Mollie wisely suggests offering alternatives. It all depends on who accepts the risk in any transaction. Visit ACRE®s Ken & Mary Deshaies

"I just finished my ACRE® course and this is far better than I had anticipated. Plus, I just read Ripping the Roof off Real Estate. What is the best way for me to order 10 autographed copies? I want to give my clients autographed copies - your explanations are carefully thought out and this is great credibility with a chance for them to see what I have learned. Visit ACRE® Bonnie Cox

"As broker owners of a firm we realize the importance of providing options to our clients and customers. We provide extensive real estate knowledge and expertise for our clients' benefit and they have varied needs and budgets. The consulting model provides a win/win situation for our company and our clients. The Accredited Consultant in Real Estate (ACRE®) Program provides the best education in this field." Visit ACRE®s Rhonnie & Ed Rapozza

"The very first time I used the consulting approach I didn't get the contract for consulting. But by providing choices, I DID get a full commission listing from a FSBO and sold it in 6 days. By using the Consulting Approach, I have made over $24k in additional business in just a few months that I would never have made if I didn't offer consulting options". Visit ACRE® Deb Orth

Consulting is the logical evolution of the brokerage industry. It is by far the most professional approach to buying and selling real estate available today, and into the future. Gone are the days when agents dealt in privileged and protected real estate information. Most of that information is now available to consumers on a grand scale, thanks to the Internet. Visit ACRE® Vince Kleinknecht

"The ACRE® consulting concept has so many possibilities it's mind-boggling. This will give us not only a great competitive edge with the FSBO (For-Sale-By-Owner) and investor market, but also the expired market. A big thanks to Mollie, Paula, Merv, and Tom for making this model available to us, and allowing us to be front-runners." Visit ACRE® Laurie Furem

"FINALLY! A program that IS what our real estate business SHOULD be! Though I thought Mollie's consulting model sounded good based on what little I initially knew about it, the more I became involved (taking the Consulting training through ACRE®, participating in the Graduate Coaching Exchange, getting the opportunity to interact with Mollie, Merv, Paula, and Tom on an ongoing basis) the more I felt TRULY FORTUNATE to have found this phenomenal group! Visit ACRE® Judi Bryan

"I can't say enough good things about the ACRE® Course and Graduate Coaching Program. Well before the ACRE® course was generally available, I literally stumbled upon the consulting process on Mollie Wasserman's real estate website. One viewing of her video for consumers and I was sold! Visit ACRE® Betty Byrnes

Last year I changed companies two times in less than six months. My third company was at least a name brand and I started getting business. However, I knew there had to be another way besides knocking on doors and trying to call FSBOS who did not show up on the do not call list. Times were tough. Visit ACRE® Bill Barrow

It was not until I became an ACRE® that I realized what piece I was missing in my consultative approach to my real estate business. You can work in the philosophy of a consultant, but being able to offer the choices to the consumer is another whole level. I have found the Coaching Exchange to be progressive both in the tools and materials offered and the subjects being discussed.

"ACRE® is just what I have been looking for! In my previous career I owned a computer consulting business that provided technology services to attorneys, CPAs, architects/engineers and other business organizations. My clients expected to pay for our services based on a fee that measured what we did for them in the same way they billed their clients. We gave them options but would never have considered charging a percentage of the value of the project if they completed the project! The real estate industry has it all backwards and I am glad to find others that agree."

Hey Mol - just visited your team's site and we were really impressed with your section about consulting. I read through and then followed the link to your other consulting site. What a smart and timely way to do business! We were so interested that we just ordered your book. If we didn't know you already and were shopping agents, we would definitely choose your team based on the consulting alone.

Dear Bill,
Sharon and I spent some time reviewing the information you and I talked about last week regarding your new designation and affiliation with ACRE®. We wanted to take a few minutes to send you a letter sharing our satisfaction and confidence in your continued service and assistance with our Real Estate investment needs on the Outer Banks.

