I was visiting a local office and there was an agent playing solitaire on the computer and complaining bitterly that they had to go open a house for a buyer's agent. After all it wasn't their job. Hmmm, we have a house to sell and buyers that want to see it, isn't our job putting those two together? We all lead very busy lives and sometimes it is a juggle, but attitude counts for a lot in how we represent our clients and ourselves.
It is funny but I have never actually seen anything that clearly defines my job entirely. They sure don't explain that in a real estate school when going for your license. That list sure would be long and I am pretty sure that nowhere on it would it say "bring a bad attitude".
I have been doing this a long time and every day, every person and every transaction is different. Every agent out there, is called upon to wear a lot of hats. We are the jack of all trades and our contracts let our clients know we are not experts in most of those fields.
Have you ever dug around to figure out where the septic is, looked at the electrical panel, found someone to clean out that property with the junk yard in the back yard. Have you ever watched someone's children so they could view the house in peace? How about taking that call on a Saturday night that the water pipes burst, or someone let a dog out of the house, check that a house was secure. Have you ever tried to figure out where a property line was, found a mistake on a HUD 1, explained ways to improve a credit score, spotted a construction flaw, figured out how much a house was really worth. How about plow snow from a driveway, move furniture, knock down a wasp nest. Do you carry a flashlight so you can crawl under a house or inspect an attic. Have you ever comforted a client in crises, got them unstuck or dealt with a car malfunction, shimmy through a window because an agent locked the seller out of the house. Have you ever dealt with a finicky copier, answered the office phone and took a message, fixed a computer glitch? How about patching a hole in the wall, fixing a fence, spruce up a front yard, replace a smoke detector, take pictures, helped an agent do something.
So far I have plumber, electrician, contractor, well driller, surveyor, trash man, septic servicer, psychologist, baby sitter, title officer, inspector, lawyer, financial advisor, teacher, dog sitter, roofer, tow truck driver, mechanic, security guard, taxi, tour guide, computer tech, office equipment servicer, secretary, mover, repair man, photographer, advisor, landscaper, dry Waller, pest exterminator, maid, animal controller, advertiser, writer, editor, coach. This list is just the tip of the iceberg, I am sure you have tons more.
This job encompasses so many skills trades, and ideals that it would be impossible to really figure out what wasn't in our job description. But this also isn't just a job, it is part of who we are as people.
Think about how you form opinions of colleagues. Do you think of this one as lazy and not very likable because you remember the time 5 years ago when they couldn't be bothered to do their job. Do you remember another fondly because 10 years ago they helped you out when they didn't have to because it wasn't their job? Notice I did not define this as a good or bad agent, because how we perform in our jobs also ultimately defines us as who we are as people. Human kindness isn't supposed to have a price tag on it and it always pays far more than its fair share. I'd be willing to bet that if we take a minute here and there to help a fellow agent that more and more would be willing to help out when we need it.
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