Mr. Client, Just Let Me Do My Job

Mr. Client, Just Let Me Do My Job

My wife Tammie and I often discuss whether we would rather work with buyers or sellers. Our business is such that we work with both. I maintain that my preference is driven by their willingness to trust our abilities as professionals and less about whether they are buying a home or selling one.

As an example I'd like to focus on two of our past clients, both of whom were selling their homes. Let me call them Client A and Client B (very original, I know). On the surface both clients seemed to be really "nice" people. Both lived in generally well maintained homes.

Client A had tried to sell his home as a FSBO for eight months with no offers. We listed the property and within two days we had multiple offers. We negotiated the best deal possible. This turned out to be both good and bad. Initially Client A was thrilled but he didn't feel we had worked for our commission. You know the type, sell the house too quickly, they complain; take too long to sell, they complain. Then the phone calls started. Often there were two or three calls a day. Turns out this client wanted to control everything about everything. He hated the idea of a middle man (us). We eventually closed, but it was a very rocky road!

Client B listed his home with us. They were thrilled with the staging, professional photographs and the marketing. They were excited about the open house and the single property website. In short, they allowed us to work hard for them and they showed their appreciation. Mrs. Seller actually reminded me of Aunt Bea on the Andy Griffith Show! When we ended up with multiple offers for their home we sorted through them and negotiated a very good deal. Basically, a dream to work with.

My take is that I don't care if I'm working with buyers or sellers. Just give me a client who understands we're professionals and allows us to do our job.