Be careful of the bridges you burn

                                            

Maybe this wasn't something your parents ever said to you when you were little, but it was an often-used phrase in my home..."don't burn your bridges". 

It took me a while to get the hang of this.  Its especially hard sometimes.  That job you've been wanting to quit for year; when the opportunity finally comes up, you just wanna run out of there screaming "kiss my heinie"!  That mean boss you took crap off of for who knows how long.  Didn't it feel GOOD to finally give him a piece of your mind?

What about all the clients out there who have wronged you, whether it really has any truth to it or just a feeling in your mind?  Its hard sometimes to bite your tongue.  REALLY HARD.

About a year ago, I had some clients who were referred to me through my husband.  They decided they wanted something in a town about 45 minutes away.  This was fine with me.  I connected them with one of my best lenders, and off we went...on the house hunting mission.  We looked for a few weeks steadily and even found a few contenders.

Then...things got a little too quiet.  I gave it a few days, thinking maybe there was some emergency or something that was holding them up.  About the time I was ready to call, they came to my office to see me.  "Great news"  they tell me.  "We found a house and are buying it"!  Say WHAT???

Turns out they took a drive one afternoon, passed a house they really liked the looks of, a lo and behold, the listing agent just happened to be there.  They went in for a look, and ended up writing a contract.

Well, I was pretty hurt.  I asked them why they used this other agent.  Had I done something wrong?  They assured me I hadn't.  It was just "one of those things".  Yeah...one of those things where you put in weeks of work and don't get a paycheck for it.  I'm all too familiar with "those things".

I decided to just let it be.  I wished them the best of luck, went to the bathroom and had a good cry, and went on with my life and my business.

Enter last week; My husband tells me that this same couple has decided what a mistake it was to buy that home, and they want to sell.  Not only that house, but another they own as an investment.  And they really would like me to be their agent!

Case in point for not burning bridges.  I honestly don't think they realized the mistake they made, or how I took it personally.  They were just excited buyers who found a good deal and jumped on it.  And boy am I glad I didn't cuss them out, tell them to kiss my heinie, or any number of other things I could have done or said in my moment of anger.

Its VERY hard at times to be the bigger person.  To take the high road.  And to not take it personally.  But I encourage you to try it as often as you can.  The results may not be tangible.  They might never even be seen.  But building bridges, and maintaining them all, IS part of our business.  At least it should be.

 

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Thanks for reading!

Kelley Weimer

 a house "SOLD" name!

Kelley Weimer is a full-time Real Estate professional serving the residential and commercial needs of Southwest Ohio, including Preble County, Montgomery County, Butler and Darke Counties.  She serves the needs of today's home buyers and home sellers, working for one of the area's top real estate brokerages, Country Mile Realtors.  Making real estate dreams come true since 2002, Kelley prides herself on honest, friendly service; staying on the edge of technology yet always keeping the focus on good ole' communication.  For your real estate dreams, please contact Kelley today!

www.preblecountysold.com