The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . .? What to STOP in '15

The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . .? What to STOP in '15

This is my post entry to Grant Schneider's March Contest "What Have You Stopped Doing in 2015?"

Grant has given us several options to base our post on and I'm opting to go with the decision of elimination:

You have decided to eliminate something now.

Share with us the process you used to make your decision.

This is my post entry and I will preface to say that I am as honest as the day is long.  I don't lie.  I won't start.

But, I won't be telling the truth, the whole truth anymore.  People just do not want to hear it.  And by people I mean: consumers and customers.

In the past, when I'm meeting with potential clients I've been asked all kinds of questions.  Most of them involve solid choices of inquiry which are genuine and sincere.  

But what I'm experiencing now is a "compare and contrast" type of interrogation, and I'm just not going to be playing that game.

Q:  Are you part of a group that hears about listings before they come on the market?

Yeah, sure.  {rolling eyes}

That question was asked by a 30-something who seemed to have been impressed when another agent she was "interviewing" blew that smoke line and sinker up her rump.  

Apparently, telling would be buyer clients that you're privy to homes for sale before they are actually FOR SALE is the trending "Hey, look at me, I'm the best agent in the world" hustle here in the Portland Metro real estate market.

A:  Yeah, sure . . . I'm SO CONNECTED to all the inner workings of the Portland Metro real estate underworld . . . why I'm the Illuminati of listings.  I actually know when properties are going to come on the market 3 months in ADVANCE I'm so freaking connected!

Happy now!

Pick me, pick me, pick me.

I can't even begin to get into why the question bothered me so much.  Maybe because any listing agent that plays that crap and only markets listings "in house" or to their selected group or SOI is not -- ABSOLUTELY NOT -- doing their clients any favors.  

This is the screen cap of the Office Exclusive which Sellers need to sign prior to the listing.  

Sure -- keep your listing out of the MLS and have your listing agent NOT expose it . . . and then have some savvy customer ask me the question above.  Do they REALLY want the truth, whole truth?  

No.  No they do not.

They just want to know that they have some kind of Buyers Agent who is doing something super-dooper that the other buyers won't know about.

Do I DARE explain the following when the above questions is asked?:

Or, how about this:

Q:  Will prices continue to rise?

Should I even attempt to tell the truth?

Will prices rise . . . hmmmmmmmm . . . as a licensed real estate agent I didn't know I was a real estate forecaster, real estate economist, or RES (a new real estate designation by NAR:  Real Estate Seer).

Better get out my crystal ball and GAZE.  The crystal ball was provided to all attendees at the end of, and the completion of, the RES course!

But, as a truth teller, I know that home prices may / may not rise.  I know that it's ALL INDIVIDUAL.  It's all specific to area, location, the sellers' goals, the market, the neighborhood . . . on and on.  Will the price rise, compared to what?  Last year's statistical mean of average prices based on original list to actual sold, rounded out to the days on market, combined by the influx of the Dow Jones Average?

The question "Will prices continue to rise?" may seem like a no-brainer . . . but because I actually DO possess one . . . I can think of many variables that might affect that answer.

So, what do I do?  

Do I apply the age-old adage of:  "ask a simple question, get a simple answer" and say "YES," or do I try to explain that . . . oh never mind!

I won't bother getting into the nuances of how and why the market may . . . or may not . . . continue to rise anymore.  I'm just going to give this off the cuff reply:

A:  I'm just the gas station owner.  Will gas prices rise?  Will gas prices fall?  I don't control that and have no idea.  I just sell the gas.

Since I've dedicated 2015 as the Year 20-Serene, I HAVE decided to eliminate something now.  That is telling the truth, the whole truth  . . .  consumers and customers just do not want to hear the truth, the whole truth . . .   They just want their silly questions answered on the level they can comprehend.  I'll gladly comply!