The Key to Success - Does it Open the Right Door?
Of all the real estate agent stereotypes that run rampant, (the money is all we care about!) and other such unflattering generalizations, the one that has always agitated me the most is an image of the agent who comes "running with the key" and goes on to make a gazillion dollars.
Perhaps, someone else has had that experience but, regrettably, I have not.
No matter, I've never shied away from a hard day's work. I've only asked to be paid for services I've provided.
Fresh from a summer of lengthy and intense negotiations in one particular transaction, with the eventual successful "under contract" status now firmly in place, I know this stereotype to be far from true. Every time dialogue was in jeopardy (and that happened a lot), I brainstormed for ways to revive it - for ways to push through that impasse that threatened to kill the deal at every turn.
As Mimi Foster so prolifically enumerated in her post entitled, What REALTORS Do For Sellers some sales are easy and some are incredibly hard, but there is never a time when "running with the key" is all we're required to do, in order to be paid.
Still, not long ago, I was scheduled to show a listing at a certain hour, with instructions from the homeowner to accompany the key. Shortly before the appointed time, I missed a call. When I finally discovered it and played back the message, it turned out to be from the buyer's agent and client, who were running way ahead and already sitting in front of the house. They were inquiring whether I could move up the appointment.
By the time I heard the voice mail, they had already been sitting in front of the property for 15-20 minutes. I jumped in my car and headed right over. Luckily, it was very local and it didn't take me more than another 10 minutes to get there.
With an abundance of energy and enthusiasm, I hopped out of the car and literally "ran with the key" to open the front door. It was an exceptionally pleasant showing although it didn't conclude in an offer.
Right or wrong, it appears this stereotype has a kernel of truth (except for the gazillion dollars portion - but I still have hope!!)
Possibly giddy with fatigue on that particular day, the image struck me as very funny. In this instance, I was, indeed, the agent who "came running with the key." The irony was not lost upon me and I laughed uproariously the entire drive home.
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