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Are You Practicing Outside Your Competency? What Every SC Agent Must Know · Dishin' Dirt with Gary Pickren

0:00
SPEAKER_01: There is a trend in real estate today that I have been watching very closely.
0:04
SPEAKER_01: And honestly, it really concerns me.
0:06
SPEAKER_01: It's not because it's illegal and not because it's necessarily unethical on its face, though I do think it has some undertones of being unethical.
0:13
SPEAKER_01: And it's not because agents shouldn't be allowed to grow their businesses in the manner they see fit.
0:18
SPEAKER_01: I am all for you growing your business as large as you can and making as much money as you want.
0:23
SPEAKER_01: I'm a true free market guy within limitations.
0:25
SPEAKER_01: It concerns me because I worry that local expertise, local knowledge, the true boots-on-the-ground market knowledge that comes from being an in-tuned real estate agent with what's going on in your communities, what's going on in your marketplace, that is becoming extremely undervalued or not valued at all in this industry.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: We are seeing more and more real estate agents operating far, far outside of the communities where they have actual knowledge, where they have actual expertise and they know what is going on.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: The focus right now seems increasingly to be expanding transaction volume, expanding geographic reach, building mega teams that can cover the entire state.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: And while that all might be perfectly legal and perfectly fine and maybe even a good idea, it can be very problematic.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: Because look, in South Carolina, I get it.
1:15
SPEAKER_01: If you are licensed in the state, you're licensed in the state.
1:18
SPEAKER_01: You want to practice in Jasper, you want to practice in Hilton Head, you want to practice in Columbia, Anderson, Aiken, doesn't matter.
1:25
SPEAKER_01: Your license allows it.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: Because legally, a Greenville agent can sell a lot or a house in Hilton Head, and a Myrtle Beach agent can work with a buyer in Rock Hill, and a Charleston agent can do both sides of a deal on Lake Murray.
1:39
SPEAKER_01: The law allows it.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: There is no argument about that.
1:41
SPEAKER_01: You have the legal right to do it because you are licensed in the state of South Carolina.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: But the real question isn't, is it legal?
1:47
SPEAKER_01: Can I do it?
1:48
SPEAKER_01: The real question for you today is, are you competent to do it?
1:53
SPEAKER_01: Should you be involved in a transaction so far outside of your marketplace that you don't know what you're doing?
2:01
SPEAKER_01: Because real estate is not just transactional, it is deeply, deeply local and deeply personal and involves tremendous amounts of money.
2:09
SPEAKER_01: And consumers are always best served when they're represented by real estate professionals who genuinely understand the communities where they're advising clients to invest their life savings into.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: And when you add this to the growth of these real estate portals, where these companies look at real estate agents more as a commodity versus their own brand, I will get the closing in, I'll hand it to the real estate agent, insert the real estate agent, get the transaction done, and do it a thousand times over.
2:35
SPEAKER_01: Real estate agent doesn't matter.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: As you continue to see the growth of these portals taking this position, we are going to continue to see this problem of incompetency of people who are selling and listing properties in areas they don't have the knowledge or expertise to do so.
2:50
SPEAKER_01: We're going to talk about this and a lot, lot more on Dish and Dirt today.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: This is Dish and Dirt with Gary Pickering, South Carolina's only podcast dedicated to the real estate agent craft.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: And now the host of Dish and Dirt.
3:05
SPEAKER_01: And Greens, and welcome back, everyone, to another episode of Dish and Dirt.
3:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm your often opinionated but rarely wrong host, Gary Pickering, coming in from the beautiful downtown Columbia, South Carolina offices of Blair Cato, Pickering, Castellan this, the third week of May 2026.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: A couple things before we begin today.
3:19
SPEAKER_01: Number one, if you're watching us on YouTube, thank you.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: Please click the subscribe button up there.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: And if you're listening to us on a podcast such as Apple or Buzz Sprout, please also click that subscribe button so you'll know all about when new episodes come out.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: And that will also help us grow our reach so we can reach more and more real estate agents all over the state of South Carolina.
