In Florida (and in Colorado) we are presumed acting as Transaction Brokers unless stated otherwise.
On AR I noticed the attitude that transactions brokers are sort of half-a$$ agents or brokers as we do not have to offer full fiduciary and that makes buyers we work with not clients but customers.
The belief that a piece of paper signed will make me half a$$ is very foreign to me. I am sure there are half-a$$ agents in any state. By the same token I am sure that there are good agents in Florida and Colorado.
Like so many others, I try to do a good job. My last closed short sale took 2 years, 6 months and 25 days. The last (6th) buyer, represented by another agent, sent me an e-mail and requested that I work with him directly.
I turned to the agent, but he said that it was fine with him. The Buyer is an experienced real estate attorney, very precise, very focused... I could say «No», but I was not born yesterday, and in a challenging transaction, I knew that my chances to close a deal with a delegating agent were not the greatest, and I either do it, or risk losing yet another buyer.
So, I worked with both Seller & Buyer the way we work as transaction brokers with both sides. In addition with the short sale stuff, I was involved in the financing for the Buyer, and insurance issues with the condo. I kept the other agent informed by copying him on the e-mails. Funny, in 2 years, 6 months and 25 days we exchanged 839 e-mails. Whew!
After the closing I sent congratulations to both. Here is what they sent me. This is from the Buyer, with whom I worked for the last 2 months:
Jon,
Thanks for your kind note. I realized early on that the success of this transaction would be based on you and I sheparding it through the process. You are a terrific broker and I would be pleased to refer clients to you in the future.
And this is from the Seller, with whom I worked for over 2.5 years:
Jon, what a relief it is to finally receive this message. I’m so very thankful to you. Most agents would have given up long ago, but your support never wavered. Most agents would have hit brick walls and been turned away. Not you, you ran right through the walls. Your knowledge, expertise, tenacity and support have been remarkable throughout this long process. I will always be indebted to you. For such a long time, I have felt as if there was a huge boulder over my head that could drop and crush me at any time. Thanks to you, the boulder is gone; and I can, as you said move on with my life. You are a remarkable man Jon, and I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you. All the best to you and your family.
It is not to pat myself on the back (even though I am so humbled by these e-mails). It is to show that yes, it is possible to do a good job for both parties.
There is no law that would make a bad agent a good agent. As there is no law that would make a good agent a bad agent. The law does not turn customers into happy clients in the sense that we imply. It is what we do and how we do it that matters.
After all, this is a happy end story...
And it is not yet Christmas...
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