Do you remember this game from when you were younger?  All the players passed around cards, until eventually someone was left with the Old Maid. 

Real estate transactions remind me of this game, except we don't just pass around the "Old Maid" with sly looks and smirks on our faces.  Instead, we pass around blame and the "idiot" card.

If you don't believe me, just type in the word "idiot" in the blog search box here at ActiveRain.  Now, I know this is a loving and accepting network, where no one would dare ridicule or criticize another member, so I'm absolutely certain that the majority of these posts have valid points and were made in good fun or in good faith that the other person really was an idiot.  Yet, I can't help but think that some of them are just a reflection of how quick we are to judge and lay blame.

A real estate closing is the perfect time for this kind of behavior.  There are a lot of players on the TEAM (wink, wink) who are involved at different levels within a real estate transaction, and none of them want to take the heat if the deal falls through.

Problems with inspections?  Inspector's an idiot.
Low appraisal?  Appraiser, seller, or either agent is an idiot.
Problem with the loan?  Loan officer or buyer is an idiot.
Title defect?  Attorney, seller, or previous owner is an idiot.

There are a lot of Old Maid cards to keep in play with a closing.  Get stuck with any one of them, and you could jeopardize the entire transaction and quickly be left holding the "idiot" card.

We're all quick to lay blame on someone else.  We hate to be thought of as incompetent or (gasp) human, capable of making mistakes or overlooking details.  I'll admit, I've been left holding the Old Maid a few times, and just like when I was a kid, I get that distinct sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every single time.

Now, I consider myself to be pretty diligent.  I'm a stickler for detail, and I can be particular about many things, especially when it comes to my business and my job as an agent.  I don't take my responsibility lightly.  I try to stay on top of things, crossing my T's and dotting my I's as I go, yet in the shuffle and exchange of papers, I won't say that I manage to cross or dot them all.  I review paperwork two and three times and try my best to make sure everything is done correctly.  I work daily to create and improve systems to keep things from slipping through the cracks.  I try to find the time before every single appointment to review all forms and contracts in order to be better prepared.  Yet, no matter how hard I try, I still manage to make a mistake here and there.  I'm human, and that's my best alibi.

Every one of the players of a closing TEAM is human.  Yet, do you think we take three seconds to consider that fact before spouting off to our buyers and sellers that one of the other players is an idiot?  No.  We just pass that card around as if it was as trivial and harmless as the actual game.  To me, it's not, so I want to make a vow in front of ActiveRain and everybody that I'm going to give the other person the three seconds he or she probably deserves.  I'm going to start playing the "human" card.  Instead of automatically "crawfishing" out of a warm situation, I'm going to ask the buyer or seller for some time to determine what happened and assure him or her that it was probably just some small oversight that can be corrected.  Usually, that's all it is anyway.  We blow up, get a little rattled, or make ourselves or someone else look like a jerk, only to find out later that the problem wasn't that big of a deal anyway.

I'm sorry, but in my humble opinion, if you don't agree with this lesson, you got the Old Maid.

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Graphic and game description from http://www.pagat.com/passing/oldmaid.html.