3:37
SPEAKER_01: Secondly, our new Malden office is open.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: So we have officially moved about a mile down the road.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: We are now located at 7 West Point Boulevard.
3:44
SPEAKER_01: So if you have a closing coming up in Malden, do understand that it will be at our new office, 7 West Point Boulevard.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: You guys need to go out and take a look at the new office.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely beautiful.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: We're happy to be serving Malden in our own office there at 7 West Point Boulevard.
3:59
SPEAKER_01: Lastly, our AI conference.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: A lot of agents have been asking us when we can sign up?
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I thought this was going to be in June.
4:04
SPEAKER_01: And we previously were going to put this on in June, but I think what we're going to do first is a beta test class.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: What we're going to do is we're going to bring in some agents that we know already have AI experience and a few agents we know that don't have any experience.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: And we're going to beta test this class to see how it goes.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: And depending on what we learn, we may revamp the class a little bit and try to get that class ready to go in July.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: You know, we want to look and see do we have the right topics?
4:27
SPEAKER_01: Do we have the right class size?
4:28
SPEAKER_01: Should we be bifurcating the class into those that have some AI knowledge with those that don't have knowledge?
4:33
SPEAKER_01: And so we're going to spend some time testing this class before we actually roll it out to the agents.
4:38
SPEAKER_01: So I believe the first classes will be sometime in July.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: And so we'll probably do some July, August, and September classes.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: But I did want you to know that we haven't forgot about you.
4:46
SPEAKER_01: We just wanted to get this class actually beta tested first, particularly with the University of South Carolina professor going to be involved in it.
4:54
SPEAKER_01: We want her to feel comfortable in making sure that we have the class really honed into what real estate agents need.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: Now on with our show this week.
5:02
SPEAKER_01: People love to say that real estate is local.
5:04
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the Realtors Association ran a campaign, I think, for about a decade, talking about how real estate was local.
5:09
SPEAKER_01: And in fact, that is correct.
5:11
SPEAKER_01: What happens in Minnesota or Florida or California really doesn't necessarily affect South Carolina.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: In fact, how the market is doing in Myrtle Beach and how it's doing in Greenville are completely different things.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: And so it really is local.
5:26
SPEAKER_01: People care about how their market's doing, not how a neighboring state is doing or another part of the country.
5:32
SPEAKER_01: I think we've almost turned that phrase that real estate is local into some type of cliche without really appreciating what it truly means to the consumer and what it truly means to the real estate licensees.
5:43
SPEAKER_01: What I'm talking about when I mention local expertise, it's not knowing where Starbucks is.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: It's not what we talk about.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: What we're talking about with local expertise is things that truly matter to the consumer.
5:55
SPEAKER_01: It's understanding school districts.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: It's understanding this school's got a great program for special needs.
6:01
SPEAKER_01: This school's got great athletic program.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: This has a great gifted program.
6:04
SPEAKER_01: What or this this school here puts a lot of people into scholarships?
6:08
SPEAKER_01: This is a good private school here.
6:10
SPEAKER_01: You want a parochial school here, is where the closest parochial school is.
6:13
SPEAKER_01: It's understanding the schooling.
6:14
SPEAKER_01: It's understanding the flood risk.
6:15
SPEAKER_01: Is this property prone to floods?
6:17
SPEAKER_01: It's not just, is it in a flood zone?
6:19
SPEAKER_01: Talk back around the 2015 flood.
6:21
SPEAKER_01: Did that flooding happen in this area?
6:24
SPEAKER_01: Understanding things of that nature.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: When Hurricane Helene came through, where were the areas that flooded through there in the upstate?
6:29
SPEAKER_01: It's understanding insurance markets.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: Are we at risk of losing an insurance company here because of claims?
6:34
SPEAKER_01: How about septic tank issues or uh well water concerns?
6:38
SPEAKER_01: The sewer line's going to be run down this road eventually.
6:41
SPEAKER_01: Will this be able to tap into city water?
6:43
SPEAKER_01: If it's in city water, are they going to pay city water fees or are they going to pay uh out-of-city water fees?
6:48
SPEAKER_01: Uh, what are your lake regulations for usage, for building, for docks?
