Within the last year, I've had more home owners from Louisville contact me about being their Realtor and putting their house on sale. But they want me to do it in an unorthodox way. Some owners of the more expensive homes want me to market their homes using seo techniques and social media strategies instead of signing a traditional listing contract with me as their Realtor, which I am licensed to do.nnDo you think that the Realtor's main task is to try to enhance marketability to increase home sales? If that's the case, there is a possibility that there are persons infinitely more capable to handle this specific task than most real estate agents, who are possible using out dated selling techniques which have few results. nnLet's forget about paperwork, for now, and turn our attention to marketing. A lot of signage placed in yards by Realtors says much more about the firm than it does about the listed property. As a seller, you would not expect, after hiring a marketing firm, that they would place a corporate sign in your yard. Rather, wouldn't you really expect the firm to place a sign that sells the property, thus focusing on your home instead of on them? Perhaps we could launch a social media campaign for the home, including a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and of course some Youtube love! One has to wonder how often Realtors engage in these specific activities.nnWhat about bringing up blogging? Do you know know how many Realtors anywhere have a blog of their own. I have to question how many Realtors who have the skill and access to blog, are actually writing about their listings? I think those are questions that don't really need to be answered. If you were to hire a marketing firm, do you think that the seller of the house would put up with that type of service? Another question that really does not require an answer.nnHowever, now I have placed limitations on myself. I am a Realtor, but I assist a few individuals with social media marketing and seo, too. As Realtors, is it better to simply require clients to sign a listing contract right off the bat, or should I ask if they would like an alternative arrangement. There may be a few up front fees to get your house on the MLS and for the marketing, and later a small commission to help with negotiations and paperwork, and of course a minimal monthly fee to keep your home listed, imagine if my house sellers were paying clients in need of social media marketing!nnBecause most people do not want to pay up front for services where average priced homes are concerned, the commission ends up being smaller than the service fees. However, for pricier homes that are on the market, there can be a big difference. The potential for the customer to save money just by hiring me to consult with may be a lot of dollars, the fact is the more costly the home, the larger the amount of savings will be.nnWhat are your thoughts? Could this style of realty be appropriate for your city? Do enough qualified real estate agents exist that can make it succeed? Would any local boards have an complaints with this situation?