SHOULD RE AGENTS HAVE TO SELL THEIR HOME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND CLIENTS?

 

SHOULD RE AGENTS HAVE TO SELL THEIR OWN HOME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR CLIENTS? 

 

The other day I got an interesting phone call from a real estate agent I met several years ago, before I was even in the business. The previous evening I was showing a client homes and one of the ones we toured just happened to be this agent's personal residence. We recognized each other - sort of - but chose not to play catch-up at that exact moment. The next morning, I received a call from this lovely woman asking if I had made the connection. I had.

 

As we caught up on all that had transpired in the last few years, she mentioned that, since her remarriage, it finally felt like the right time to move. Although, during her career, she had probably sold too many properties to count, personally, she had remained in her own home for many decades and the rooms flooded her with memories of her now-deceased first husband and the grown children, who had long since moved away.

 

While in conversation, she mentioned that she was finding it very difficult to be on the selling end of the transaction. She had forgotten that it can be intrusive and a real eye-opener to have strangers walking in and out of your home, peeking into your bedroom and opening the doors to every closet. It can also be frustrating, irritating or even painful to hear the less-than-positive remarks delivered casually about your home's decor.  It's a great reminder that, for all the advice we routinely give to our clients during the selling process, it's often easier said than done. Helpful hints like, "why not neutralize the space and put away some of your personal mementos?" are well-meaning but painful to some and should be delivered with care.

 

This got me to thinking. In order to better understand our clients, should we be required to put up our own homes for sale, at the onset of our careers? Of course, I say this tongue in cheek but, the idea of empathy for others is real. Sometimes, when we do and say the same thing every day, we forget the emotional toll that it takes on someone hearing it for the first time.

 

For me, this brief conversation put it back into perspective.

Consumed with Compassion courtesy of Moyerphotos via Flickr.com's Creative Commons License

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Jill Sackler, 50+ Market Specialist

cell (516) 395-8376

As a long-term resident of Long Island's south shore, I serve all communities from Queens to western Suffolk, south of the L.I.E.

If you're thinking of buying or selling, please give me a call.

 My goal is to make your real estate experience as painless as possible. From start to finish, I will be there to guide you.