6:52
SPEAKER_01: What's the HOA culture like here?
6:53
SPEAKER_01: Are they easy to deal with or not?
6:55
SPEAKER_01: What are our future development plans around here?
6:57
SPEAKER_01: Is this the end of the neighborhood development or are there other phases?
7:00
SPEAKER_01: That's gonna be very important because as consumers move in, there'll be more construction going on.
7:04
SPEAKER_01: There'll be trucks coming in, there'll be workers everywhere.
7:07
SPEAKER_01: How about growth patterns for traffic?
7:09
SPEAKER_01: Is traffic gonna get worse?
7:10
SPEAKER_01: Is it gonna be hard for me to get in and out of this neighborhood when I go to work in the morning?
7:14
SPEAKER_01: Are short-term rental restrictions are gonna be in place?
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Are they gonna allow people to do Airbnbs and VRBOs in here?
7:20
SPEAKER_01: What are the environmental concerns around here?
7:22
SPEAKER_01: Is there a trash dump that I might be able to smell if the air is thin enough at night?
7:26
SPEAKER_01: If you live on the coast, you know, are there are there any erosion issues I need to worry about?
7:30
SPEAKER_01: If I'm on water, do I have dock permits?
7:32
SPEAKER_01: You know, what are the zoning trends gonna be in this community?
7:34
SPEAKER_01: If you're in a historic district, what are the overlays?
7:37
SPEAKER_01: Can I take out these very inefficient wooden windows and put in vinyl windows?
7:42
SPEAKER_01: Is that gonna be allowed?
7:43
SPEAKER_01: Local politics right up here, you know, how does that work?
7:45
SPEAKER_01: What is the market psychology like here?
7:48
SPEAKER_01: All of these matter greatly to your consumer, but unfortunately, consumers often don't even know what questions to ask, much less what answers you give them.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: So this is why local expertise matters.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: This is why real estate is local and using that local real estate agent who knows is often the best situation.
8:06
SPEAKER_01: Look, let me be very, very clear.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: I am not saying that a real estate agent should only sell property within a 10-mile radius of their office.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: That would be ludicrous.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: That's just absolutely stupid.
8:17
SPEAKER_01: Some agents can absolutely be very effective at practicing across multiple markets.
8:22
SPEAKER_01: I know several of those agents.
8:24
SPEAKER_01: Some agents are phenomenal because they are students of the industry.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: They're students of their trade, they're students of their craft.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: They study, they partner with local experts, they invest time, they ask questions, they're doing research, they're understanding the regional differences, and even within a region, they're trying to understand the differences in each neighborhood and how those neighborhoods are playing, how the traffic plays, and how the schools' growth are going, and things of that nature.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: But frankly, there are some agents who are more competent in another city than the local agents are in their own backyard because they're not putting time and effort into understanding what's going on locally.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: So this conversation cannot and is not about becoming territorial gatekeepers.
9:02
SPEAKER_01: That's not what I'm talking about.
9:04
SPEAKER_01: Competency is not at all determined by what your zip code is.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, we should not pretend that having a statewide license magically creates statewide expertise or knowledge.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't, and anybody who claims because they have a license in the state of South Carolina, that they are competent to sell property on the coast, the Midlands, and the upstate at the same time is completely full of it.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: A real estate license is a permission to practice in the state, but in no circumstance is it any proof of your mastery of the knowledge.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: It's not.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: What worries me most is when expansion becomes more volume-driven instead of competency driven.
9:47
SPEAKER_01: And when that mindset shifts from I know this market well enough to properly advise clients, and therefore I'm going to move into another market because I can help my clients because my clients need it, and I know this stuff, to, hey, there's a chance to make more money here.
9:59
SPEAKER_01: There's another commission opportunity.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: Those are two very different motivations.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: And believe me, your clients can tell the difference between when you are chasing a commission and you're truly in an area where you know what you're doing.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: They can feel that difference.
10:13
SPEAKER_01: But sometimes the industry unintentionally rewards scale over substance.
