But, Isn’t There Already a “Closer?”**
Baseball “save“: the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, usually the closer, until the end of the game.
–Wikipedia
Wanna know why, even though some of baseball’s all-time great pitchers date back more than 50 years (think, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, et al), all the game’s great “Savers” are of relatively recent vintage?
Those would be pitchers like Mariano Rivera (below), Dennis Eckersley, and Rollie Fingers.
Because the “save” only debuted as an official baseball statistic in 1969.
“All or Nothing”
Real estate practice today is like baseball before 1969.
That is, only one agent on a deal — what the industry calls “the selling agent,” usually representing the Buyer — is credited with the sale (win) and is entitled to the payout commission (the listing agent and their Broker split the list-side commission).
Often, however, there is someone in the wings — the selling agent’s support team, their Realtor partner, or even their Broker — who plays a key supporting role, keeping the deal together up to and through closing.
Fresh Arm Energy
Typical “closer” tasks: navigating the Buyer’s Inspection Contingency; meeting with the Buyer’s appraiser to make sure they’re familiar with the Comp’s (“Comparable Sold Properties”); and making sure the required Seller disclosures are both made (Owner) and acknowledged (Buyer).
Less typical: repairing frayed relations between one or more parties to a deal (sometimes including one or more agents!) — a role occasionally played by the Broker.
Small details or large, lots of deals founder over just such things.
Just ask a pitcher who lost a game because they couldn’t get the last few outs.
P.S.: So, what’s a real estate “loss?”
A Cancelled or Expired listing.
**A real estate closer is someone who works for a title company and oversees the actual property closing.
They explain the HUD-1 to the Buyers and Sellers; make sure the numbers are right; and coordinate with both parties’ lenders, to make sure the money goes where it should.
