One of the goals of any professional should be to achieve a state of unconscious competence, meaning that they no longer need to think about their actions to achieve the desired results. Much as a professional quarterback can simply find the open receiver without thinking about it, or the professional basketball player can sink the jump shot with no thought.
That same level of competence can be reached in any profession. The carpenter knows where to put the nail without thought, the keyboard player knows where the keys on the piano are without thought, and the great cop knows who to talk to get to the bottom of an investigation.
A novice may be unconsciously incompetent. They are unaware of what they don't know maybe even to the point of not even knowing what questions to ask to find the knowledge. Eventually they will begin to understand what they don't know, or become conscious of their lack of ability. If you follow the theory most professionals will become skilled enough in their given trade to become a Conscious Competent and the truly great will achieve the status of Unconscious Competence.
This leads me to my point, even the unconscious incompetent knows that the point of listing homes,, and in fact the business of Residential Real Estate Brokerage is to sell houses. This morning I had the pleasure of meeting a new client with the purpose of showing her some condos in Chicago's Streeterville Neighborhood. On Monday of this week I called the listing agents or their designee and scheduled visits to 4 units, 3 in one building and 1 across the street. My client informed me she would be taking the train to the city and would like to meet me at the building. The first 2 appointments went off without a hitch. Both units beautifully decorated with stunning views of the Chicago Skyline.
Visit 3 was 10 floors down in the same building. On Monday the listing agent told me to meet her at the unit. Knock, Knock, no answer. Knock, Knock no answer. There must have been a mix up, maybe I was supposed to meet her in the lobby, no biggie, and a quick elevator ride and back to the lobby. No agent. Thanks to modern technology, I have mystery agent's number in my calendar. A quick call and no answer, again no biggie I leave a message and suggest to my client the agent should call back in a few minutes. No call, no agent, and no more time to wait. The disgust on my client's face was hard to disguise.
A few words of apology and we head across the street. The bright sunshine of the crisp Chicago morning helped ease the disappointment. This agent indicated that I could gain access to this unit by way of a lock box. Not my preferred method of trying to sell a client's property but it is a well accepted industry practice. The door man quickly gives me access to the "lock box room" and I go to my notes and enter the combination on the appropriate lock box. Bingo the front door springs open, and much to my surprise, no key. Must be a mistake, I ask the doorman if there are any additional notes or showing instructions for the unit. In something that sounded similar to English he said no. I do what seems reasonable and place a call to the agent. This agent is also unavailable, however someone from his office indicates that they have been aware of the missing key since Monday. SINCE Monday I ask? Yes since Monday I am told. I asked the lady if she knew what day it was today, she said it is Wednesday. I then asked if she had me on the showing calendar and she said yes from 10:45 - 11:00. I then asked if she had ever heard of Alexander Graham Bell, she responds no. I explain his invention and how it has greatly increased communication.
What is it with Realtors? Four appointments, effectively 2 no shows, for the Love of God and everything Holy this isn't rocket science! Like Woody Allen once said 90% of life is showing up. You would think a slow market would lead people to gain some form of competence. Like a wise man once told me" you just can't fix stupid!
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