I have made light of purchasing reticence within this virtual nook. I have assailed the inability of some to clear the hurdle that separates “browsers” from “buyers” in this ethereal cranny. I have most likely made some fearful to ever step into my vehicle as a house hunter, lest they be tormented by the subconscious meter that ticks inexorably closer to the outlying fringe of my patience in their pursuit of a home. The squeal of brakes at every red light reminiscent to the mind's eye of the protestations of a creaky shopping window closing against its will.
The truth of the matter, though, is as much as “career buyer syndrome” can be a frustration to the afflicted and their agents alike, most lamentation from professionals who bemoan the mileage on their vehicles, depleted gas tanks and missed soccer games for the client who is seemingly as likely to buy a nuclear submarine as a house, is misplaced. In actuality, the occassional encounter with such a client is vital to the continuing education of a REALTOR. What is the first thing most new agents are encouraged to do when they join this wild and woolly industry? Go look at houses. As many as possible. Learning the product and the values is a key to becoming the knowledgeable professional one (loudly) proclaims to be.
After a few years in the biz, new clients start coming our way through referrals as well as whatever lead generation techniques we have chosen to employ. Burgeoning careers look to be fast-tracked for success. This is a rather critical juncture. Let’s call it “I’ve made it syndrome.” Focused on the new business that is coming in by the bushel, it is all too convenient to convince oneself that there is no longer time for the menial task of viewing inventory that does not pertain to the immediate needs of current clients.
Agents get soft, lose that eye of the tiger. The hardcore open house and previewing training regimen is traded in for occasional MLS surfing. Next thing you know, Thunderlips and Clubber Lang are taking turns knocking your listless Rocky around the market.
The much maligned time wasting client is not actually a time waster. Certainly, there will always be those with whom we are not compatible. There will be those who are unrealistic in their wants, and are likewise unbending in their desires. We have the luxury of turning down the business we know represents a long walk off a short pier. That caveat notwithstanding, I maintain that the clients who spend six months, a year or … gulp, longer to find the perfect home represent an opportunity. That opportunity is to view inventory. To isolate new subdivisions, new styles of architecture. To leave the confines of the office and see that which we profess to know intimately.
Beats the heck out of sitting in a classroom while we obtain the latest in a long line of academic certifications that mean about as much as my Outstanding Achievement In Reading awards from Cochise Elementary School.
I have a particular client who drives me absolutely bonkers, and she knows it. Because I tell her. We laugh about it over coffee. We have looked off and on for several years this last go round. Of course, she has bought homes from me in the past, so in the interest of full disclosure, her leash is a bit longer than it would be for the average man on the street. The fact is that I have the time to accommodate her whims (no matter how busy we get, there is always an hour to be found somewhere during the course of a given week), and I have become quite the resource for mid-century modern homes in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area as a result. Never a big fan of that particular style of architecture in the past, our tours have brought a new and profound appreciation for this niche, as well as a knowledge base for the “it” builders and subdivisions that best exemplify the local modern community for which I previously had no use.
While we may bellyache from time to time about the instances in which we are the world’s lowest paid chauffeurs, there is always something to be gained in viewing houses. I may not get paid today, but the education may pay me threefold in the future. I have accumulated a fair amount of know-how during my decade in Real Estate, but there are always new stones to turn over and things to learn. Lessons that are only learned out in the field. That means turning off the computer and getting some face time with the real world on a regular basis. Doing the things that make us useful and needed in a landscape of online services and long-distance "experts" who would otherwise marginalize the local professional through instant, if incomplete, data. Information in the absence of context is useless. We provide the context. That is our job security.
So go ahead, my fellow professionals, and allow your precious time to get wasted as you look at 100 homes with the same foot-dragging buyer. Your continued employment in this field might ultimately depend on those lengthy weekend forays.
Of course, if you are looking for million dollar homes with an $80,000 budget because the market is “still declining,” I will gladly give you a referral to a top notch local professional.
Comments(41)