Goodbye Tax Credit, Hello?

Last week of the month, is this the end of the Homebuyers Tax credit?  Sales did rise in March and are sure to have risen in April, but what about May?  The further we move through the economic crisis that has been devastating for so many families and communities, the better we seem to be with figuring out what to do.  One thing to understand is that the home buying and the home loosing are a process. The process is a moving target right now due to new rules, new regulations, and new systems.  Realtors® are required to keep up with the changes.  With the internet’s ability to deliver information everyone has access to so content that can be confusing and misleading. Working with someone who knows your lender, knows the community, knows the process will serve any person well. I am speaking to the choir here on Active Rain.

Working with a “know it all” is a challenge.  A “know it all” has read the statistics, understands the process from their rudimentary vantage point. They are coming to this table for the first, second, maybe even fourth time, but you as a Realtor® do this everyday, the scale of experience is considerably different.  I had one of these clients this month, and let them go.  They didn’t really want a Realtor®; they wanted a cab to and from their destinations.  They wanted to tell me what the process was and I should have listened better.  I didn’t.  I knew they were wrong and directed our boat towards safe harbors for them.  He wanted the rudder to sail out into other waters that may or may not have given them what they wanted.  What someone wants can change on a dime, and often does.  People are swayed by the darndest things which makes the job of a Realtor® who does not listen all that much more difficult.

I could have kept this client had I caved to their process; it would have been better financially.  As a professional I knew their process, while still a disciplined approach to getting their new home, was all over the map and chasing foreclosures rather than chasing the best home at the best value to create greater wealth for them in the next 5-10 years.

As a Realtor® we usually know what is best for the client because of our knowledge and experience, but the hard part is listening first and explaining once you can interpret and include their knowledge back into your answer.  Today is Monday another day to work hard and do well for my clients and prospects.

My prediction for May is that sales will continue an upswing without the tax incentive, especially here in Dallas where families from around the country are continuing to flock into because of prices, jobs and community.  Being a Realtor® in April of 2010 is both a challenge and an opportunity.