PROMPT: The following was posted on an Internet real estate discussion site.
“Of the two leading real estate firms in our town, Adams Realty and Fitch Realty, Adams is clearly superior. Adams has 40 real estate agents. In contrast, Fitch has 25, many of whom work only part-time. Moreover, Adams’ revenue last year was twice as high as that of Fitch, and included home sales that averaged $168,000, compared to Fitch’s $144,000. Homes listed with Adams sell faster as well: ten years ago, I listed my home with Fitch and it took more than four months to sell; last year, when I sold another home, I listed it with Adams, and it took only one month. Thus, if you want to sell your home quickly and at a good price, you should use Adams.”
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
The author of this argument claims that Fitch Reality is better choice than Adams Reality when it comes to sell homes in his town. However, based on the criteria he gives us, it is obvious that the author’s arguments are rife with holes and assumptions.
When compare two real estate firms, his first criteria are the number of real estate agents the firms have. The author assumes Adams is superior because it has more real estate agents. However, the number of employees don’t determine the success of a business. Just the opposite, having too many employees might slow down the business. Besides, a part-time employee that is more hardworking or experienced or has more convincing selling tactics might contribute to the firm than a full-time employee who has not have those qualifications.
Additionally. the author assumes that Adams is better to sell a home faster based on the fact that he has sold two homes with the help each firms and Adams sold the house faster. The assumption is flawed because we don’t nothing about the condition of houses. It might be the case that the house that Fitch sold was not in a good condition to sell at all or maybe might have been sold in a year if Adams listed it. Also, it might be the case that the house listed with Adams had a more attractive location, more reasonable price or a more beautiful garden.
Besides, the author assumes Adams is better because the average sale of a home it sold is higher than Fitch’s. The firms cannot be compared based on the information the average of home sales because we are not given any information about the market price. It might be the case that Adams sold a $200.000 worth house for $180.000 and Fitch sold 100.000 worth house for 150.000. In this scenario, Fitch’s average homes sale would be lower, however, it is more successful to sell a house for more than it’s worth.
The author’s argument is not strong enough to convince home owners to list their home with Adams.