Deb, thanks so much for saving me thousands of dollars!  Recently, I obtained “comps” from a national website and also from other agents. All I received was a list of properties with sales prices. Even though it was better than nothing, it didn’t help me. As a new investor, I need as much info as possible to avoid making costly mistakes. Then I contacted you about your consulting services, I found that you could give me what I needed. You sure delivered!

Mollie, I LOVE the new section on your homepage about consulting. Even though I'm a longtime client and I knew you did some "different" things, I never really understood how consulting worked. Since it was at the top of your page, that section really caught my eye and it was great that you had a link to your other site that explained how consulting worked. I agree with you - this is the future of real estate and it certainly makes your team stand out.

Donna B.
Bellingham, MA

This is my 11th year in real estate and my 7th year at my current brokerage. Since ACRE® "thinking" entered my life, I not only think ACRE® but I talk ACRE®. This alone qualifies buyers and the sellers. I'm now about running a business. It's my job. It feeds a family. It justifies the hours and the expenses that it takes to make the buyer's or the seller's dreams come true. When I've accomplished that, done my job, then I can dream too.

As first-time homebuyers, my husband and I were looking for an agent that would help us navigate the process. From our very first conversation, we knew that Mollie was going to be that person. From the get-go, she was far more interested in getting to know us and our needs then she was in "closing the deal".

"For real estate professionals who are defending their commissions against the government, consumer groups, and third-parties that want to change the industry while making consumers take on more work and liability, and for consumers who no longer know who or what to believe, Ripping the Roof off Real Estate spotlights the real estate issues that affect each of us."

Editor of Realty Times and author of Bubbles, Booms, and Busts: Make Money in Any Real Estate Market

"Mollie knows the real estate business point-blank. By sheer focus on consulting with clients rather than selling to clients, she operates at the highest fiduciary level--consulting, advising, negotiating, and troubleshooting."

Founder and Chairman of the Board of Keller Williams Realty International and best-selling author of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and The Millionaire Real Estate Investor

"Occasionally a book comes along that is singular in its achievement of creating possibilities. This must-read book does that, by detailing to real estate professionals how they will earn greater financial, economic, and business rewards by giving the real estate-buying consumers what they've wanted for years: choices on how to pay, without fumbling with discounters."

Founder of the Allen F. Hainge CyberStars®, an elite group of Realtors® who generate business through the use of current technology.

"This book gives a consumer a clear picture of their options in today's market. Wasserman does a great job at demystifying the options and advantages of each, so a consumer can make an intelligent choice. A wise real estate agent would give this book to every consumer they meet! The times, they are a changing!"

Master Certified Real Estate Coach and International Speaker

"This timely book is exactly where real estate should be right now. Ripping the Roof Off Real Estate breaks open the box that holds the untouchable and the unmentionable of a compensation structure that is flawed on many sides - while at the same time Wasserman offers thoughtful solutions. The result is an approach that can be a clear-eyed win-win for both professionals and consumers alike."

President of the Gooder Group & Author of REAL ESTATE RAINMAKER® books on marketing strategies

A "must read" for all forward-looking agents! Ripping the Roof off Real Estate will captivate those whose ethics and professionalism rank high on their list of "most important" things that define how they are perceived and how they do their business.

"An ideal book, Mollies style is very down-to-earth; she exposes a number of hidden aspects of real estate that serve as excellent guideposts for everyday homeowners and investors alike. No rational person could read this and ignore her insightful advice."

Co-Founder of MyST Technology Partners

"Frank and refreshing, Mollie advocates nothing more than for consumers and industry participants alike to simply recognize the need for the economic fundamentals of this industry to keep pace with other very large industries and evolve to create a more valuable and trusting bond between consumers and Realtors®."

