What is the difference? What are the characteristics of each? Often mistaken for each other, many people think the terms are interchangeable, but not so! Certain differences make the two roles distinctly different, and the state of Sonora, Mexico has decided that all real estate agents licensed in Sonora must meet the higher standards of the Real Estate Advisor.
The real estate agent is focused on sales and looks for buyers with predominantly commercial profiles and money to spend. His or her training is based upon basic sales principles, as well as personality traits such as being positive, optimistic, and ambitious. Real estate agents are usually excellent communicators, tenacious, very good salespeople, results-oriented, and often measure success by amounts of commissions earned.
A real estate advisor serves as a consultant, whose main function is helping the client to make real estate decisions that are best for him, after consideration of his goals, preferences, and resources. While the real estate advisor has many of the characteristics and training of the real estate agent, the real estate advisor must also be disciplined, organized, optimistic, professional, tenacious, honest, loyal, with a spirit of service, who projects confidence and is positive. As well, the advisor must be well-educated, have the best technical knowledge of the local real estate market, must know how to use available tools to the benefit of each specific client. A good real estate advisor takes care of the client’s interests as if they were his own, and always provides each client with all pertinent information about types of properties, financing plans, titles and deeds, owner associations – all real estate aspects – as well as answer questions that the client may have. In addition, the good advisor will answer questions that were not asked by the client, but should have been, in order for the client to make fully informed decisions. The real estate advisor is more likely to measure success by giving commissions a back seat to client satisfaction.
State of Sonora Real Estate Law 170 changes the term “Real Estate Agent” to “Real Estate Advisor,” and absolutely requires a license issued by the state of Sonora to be called a real estate advisor. As well, it makes illegal engaging in the practice of real estate for profit without a Sonora real estate license. For your safety and confidence, to assure your investment is in the best hands, whether you decide to sell or buy property in Sonora, assure that your real estate advisor has a real estate license in the state of Sonora. Ask your advisor to show you his or her current real estate license. You can use the link below to see the list of all real estate advisors with real estate licenses in the state of Sonora.
Blanca Valdez Diaz, Attorney at Law, is a Real Estate Advisor who is licensed in the State of Sonora, and currently serves as Treasurer of AMPI Chapter 51, the local chapter of the Mexican national real estate association.
