Some Things I Have Learned The Hard Way: People Are Very Understanding

I have been writing a series of posts about Some Things I Learned The Hard Way, (you can see the first two here  and here),  while I have been laid up with an illness.  I am taking these lessons I have learned and am going to apply them to the way I do my business. This post is about one thing that I learned that really took me by surprise. Here it is: people are generally understanding.  

I have not been able to talk on the phone for over a week and not one person that I have dealt with has had a problem with that. I have had communications with prospective new owners.  Not one of them had a problem with communicating through email. I have had plenty of communication with current owners, one of those seemed to be a little impatient, and not understanding(and he is a Dr.) but my husband was able to talk to him and he was OK with that. He just wanted to talk to someone though, not necessarily me. 

I have listed three properties; communicated with numerous tenants, rented one of those properties. I have done several CMAs for new properties, two of which disappointed owners who thought their properties would rent for a lot more, so I won't be listing those. But the owners didn't mind not being able to talk. I communicated with several other agents, who were understanding and sympathetic.  

Everyone that I texted or emailed instead of called back and explained that I was sick and couldn't call them back; but could answer any questions, and get someone to unlock a property, but they couldn't answer any questions for them, they had to text any questions to me, was really understanding. I rented one property that way and may have rented another one that way today. The guy is supposed to meeting my husband tomorrow after work with an application and the money.  

I was really surprised at how easy it was to just be honest with people and say" this is all I can do," and how easily they were not just OK, but even sympathetic.  There were a couple of things I had to reschedule; twice I had to explain to an owner that I was going to have someone else do something I would normally do. It was fine. They were understanding and OK with it.  

So I learned that people in general are understanding and can be flexible. If you ask for understanding, and are honest, you will probably get it. That's a pretty good thing to learn.  I always believed that people were mostly good, but in this busy, everyone for themselves mentality world we sometimes live in, it's nice to know they are also understanding. 

I think that learning this will help me in my business.  I think I will bit less concerned about having to do everything myself, because they expect me.  I may do things because they work better for me that way, not always the way I think the other person would want it done.  I think that being honest with clients and other agents and everyone, about how much we can do, is better then getting stressed out because you may not be meeting their expectations.  People are very understanding.