I love this business and coming up with creative ways to help achieve my client's goals.  Conflict resolution is a daily task that makes our jobs difficult and rewarding at the same time.  It takes a give and take by all parties to come to an agreement at times but the reward is that everyone achieves a common goal. 

The frustrating ingredient in all of it is when I encounter an agent who avoids conflict, communication, and the difficulties of trying to bring a resolution together.  You know the types.  You call them, they do not pick up.  You leave them a message, they do not return your call.  You drop by their office, they are never there.  You e-mail them over and over again and they never respond. 

What to do?  After multiple attempts of finding out the status and many conversations with my clients with guesses on why they are not responding, I finally have to get the broker involved.  Such a frustration and a waste of time. 

Here's a suggestion to the agents who run from conflict, postpone bad news, and just consistently do not communicate to the parties involved with the transaction:  Get a different job.   This industry is a great way to make a living but if the thought of giving bad news puts you in a tail spin, then this might not be the right line of work for you.  As professionals, we are held to a higher standard of the utmost integrity, honesty, and fair dealings with all parties involved in the transaction.  Not communicating and avoiding responses is not being fair to all parties. 

Let's keep the communications open, return calls and emails as soon as possible, and make this an industry that works together in order to help our clients achieve their ultimate goals.