10:19
SPEAKER_01: And an agent doing business in six counties looks very impressive on social media.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: Doesn't mean anything to me if I'm trying to sell a house.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: Mega teams look really cool because they cover the entire state of South Carolina.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: And you're like, how impressive, y'all cover the whole state of South Carolina.
10:32
SPEAKER_01: Having a lot of maps on a pin showing all the places around the great big old area that you sell properties certainly looks impressive in your office.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: But consumers aren't hiring you because of how many pins you have on a map or because of deals you did outside of their area.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: They want to know about their area.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: I don't care that you're the number one agent 200 miles away from where I'm trying to sell my house.
10:53
SPEAKER_01: I want to know what do you know about my market and can you sell my market?
10:57
SPEAKER_01: Real estate agents hire you because they want your guidance.
11:01
SPEAKER_01: I've used this word a lot.
11:02
SPEAKER_01: We talk about it all the time.
11:04
SPEAKER_01: Navigate.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: A client can do it themselves.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: We know a seller can list the property themselves.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: They can be a buyer themselves and call the listing agent and ask to see the property.
11:13
SPEAKER_01: They don't have to hire a real estate agent.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: Nowhere is it required to have a real estate agent involved in the transaction.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: They can do it themselves.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: But they hire you because they want your guidance, they want your knowledge, and they truly want you to navigate them through the transaction.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: If they are buying a house, they want you to navigate them from I think I might want to buy a house all the way through closing and then some.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: If you're wanting to sell a house, they want you to help navigate them through that entire process of how to list a house, get it shown, get it sold, and get it closed.
11:41
SPEAKER_01: All of that requires knowledge.
11:43
SPEAKER_01: All of that requires expertise.
11:45
SPEAKER_01: And most often it requires to have special knowledge and expertise about what is going on in that particular marketplace.
11:52
SPEAKER_01: The guidance you offer is going to require you to have knowledge.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: If you don't have local knowledge, you don't have local expertise, you can't competently recommend, or you can't competently represent most of these clients.
12:05
SPEAKER_01: Now I want to talk about this for a few minutes because I want agents to understand what we're talking about when we talk about operating outside of your expertise.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: These aren't theoretical concerns, these are real issues that can materially affect your consumers.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: So let me give you some examples of areas where you may not have thought that having local expertise is necessary in order for you to represent a consumer in that area.
12:27
SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about things like lake property and dock rights.
12:31
SPEAKER_01: Take a Lake Murray, a Lake Bowen, Lake Kiwi, any type of waterfront market that has docks.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: If you're an out-of-area agent and do not have that local knowledge and that expertise in that community, are you going to know whether Duke Power or Dominion Energy allows dock permittings?
12:46
SPEAKER_01: Do you understand what that process is?
12:48
SPEAKER_01: Do you understand the limitations that?
12:49
SPEAKER_01: What about shared dock restrictions?
12:51
SPEAKER_01: Are those even allowed?
12:52
SPEAKER_01: Are there setback requirements from the lake?
12:55
SPEAKER_01: What are the shoreline management rules?
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Is a dock permitted with cover?
12:59
SPEAKER_01: Are they even allowed?
13:00
SPEAKER_01: Some lakes don't even allow docks.
13:02
SPEAKER_01: Can you transfer a dock right?
13:04
SPEAKER_01: Do the Corps of Army Engineers have any special regulations as to the docks, the riprap, or your landscaping, or what trees you can even cut down?
13:12
SPEAKER_01: Could you imagine advising your buyer that if you buy this lot for hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can simply add a dock only to find out they later they can't?
13:21
SPEAKER_01: That's going to be a lawsuit where they're expecting you to buy back the lot from them because they can't do what they want to.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: This is not a talking about minor inconveniences.
13:30
SPEAKER_01: This is dramatic impact on the value and the use of the property.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: Talk about floodplains and FEMA risk.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: In coastal areas and low country markets, that flood knowledge is absolutely critical.
13:41
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it seems like Charleston floods every time the wind blows down there.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: You've got to understand how the floods work down there.
13:46
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about FEMA flood zones?
13:48
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about the base flood elevations?
13:50
SPEAKER_01: How about the substantial damage rolls?
