This morning, while enjoying the rare pleasure of actually sitting to drink a cup of coffee and watching Good Morning America, I happened to catch an interview with Stephen Dubner, one of the authors of the well-known book, "Freakonomics". In the interview, he offered the "Freakonomics" perspective on real estate, which I found to be very interesting and thought provoking. In my opinion, there was some advice that is perhaps worthy of consideration, however, most of the advice and information missed the mark. (You can see the interview for yourself by clicking on the following link: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3458730).

Sitting in today as a Good Morning America anchor, ABC News correspondent, George Stephanopolis mentioned that Dubner advises, "Don't stick with one agent," and then went on to ask about the "Freakonomics" perspective on the role of the agent.

Mr. Dubner responded by saying, "The most important thing an agent does is help you set the right price."

Is this all? Agents don't do anything else that merits real "importance"? And, more importantly, is this true? Do we as listing agents take a listing, place it in MLS, publish an ad, and then sit back and wait for something to happen? This may be true for some, but definitely not for all.

Dubner's response brought to mind the substantiated fact that approximately 68% of consumers use the first real estate agent that they interview. What does this say to you? To me, it says that the consumer perceives all real estate agents to be the same...we are all alike...a real estate agent is a real estate agent...there is no differentiation...no real reason to choose one agent over another.

There is a general ignorance regarding levels of services and perceived value for the buyer or seller. Where does the fault lie regarding this perception? Squarely with us. In trying to give consumers the smoothest, most trouble-free transactions, we have failed to communicate what we are doing on our client's behalf. Are there some agents whose services are worth less than other real estate agents? Absolutely. Are there some agents whose services are worth more than others? Positively, yes! Are there consumers who have had a "bad" experience with a real estate agent? Certainly. But, I wonder if those same consumers have ever had a "bad" haircut? Just because you receive one "bad" haircut from a stylist, does not mean that every stylist delivers the same "bad" haircut. It is the same with real estate practitioners - some are better than others. Those of us who take pride in providing exemplary service, must communicate the differences and demonstrate the value of our services.

Dubner went on to say that what he has done as a property Seller in the past, is to "bring in a few agents and have a bake-off really" and regarding the opinions of value that he received from multiple agents the "difference between the lowest price and the highest price was triple." He says he got a low estimate of $195,000 and a high estimate of $610,000 for the same property.

Oh, really? If so, it would appear that he must live in one of the only places where unscrupulous agents abound, because in working with and personally knowing real estate agents from all over the country, I find that the majority are professionals who want to find the "sweet spot" in pricing a home - not too high and not too low - the place where the Seller will get the very most money possible for that particular property in that particular location. Besides that, those of us who are REALTORS willingly adopt and agree to abide by our Code of Ethics, which states that it is a violation to give a Seller an inflated opinion of property value in an attempt to gain a listing. Reputable agents take these duties seriously and are offended by the suggestion that pricing property is done in this way. Are there some agents who do such things - who violate our code. Of course. But, again, reputable agents would never stoop to such unscrupulous behavior. And, as a side note, any half-way intelligent real estate agent knows that extremely overpricing a property is a detriment to selling the property, which hurts the agent and therefore is not the secret desire of successful, reputable agents.

Dubner continued by stating that the consumer should "work hard to set the right price for the home and be the authority." He went on to say that the internet "is starting to really chip away at the kind of monopoly of information that REALTORS have - so there's a site called Zillow, for instance, where you can get what they call Zestimates, estimated appraisals. They're not great, they're not perfect, it's pretty crude, but the more information you can gather as a home seller or buyer, the better prepared you'll be." The GMA website says that according to Dubner, some states "want to shut down Zillow because real estate professionals don't like the idea of people coming up with their home value on their own."

Is it true that REALTORS don't want people coming up with their home value on their own? No! The truth is, REALTORS don't want people coming up with an extremely incorrect home value. If the valuations are in line with reputable data, it isn't an issue. Dubner got it right when he said that Zillow is not that great - Generally speaking it does NOT reflect the correct property value. Therefore, property owners who rely on that information, are relying on information that is incorrect. It could cause them to actually underprice their property. Many times this is the case. Statistics show that the typical For Sale By Owner home sold for $187,200 compared to $247,000 for agent-assisted home sales. Most reputable agents actually share the data used to determine price with the home owner. A homeowner can then see that the agent is basing the opinion of value on valid comparable and competing property data.

So, is proper pricing the all-important "key" to selling a home? Yes, it is exactly that - the key that gets the engine started. Beyond starting the engine, you have to have the gasoline to keep the engine running and you have to have the ability to drive around the roadblocks in order to reach the desired destination.

Should a Seller interview multiple agents? I think this is a good idea, but not with the intention of finding the one who will provide the highest opinion of value for the property. Proper pricing is the right start. Services and skills provided by the agent bring the transaction to a successful close. Should a Seller question an agent regarding the agent's requested compensation fee? Certainly, but not necessarily to find an agent who charges the lowest fee. It should be with the intent to compare fees and services offered. Which services does the Seller want? Which agent will provide those services and do the best job for the Seller? Which agent will place the interests of the Seller first and foremost? Which agent is skilled in driving around the roadblocks throughout the transaction process to reach the desired destination? Agents who provide that high-level of service welcome the interview process. It offers a place where differentiation can be demonstrated.

Overall, I semi-agree with a few statements made by Mr. Dubner. It is good for a consumer to research and ask questions, to become educated regarding the process, and to interview agents before making a decision. However, on all other points, I find that the "Freakonomics" new ANGLE on real estate, is more of a MANGLE of real estate truths.

Rhonda Hamilton is a professional speaker, author and consultant. For more information regarding her services or to read other articles written by her, visit her website at http://www.rhondahamilton.com/.