Sometimes my job is easy. Sometimes it’s painfully difficult.
I guess it’s the same in most occupations where you interact with people, because it’s usually the people themselves who determine how difficult or easy a task will be.
In a typical real estate transaction, six people are involved—a couple on each side and their respective agents. If any one of the six is difficult or unreasonable, things can go sideways, usually for no good reason.
On the other hand, when everyone involved is reasonable, there’s a sense of relief knowing that there’s practically no impasse that can’t be overcome.
I’ve had a few very positive transactions recently that have reminded me how important it is to work with good, honest, reasonable people. At least I can control this on my side! After all, I already know I’m an honest and reasonable person. And I can tell immediately if my clients are like-minded.
It also helps if we’ve established a certain level of trust. They ask my opinion on how to approach something, and I give them my honest answer. They accept it, and we move forward.
In all these recent deals, we’ve also been fortunate to have good people on the other side. For me, it’s a huge relief when I’m dealing with another skilled, experienced, and reasonable agent; someone I can have a frank discussion with and always find a solution to whatever is blocking us from moving forward.
“Okay, I understand that won’t work for your people. What if we do this instead, move that date, and change this part?”
“Sure, I think that will work!”
These agents have survived in a tough business because they have all three attributes I mentioned above: skill, experience, and reasonableness. It’s a lesson I’ve learned repeatedly; you can’t survive without all three! You have to be determined and hard-working to gain the skill and expertise, but it’s reasonableness that keeps you going in the long term.
It only takes one unreasonable person to make things way more difficult than necessary, adding stress and anxiety to the transaction for everyone involved.
I could tell a hundred stories about this, but I won’t because I’m in a very positive frame of mind right now, inspired by these recent smooth transactions and my awesome clients!