13:52
SPEAKER_01: The CRS discounts.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about elevation certificates?
13:55
SPEAKER_01: How to even get an elevation certificate, much less how to read it.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: How about changes in flood mapping?
14:00
SPEAKER_01: Is there any coming?
14:01
SPEAKER_01: Have they been changed?
14:02
SPEAKER_01: Do they still need flood insurance even if they're not in a flood zone?
14:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, is it transferable?
14:06
SPEAKER_01: Because when a consumer is trying to buy a home, they're thinking insurance may be around$1,200 and it winds up being$9,000.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: That's going to change the affordability dramatically.
14:14
SPEAKER_01: And that's probably going to have the deal fall through because you did not understand that market.
14:18
SPEAKER_01: Coastal insurance is the same way.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: You know, if you don't practice on the coast, you might not fully appreciate the wind and hail exclusions, the named storm deductibles, the South Carolina Wind and Hell Underwriter Association coverage.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: You might not understand excess and surplus lines.
14:33
SPEAKER_01: You might not understand the roof age underwriting issues or coastal underwriting limitations.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: These aren't small issues we're talking about here.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: Insurance availability, insurance costs can literally determine whether the transaction survives or not.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about rural areas.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: Let's not just keep this as to lakes and oceans.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about rural areas.
14:52
SPEAKER_01: If you're dealing with land, rural areas, are you familiar with the market?
14:56
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about the PERT test?
14:58
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about easement access issues?
15:00
SPEAKER_01: How about well placement restrictions, timber rights, mineral rights, soil limitations?
15:04
SPEAKER_01: Do you know about the agricultural limitations or exemptions?
15:07
SPEAKER_01: How about a dirt road maintenance agreement that might be necessary in these areas?
15:11
SPEAKER_01: These are huge deals that have impact large sections of the state of South Carolina that you might not know enough if you're not the local person.
15:20
SPEAKER_01: You're outside of your market.
15:21
SPEAKER_01: HOAs, another thing where local expertise and local knowledge means a lot.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: Everybody understands the unwritten realities of how HOAs and communities work.
15:29
SPEAKER_01: It's not just about what are the dues.
15:31
SPEAKER_01: Most of your clients are going to want to know: is this HOA litigious?
15:35
SPEAKER_01: Do they follow the rules?
15:36
SPEAKER_01: Do they push the rules?
15:37
SPEAKER_01: If I have to change the paint color of my house, how big of a pain in the ass is it gonna be to get them to approve changing from yellow to white?
15:42
SPEAKER_01: Is it that big of a deal?
15:44
SPEAKER_01: Does this neighborhood allow short-term rental enforcement or not?
15:48
SPEAKER_01: Do they prohibit it?
15:49
SPEAKER_01: You know, what are the rules?
15:50
SPEAKER_01: Can college kids come in here and rent a bunch of houses and have fraternity parties?
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Is there a special assessment that's brewing out there that everybody knows about but no one's telling me about?
15:59
SPEAKER_01: What about the commercial development that's going nearby?
16:01
SPEAKER_01: Is it going to affect the traffic to the point where my commute to work is going to be difficult?
16:06
SPEAKER_01: How's it going to affect the schools?
16:07
SPEAKER_01: Are the schools already overcrowded?
16:09
SPEAKER_01: This is the type of knowledge that only comes from being immersed in a particular art.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: Now, I know some of you out there about halfway through this podcast are thinking, okay, this is all a bunch of supposition and made-up stories.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: Well, let me give you two real life examples then.
16:21
SPEAKER_01: Both come from the real estate commission.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: One from my good friend Andy Lee on the commission talks about the luxury level houses on Lake Kiwi.
16:28
SPEAKER_01: And then the other one, because I don't want you to misunderstand this and think that all of this is really about lake properties and coastal properties.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: This applies to manufactured homes.
16:37
SPEAKER_01: We had a case that came before the commission where there was a beach transaction involving the sale of a manufactured home.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: But there was no, it wasn't attached to the property.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: The land wasn't transferring.
16:49
SPEAKER_01: There was no lease agreement transferring.
