Discount real estate brokers compared to real estate consulting fee-for-service

The easiest way to explain consulting is to compare the practice against traditional selling:

Real Estate Consultant	Typical Sales Agent
Paid for expertise and professional advice to meet specific needs of the client	Paid for the outcome of a transaction; one they can influence but not control
Seeks first to understand the needs of the client and recommend appropriate actions	Seeks first to "close" a listing contract (for a seller) or write an offer to purchase (for a buyer).
May recommend not selling / buying based upon client's needs & goals; the consultant offers wise counsel	Always finds a reason why a client should sell or buy
Offers a range of compensation packages to suit the needs of each unique client; can include standard commissions & flat fee services	Compensated the same way salespeople selling a product are; offers a one-size-fits-all fixed commission package
Never assumes all clients want the same thing; will review each client's priorities and goals to determine options that may be open to the client	Assumes all sellers want the same thing; to sell for the most money, in the least time for the least trouble. (However, this may not always be the best option for every client).
Is willing to provide fiduciary (see below) services to clients regardless of the outcome of a transaction	Will only provide fiduciary services to clients if there is a prospect of earning a commission
Primarily offers fiduciary counsel coupled with appropriate functionary services.	Primarily offers functionary (see below) services (list in MLS, yard sign, advertising, open houses)
Never works for nothing and is able to offer a range of service options and prices to clients, saving clients money because nothing is wasted	Frequently works for nothing (when a listing does not sell) and therefore has to charge more on average per client

The true consultant always puts the needs of the client ahead of the need to "close a listing contract". The consultant must open a dialogue with the client in order to understand the client's needs, goals and objectives before suggesting options and solutions. High-pressure sales tactics have no place in the process of providing objective fiduciary counsel!

The consultant's role is frequently to educate the consumer, offering objective information about the buying and selling process, so that the consumer is able to make a more informed choice from a range of presented options; determining what steps they have the expertise, time and desire to tackle and which ones they might like the real estate consultant to manage.

On the other hand, the Real Estate Agent has only one option to offer the consumer and it usually goes something like this: "we'll sell your house for you for the most money, in the least amount of time and for the least amount of hassle, and we'll do it for a fixed percentage of the sales price." [Regardless of how much effort we put into the marketing of the home] They usually don't include this last sentence.

Because consultants understand that not everybody has the same needs, they offer a range of compensation plans to go with a range of fiduciary and functionary services. The consultant tailors their services to meet the needs of each unique client, and is able to tailor the compensation package to match.