“Our whole business is really a service business,” Shuffield said. “We’re not manufacturing a product; we’re not selling our homes; we’re selling someone else’s home for our buyers; we’re trying to make the process a seamless process for our clients.”

Ultimately, one-stop brokerages exist to enhance the experience for clients. Yet, there are other parties that benefit, of course, namely the real estate company and its agents.

EWM Realty International is owned by HomeServices of America, INC. EWM’s mortgage company and title company each provide additional streams of income, as do most in-house services offered by one-stop brokerages. That fact is not something that brokerages should cover up, but rather they should acknowledge that and reassure clients that the primary intention of such services is to simplify the home buying process.

“We disclose to clients in their contracts that our mortgage and title services are companies that they can use if they choose; clients are certainly aware that we own these companies and the companies are profitable,” Shuffield says. “Clients know that each one of us handling our various parts of the process are equally responsible to make sure it’s a smooth transaction. We’re trying to give as much information up front to buyers as we can just to make their buying experience a simple, easy one.”

In today’s wired world, information is abundant and access to information is instaneous. Tremendous tools exist for clients who seek to be well informed about their potential purchase, home sale or loan; the reality is, however, that information often comes from sources that lack credibility and can be misleading or might simply leave holes to fill in for clients. One-stop brokerages are proactive about that, and their experienced associates can prepare clients for all occurrences throughout the transaction, be them expected or unexpected.