16:52
SPEAKER_01: It simply was a transfer of a manufactured home from one party to the other.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: The problem was that the real estate agents involved in the transaction use a residential South Carolina realtor contract to document the sell of this transaction.
17:04
SPEAKER_01: They're using a land or a real estate transaction document for what is essentially a personal property transfer because when a manufactured home is not attached to the land, it is now a personal property transfer.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: It's no different than transferring a pop-up camper or an RV.
17:22
SPEAKER_01: There's no real estate closing involved in either of those.
17:25
SPEAKER_01: But yet the agents treated this transaction as if it was the transfer of real estate.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: And in this case, there was no real estate being transferred.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: The person was simply buying the manufactured home.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: Where the manufactured home was situated was owned by a campground.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: And so in order to lease the property, they were then going to have to go to the mobile home park and ask them if they could apply to lease a lot.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: So it had nothing to do with real estate at this point.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: But we have real estate agents that aren't only using residential contracts, but now they're putting money into a real estate trust account.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: And unfortunately, the money was dispersed improperly.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: Now, as a real estate attorney, I understood that the sale of a manufactured house is personal property.
18:03
SPEAKER_01: But the way that the transaction was being explained by the real estate agents involved in the transaction, it made understanding this very difficult.
18:10
SPEAKER_01: Luckily for us, we have a Myrtle Beach commissioner who fully understands how these transactions work because this is something that happens at the real beach all the time.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: Think of an ocean lakes campground where this kind of stuff happens all the time.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: So if you don't have the local knowledge, a lot of this isn't even going to make sense to you.
18:27
SPEAKER_01: Having local knowledge is how this transaction gets closed.
18:29
SPEAKER_01: So if you don't understand this transaction, you shouldn't even be involved in the transaction at all.
18:34
SPEAKER_01: Clearly, the agents involved in the transaction didn't understand it.
18:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to give you an example on a different level.
18:39
SPEAKER_01: Lake Kiwi is where our good friend Andy Lee, who's commissioner at the real estate commission, is where he sells property.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: And on Lake Kiwi, two homes, two homes can be listed as waterfront, but one might have deep water, one might have transferable dock rights, one might have a lower power restriction or easy buildability.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: And those aren't small details.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: There's the difference right there between local expertise and simply having access to the multiple listing service.
19:03
SPEAKER_01: So the reason I want to talk about Lake Kiwi is because it's one of the premier luxury lake markets in the Southeast, and it's very different from your typical South Carolina residential market.
19:15
SPEAKER_01: It's a primarily a second home, a retirement, or a luxury waterfront market, and it's in Oconee and Pickens counties and it's near Clemson and Seneca and Salem.
19:23
SPEAKER_01: The fact is, there are many Lake Kiwi type communities all across the state of South Carolina that require you to have special knowledge.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: And they're not all about luxury properties.
19:33
SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned earlier, we had the Ocean Lake type property where it was a sell of a manufactured home.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: When you look at Lake Kiwi, it's a perfect example of how local knowledge and expertise is important.
19:44
SPEAKER_01: So let me give you a few points so that you can understand how it's different and how not having local knowledge of this area can be problematic for your consumer.
19:53
SPEAKER_01: Lake Kiwi is heavily driven by waterfront or by luxury waterfront buyers, hirees, out-of-state relocations, cash buyers, and second home purchasers.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: In fact, many of these buyers are going to come from Atlanta, Charlotte, Florida, and Northeast markets.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: The market is relatively insulated, in fact, compared to normal housing markets because true waterfront inventory is limited.
20:15
SPEAKER_01: Now, current waterfront homes generally range around$800,000 on the low end, commonly to the$1.5 to$2.5 million range.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: In some ultra-luxury estates on Lake Kiwi can go for as much as$7 to 10 million plus.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: The median waterfront sales price, in fact, is around$1.4 to$1.8.
20:35
SPEAKER_01: Some months that actually exceeds$2 million.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: Now, here's the point that's really important here.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: Dockable waterfront lots are a huge category there.
20:46
SPEAKER_01: And the typical waterfront lot can roughly go between$300 to$800,000 and up.