Vice President, Marketing and Business Development of VisualTour

"In my thirty years in the real estate industry, no one has ever presented any viable alternatives to the traditional commission system, and it has always been a hotly debated subject. This book is not only a great read, but it contains brilliant ideas that every homebuyer, seller, and real estate professional should use to meet their individual needs. Everyone who reads this book will agree."

Author of Untold Secrets of How Your Real Estate Market Really Works

"Mollie paints a clear picture of what our business is like and has done a great job of describing exactly why we are paid the way we are in terms of the risk/reward nature of the relationship between the client and ourselves. She offers an alternative method of compensation - not discounting - that does not replace what we currently do, but to supplement it and offers choices to the consumer in a way that makes sense for everyone."

ABR, ACRE®, CRS, CyberStar, CyberPro, e-PRO

Our company Broker of Record was at our office meeting last week--just days after a "lightbulb idea" came to me over the weekend. The "lightbulb idea" is so large that its more than I could handle as an individual ACRE®, but we are the largest real estate company in Nevada with over 2,000 agents, and being an independent (vs. franchise), surely our company could accomplish this idea that would feature the ACRE® in both marketing and recruiting.

"A keeper! The chapters on promised service, cost of services, why discount commissions are no bargain, and the potholes where consumers lose most of their money, are worth the price of the book alone."

ePro trainer and author of Dog Eat Dog & Vice Versa - 9 Secrets to Put the Bite Into Your Marketing

"With her wealth of experience, Mollie becomes our guide in the fast-changing world of real estate. She clearly explains why a new way of thinking about real estate services is essential to getting the best value. It's about choices, and how to make the right choices for you and your family."

GRI, CRS, e-PRO, CyberStar, CyberPro, ABR, RECS, PMN, RRC

"Finally, an insightful real estate book. The description of breaking down the commissions for the consumer makes sense when compared to discount brokerages. This book has given me some great fuel for my clients and I recommend this book to every Realtor®!

Jo-Ann McLellan: Canada - The Online Realtor®

"Recently my wife and I sold our home using the fee-based system. It was a choice that I would make again in an instant. We saved a substantial amount of money compared to standard commission-based sales, yet we received top-rate services that fit our needs exactly as well as the market counsel to get the best value when we sold.

"ACRE® was the first step in my taking back my destiny. Thanks again for the course and for the sharing of knowledge and experience. If you do not value your own services to get paid for them, why should anyone else? Now I have choices for my clients, and I will get paid for my expertise!"

"I have recently completed the 900 hours I needed in order to get my Broker's license. I took every one of the courses using the on-line option because I don't have the patience or time for the typical classroom environment. Although the ACRE® course did not fulfill any educational requirements toward a broker's license in the state of Texas, I felt it was more worthwhile to achieve this designation for my business.

"After reviewing the ACRE® introduction and reading some details, I knew I had found an avenue to move my business to the next level. I consult for investment Clients daily as it is 80% or more of my present business. Most all of my client base live outside my market and rely routinely on my skills, knowledge base and referral base of services. My time is valuable, but "for free" is no longer the only option when babysitting contractors who work for my clients.

"I became an ACRE® because the whole concept makes sense--buyers and sellers paying for services rendered, just like doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians and others. No more waiting until a transaction closes, whereby the Realtor® accepts all of the risk, puts in hours and hours of work, and then may not even get paid if the transaction doesn't close.

My husband and I have bought and sold real estate in both Fairfax and Loudoun counties over the past 10 years. We have studied the real estate market carefully during that time and have learned all the in's and out's of buying and selling in a fast paced market. We have literally seen it all, having looked at over 500 homes in our various searches. We have had both smooth and disastrous closings. We have worked with good agents and horrible agents. This is the first time we have worked with excellent agents: Merv and Pam Forney.

We wanted to express our great appreciation for all of the work Merv has put in to our house sale. As a business owner, I was struck by the unique approach Merv had for being willing to break out his costs for services. I had never seen an agent take this approach. This flexible business outline is what led me to choose his firm for helping us sell our home.