No, all money is NOT happiness money....since I reckon that most folks who have ever had any of it will tell you it doesn't deliver happiness all by itself!
BUT-money can deliver added satisfaction. Especially to a disgruntled buyer. Who was, unfortunately, the last transaction to close from the buyer agent who I just 'released back into the marketplace.' Said buyer agent made a LOT of promises and essentially negotiated out a lot of protection for this buyer at the end of the deal, to hold it together. Unbeknownst to me.
I've spent money in my time to make buyers and sellers happy. I call it 'Happiness Money.' And let me tell you right now-it's usually spent on the folks who would never DREAM of asking for anything from their Realtor. I've bought a stove, paid for termite treatment, bought a light fixture, paid some closing costs...lots of things that happened that WERE NOT RIGHT from the other side (usually) and I felt obligated to do something extra.
This particular client called after the closing after their experience in buying a home in Charlotte NC (by the way, this particular buyer agent never told the client that he was no longer with my team-that didn't sit well with me), to ask about what to do, the plumbing leak which was supposed to have been fixed was not fixed. Did I kill time calling the listing agent to complain and beg? Nope. Track down the shady seller? Nope. Call my old buyer agent and demand that he make it right? Nope.
I called my handyman, had him go out there as soon as possible, and opened my own checkbook to make it right.
Did I have to do it? Nope. Was the buyer surprised and happy? Yes. Is that what we should do, in an environment where our commission income is under pressure every day? Yes. If you declare that you're delivering excellent customer service, and declare that client satisfaction is paramount, you should be acting upon those words, EVEN AFTER THE TRANSACTION HAS CLOSED.
(and in the interest of full disclosure, this was a house that cost $145,000)
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