20:52
SPEAKER_01: A premier lot is going to have deep water, long-range views, gentle slopes.
20:56
SPEAKER_01: But the most important thing, it's going to have full dock permits.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: The kind of docks that I'm talking about are like the ones that are covered and are massive.
21:04
SPEAKER_01: We're not talking like just a little, you know, 15-foot dock that has a John boat on attached to it.
21:09
SPEAKER_01: We're talking massive boat house type docks.
21:12
SPEAKER_01: And this is where your local expertise really matters because two lots that look very similar online on the MLS can have dramatically different values depending on the dock permit status, your shoreline stabilization, your water depth, your buildability, your septic feasibility, your slope, your riprap requirements, your Duke Energy shoreline restrictions.
21:34
SPEAKER_01: All of that is going to have a massive effect.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: A non-local agent might not understand these dock permits or how Duke Power controls the property line.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: They might not know whether a dock is permitted.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: They might actually think the dock that's sitting there is proper.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: They might think it transfers.
21:51
SPEAKER_01: They might not understand that upgrades are or may not be allowed, depending on that dock already.
21:56
SPEAKER_01: They might not understand the cover dock limitations.
21:58
SPEAKER_01: Just because your neighbor Has a covered dock, and the one on the other side has a covered dock doesn't necessarily mean you get a covered dock.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: There's size restrictions, there's stabilization rules.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: Often people believe because there's a dock there, it's legal, or I can put one just like it right next to it.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: And that is not always true.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: Now, Andy was telling me the other day that there was a situation where he his company got a listing, which was two lots adjacent to each other owned by the same seller.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: The property had already been advertised and listed on the MLS by a Greenville agent.
22:29
SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, the Greenville agent did not understand the limitations of these two lots.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: And luckily, however, the lot did not sell during their listing.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: Because when Andy and his team got the listing, they quickly told the seller that we must sell one lot before the other.
22:47
SPEAKER_01: Because if we sell the other lot first, it's going to affect the permit ability for the dock on the other lot.
22:53
SPEAKER_01: Because the way it works at Lake Kiwi, and I don't fully understand it myself because I don't have the local knowledge up there, because we don't do closings up there yet, is that you take the common line between the lots and then it extends out straight, and it all has to do with the angles of the docks and so forth.
23:08
SPEAKER_01: If one dock is already there, the other dock can't go past it.
23:11
SPEAKER_01: And so the order in which you sell these docks are very important because of the way that the land configures.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: But if you sell them the wrong way, then the one lot might not be able to put a dock after the other lot has.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: Long story short, Andy knew that the one lot had to sell before the other so the other lot could get the building permit for the dock, and then the other lot would be fine.
23:32
SPEAKER_01: But if the second lot sold first, then the first lot was not going to be able to put its dock out there.
23:36
SPEAKER_01: Now, why does that matter?
23:37
SPEAKER_01: Because that lot with a dock is worth$500,000 without the ability to put a dock is worth about$100,000.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: So had the agent in Greenville closed a transaction and they closed them in the incorrect order, that second lot, instead of being worth$500,000, would have been worth$100,000.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: Almost cost him$400,000.
23:59
SPEAKER_01: But because the local experts knew the order of which to close these lots so that both lots could have the buildable docks, they were able to get both lots transferred for$500,000 each.
24:09
SPEAKER_01: Now, that's just one story about one lake in South Carolina.
24:12
SPEAKER_01: These issues are all over the place.
24:14
SPEAKER_01: At the end of the day, this isn't about protecting agents from competition.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: It's about protecting consumers.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: South Carolina Real Estate Commission, the South Carolina Law 40-57, it exists solely to protect the public's interest when involved in real estate transactions.
24:28
SPEAKER_01: And South Carolina law specifically allows disciplinary action against real estate licensees who demonstrate bad faith, dishonesty, untrustworthiness, or incompetency in any manner to endanger the interests of the public.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: The key word there is incompetency.
24:44
SPEAKER_01: We're not talking fraud, we're not talking intentional misconduct.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: We are talking about incompetency, meaning you might have had good intentions, but you still violated the professional obligations if you practice beyond your competency.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: That's a very powerful concept.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: And then there's a realtor code of ethics.
