Ethics and Money CAN be Compatible

Yesterday, after doing a little web-surfing, I wrote a post about some sellers offering a higher commission to more quickly sell their homes. It became a featured post (thank you ActiveRain!) and created some great discussion. That post is, Would You Pay More To Sell Your House?

Let me be clear; I sell Real Estate to earn a living. If not, I would spend my time volunteering.  Real Estate is not philanthropic, we are all doing it to pay the bills.

I would contend however, that the folks who are doing it for the 'long haul' do not focus too much time on how each transaction will affect their bottom line.  If you approach this business in that manner, you will work with each client exactly once. I am NOT saying that you should not make as much money as possible--if it is done in the context of doing the right thing for your client.  Again, we are all doing this to earn a living.

My approach is to convince each client that they will want to come to me, and pass on my name, for every real estate transaction from here on out.  I truly believe in the philosophy that every client is a 'client for life.'

It may be corny, but some of the phrases that run through my head, and guide my actions include:
Do the right thing
Do unto others as you would have them to unto you
What goes around comes around

My favorite is the last one, What goes around Comes Around. I believe this to be true. If you do the right thing, even if it is not easy, you will be rewarded down the line. Conversely, if you don't do the right thing, your actions will come back to haunt you. And yes, I believe I learned this way back in Kindergarten!

It may be overly simplistic, but it works for me. Do the right thing. Do unto others. What goes around comes around.

Pretty simple stuff...and I still earn a GREAT living!