I've spent the bulk of my over 27 years in the real estate business, listing/selling in small rural areas which translates to usually having both sides of the transaction. Occasionally I have to deal with a "big city" agent who thinks they are above the rest because they're some bored rich housewife who got into real estate to grace the rest of us with their presence.
O.k. I made that last part up as I don't know that's why they started selling real estate but that's how they act.
I've been dealing with an especially difficult woman who thinks because she's older than me and she has bigger hair than me, then she must be way smarter than I am when it comes to our business and that's how she treats me. Never mind that she's only been in the real estate business for 4 years............. she's got bigger hair, remember?
I submitted an offer on one of her listings and she starts telling me all the forms I need to submit. I KNOW what forms I need to submit. This isn't my first rodeo, I have you know. She wanted the buyers net estimate. I asked why she needed that and she said she didn't, but I needed to get it. duh. I knew that and already had given it to the buyer for her review and signature.
Apparently she thought I was too stupid to handle my client so she took it upon herself to talk to them during a showing and tell them their closing costs would be $XXXX.00. My buyer turned and looked at me in horror because this estimate was way higher than mine. I turned to the sellers agent and asked where she came up with those figures and she proceeded to name off expenses such as "origination fee". Hello? This is a cash offer with the buyers taking the cash out of their savings account and therefore no mortgage fees will be involved. The agent knew this already since we'd discussed it before.
She then said "well, there will be escrow for taxes and insurance". Hello again!! A CASH OFFER!!
"O.k. but what about tax service fee and underwriting fee and......" Again......CASH OFFER...I said.
She ended up making my clients so angry with her superior attitude that they backed out of the transaction the very next day after signing the contract, which was well within their 10 day option period so they had every right to do so. The agent called...yes called my client and chewed her up one side and down the other and then called me and did the same. She was talking very badly about my client and I finally told her that this was the nature of our business and if she couldn't handle it then she should go back to throwing parties for her husband for a living.
Yes, I said that and yes, it pissed her off but it was her own fault she lost the sale.
Here's my point. I don't care if you drive a $100,000.00 car and your shoes cost more than my monthly mortgage, you don't have the right to assume you are smarter, wiser, or better than the rest of us who actually have this down to a science because we do this for a living and have done some way longer than that face lift of yours will hold up. Got it?
If you resemble any part of this scenario, I hope you're not the one with the big hair and the big attitude to match. :)
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