What If Agents Acted Like Washington Politicians?

Enough already!! If real estate agents acted like the Washington politicians working out this budget crisis, nothing would ever close! It's all about negotiation and listening to your customers ( that would be US citizens), compromise and knowing both sides have 'won' something. It's not about ego, posturing, and a my-way-or-nothing attitude. To me, that's what's happening in DC.

Early into my real estate career, I learned an important lesson: I need to get along with the agent on the other side of the deal as well as my buyer/seller. On one of my first deals, the buyer's agent told me this: "If my client doesn't get what he wants, he will walk!". This sentence was delivered with the initial offer! What a clear and distinct first impression that made on me about the agent. We got the deal done...and she did make some concessions. But I admit, I was tempted to throw a similar sentence right back at her! It would have set the tone for contentious deal making all around.

More and more it seems like everyone wants to 'win' and no one wants to give a little. It's the stubborn seller who won't look at a realistic listing price, refusing to acknowledge comps. It's the buyer who says, 'I'm going to lowball and see if they'll take it'--even though the house just popped on the market, it's priced right and the buyer loves it! It's also the agent on the other side who isn't responsive, who has sloppy paperwork, who tries to bully you into backing down rather than have a civil discussion during negotiations. This wastes time for everyone and the whole situation gets far too emotional. The days drag on, deadlines are missed, spouses argue and feelings are hurt. I sometimes think that as a nation we have become so spoiled in many ways, so used to putting ourselves first and indulging ourselves on a regular basis -- that when it comes time to sacrificing a little, we think of it as backing down when it's really looking at the big picture and striving for the greater good. And much of the time, it's a simple case of too much ego involved.

Fortunately, most of the time agents don't act like the current crop of Washington leaders trying to get the budget deal done. Because if we did...we wouldn't be in business.