25:00
SPEAKER_01: So if you're a realtor, Article 11 says realtors shall provide services competently.
25:05
SPEAKER_01: That means if you don't possess the expertise necessary for a market or a particular property type, then you're supposed to get competent assistance.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: You're supposed to disclose your limitations, or you're supposed to obtain the necessary knowledge before you proceed.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: That's very important because the code doesn't demand perfection, but it does demand honesty about your capabilities.
25:26
SPEAKER_01: One of the biggest misconceptions we have in real estate is well, I just didn't know.
25:30
SPEAKER_01: Ignorance is often exactly the problem.
25:32
SPEAKER_01: Consumers hire professionals because they assume you do know.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: And if you do not know enough about the market to properly advise them, the liability exposure can be very real and very tremendous.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: Your potential consequences for representing somebody out of your knowledge area is commission complaints, civil lawsuits, insurance complaints or claims, ethics complaints, brokerage liability, and even damage to your reputation.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: Many of these issues don't arise from any intentional wrongdoing.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: They simply arise because you practice outside of your competency.
26:06
SPEAKER_01: So what's the solution?
26:08
SPEAKER_01: I don't think the solution is geographic restrictions created by the real estate commission.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: I don't think the commission should start drawing in visible territory boundaries and saying you can't operate outside of this area.
26:18
SPEAKER_01: I think that's impractical.
26:20
SPEAKER_01: I think it's unfair, and I think it would change every week because these communities are forever evolving.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: But the standard is, and the standard has to remain competency.
26:29
SPEAKER_01: And we need to enforce the competency standard.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: When you are operating outside of your area of competency, that is where you are going to start getting in trouble.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: And that's where we need to start enforcing this.
26:40
SPEAKER_01: I think our industry needs a real strong dose of humility.
26:43
SPEAKER_01: Agents need to ask themselves, do I truly understand this market where I'm going to about to enter into?
26:48
SPEAKER_01: Do I know the risk here in this market?
26:50
SPEAKER_01: Can I properly guide my consumer through an entire transaction here?
26:54
SPEAKER_01: Or should I be partnering with somebody who's a local expert?
26:57
SPEAKER_01: Am I doing this to help the client because I'm best situated to help them, or am I doing this because I'm chasing a commission?
27:02
SPEAKER_01: These are hard questions, but they simply matter.
27:04
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, I think collaboration is often one of the smartest solutions.
27:09
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing wrong with saying, you know what, this market isn't my market.
27:12
SPEAKER_01: That's professionalism, God.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: That's not weakness.
27:14
SPEAKER_01: Partnering with somebody who's more knowledgeable, referring to someone who's more knowledgeable, can definitely create better outcomes for consumers while still serving your client well.
27:23
SPEAKER_01: Frankly, consumers are usually appreciative of honesty a lot more than they are overconfidence.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: At its best, real estate is not merely about opening doors and filling out contracts.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: It's about stewardship.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: It's about helping people make deeply personal financial decisions within communities that will shape their lives forever.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: That requires more than a license, guys.
27:44
SPEAKER_01: That requires competency.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: That requires humility.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: And that often requires local expertise.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: The question isn't whether agents should be allowed to work statewide.
27:54
SPEAKER_01: You're licensed, you have that right.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: The law's already been answered on that.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: But the question is whether we as a profession are we willing to honestly evaluate whether we should be taking on certain businesses.
28:06
SPEAKER_01: Because in real estate, bigger isn't always better.
28:09
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes the best agent for the job is simply the one who knows the community best.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: All right.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: Hope you guys enjoyed this week's podcast.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: I know that might be a little bit controversial.
28:19
SPEAKER_01: I'm happily happy to listen to all of your comments.
28:22
SPEAKER_01: You can email me at Gary at BlairKato.com and let me know what you think.
28:25
SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to subscribe.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to listen next week and tell other agents about us.
28:29
SPEAKER_01: And we look forward to seeing you again next week for another episode of Dish and Dirk.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: Y'all take care and have a wonderful week.