Once, I was working with some clients who were....challenging, to say the least. They seemed to distrust everyone involved in the process, and both husband and wife alluded to suing the other party in the transaction more than once, as well as their own lender. They never pursued any legal action, thankfully, since they had no case of any kind.
Since they had trust issues, I decided that one of the best things I could do was to use the "BCC" (blind carbon copy) feature on any emails I sent to the other parties involved, so that they could see all of my written communications for themselves. This seemed to assuage their fears that nothing was happening when we hit some strange lender-related delays.
One big lesson I have learned in my real estate career is to always be proactive about telling my clients what is happening. I don't even really like the word "proactive" as much these days, since it seems a bit trite, but it's the best word here. This assertive behavior applies for both buyers and sellers alike. I am not perfect at this, of course, and during those times when I forget or put off a call or email, my clients will inevitably contact me about that particular issue. Darn!
Here are a few examples that would warrant an email or phone call from me to my selling clients:
- Home is loaded in the MLS (send a link after calling)
- Flyers are made (bringing them by later, etc.)
- Followed up with agents who have shown the house (BCC thing works here, too)
- Received feedback
- Any marketing efforts of any kind
- No response yet to initial offer after a day or so
- Any responses to offer/counteroffer
- Contact with title company about their file
- Contact with lender for any reason
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