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Your professionalism = your reputation = your success

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Real Estate Agent with EXP Realty 414-525-0563 57026-90 Broker

A wonderful every day reminder for EVERY agent !

Original content by Marte Cliff

Professionalism between real estate agents.

You probably hear a lot about the importance of conducting yourself professionally with cooperating real estate agentsclients, but professional behavior with other agents is equally important.

It can mean the difference between your listings being shown first or not until all other possibilities are exhausted. It can also mean the difference between your offers being carefully considered or shoved aside.

How does a true professional behave with regard to other real estate agents?

A true real estate professional:

  • Answers the phone or returns calls, emails, and texts as quickly as possible.
  • Cooperates with showing requests.
  • Informs the listing agent immediately if a showing is cancelled.
  • Is careful when showing – monitors clients while in the home; makes sure things are left as they were found; locks the doors; etc.
  • Fills out his/her paperwork neatly, correctly, and completely.
  • Provides all relevant property information to buyer agents.
  • Presents all offers and counter-offers in a timely fashion.
  • Keeps everyone informed of important information or developments.
  • Keeps clients on track to meet deadlines.
  • Pitches in to solve problems as they arise.
  • Refrains from being snarky – even when the temptation is great.

A true professional extends similar courtesies to the other involved in a transaction.

He or she responds to lenders, title officers, appraisers, inspectors, etc. in a timely fashion, and acts quickly when information or action is needed.

OK – So YOU are a professional – but you’ll still have to work with those who are not.

What can you do?

#1 – be polite, no matter what. Beyond that, your response will depend upon your clients and the situation.

If you represent the seller and the market is hot, you can respond to incomplete or sloppy offers with a simple, polite rejection.

If you represent the seller and theirs is the only offer, you’ll have to tread more softly. When you contact them you can say your seller is interested, but until all the blanks are filled out, they can’t respond. If you can soft-pedal it, you’ll get better response than if you call up and berate them for their sloppy work.

If you’re working with a buyer and can’t get a listing appointment, you have two choices. You can try contacting the agent’s broker to get access, or you can cross the house off your list and move on.

What you must not do is resort to calling the sellers. It’s tempting, but it can land you in hot water. (Check the rules in your state – in some places it might be OK if you can document an inability to reach the agent over a specific period of time.)

If you’re in the middle of a transaction and the agent on the other side is not doing their share of the work, your only real choice is to take up the slack. If an issue requires contact with the other agent’s client, contact their broker or assistant and outline what needs to be done. If they aren’t cooperative, perhaps a lender or a title agent will agree to contact the clients.

My own sad story…

Do be careful. I once had a long-distance closing that had gone beyond the closing date with no sign of the buyer’s paperwork being returned. When their agent wouldn’t answer my calls after a week, I left a voice mail for the buyers, asking if they intended to complete the transaction. (My seller had graciously agreed to wait, even though there was a back-up offer in place.) That unanswered phone call cost me days of filling out forms and sitting in front of the ethics board.

Oh – and in case you wondered, that transaction did close. Darn it. The backup offer was better.

#2 – Refrain from venting in public – or gossiping.

Go home and yell to your family members, but don’t vent your frustrations to anyone else in the real estate industry – including the unprofessional agent.

Don’t go on Facebook and talk about that incompetent jerk. Don’t Tweet about it.

Remember that the high road puts you above the folks on the low road.

What if that unprofessional agent yells at you over his or her own poor outcomes?

angry agent shoutingIf that hasn’t happened to you yet, be patient. It will.

It will be your fault if their buyer’s (incomplete) offer was rejected or your fault that you didn’t bring an offer on their seller’s overpriced house. You might be at fault for wanting a showing on Sunday or during the dinner hour. You might be at fault because your buyer lost his or her job two weeks before the scheduled closing. You might be a really horrible person because you called their broker when they wouldn’t respond to you after six days.

And the list goes on…

Deranged people can always think of some reason to blame someone for something, even without a valid reason.

Again, respond politely. Stay calm and refuse to take the bait, even if they call you names.

The best thing to do is to politely say that you’ll be glad to discuss the issue after they’ve calmed down and can speak politely. Then hang up – or walk away, as the case may be.

If they go on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to vent about you – do NOT respond. At all. Not once.

And… Whatever you do, do NOT even consider engaging in an email or text battle. Everything you write can and will be saved, twisted, forwarded to 47 other people, and used against you.

Handshake Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
shouting man Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This post appeared first at https://copybymarte.com/your-professionalism-your-reputation-your-success/
 

marte@copybymarte.com
www.copybymarte.com

Priest River, Idaho
208-448-1479

 

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Posted by

Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS


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Comments (10)

Donald Urschalitz
Lubeck Realty Group - Jupiter, FL
P.A. Realtor ABR RSPS North Palm Beach County

Excellent advise, the good news is in my market I have not come across unprofessional conduct very often. When you see such behavior it usually comes from inexperience and by taking the time to help the other side it all works out.

Aug 21, 2019 05:54 AM
Norma J. Elkins
Elite Realty Group - Morristown, TN
Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team

Man I think the mls board should publish this every single day.  Great advice for sure.

Aug 21, 2019 06:12 AM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Sally K. & David L. Hanson,

This is a great reblog from Marte Cliff. I am off to her blog to comment. 

Aug 21, 2019 06:18 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Sally,

What a great idea to re-blog this post.  Wishing you both a delightful day!  A

Aug 21, 2019 06:31 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Good choice for a re-blog, Sally. Happy Wednesday!

Aug 21, 2019 07:04 AM
Mike Frazier
Carousel Realty of Dyer County - Dyersburg, TN
Northwest Tennessee Realtor

What a worthy reblog. I read the original and agree 100% with all of it.

Aug 21, 2019 07:27 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Thanks so much for the reblog!

Aug 21, 2019 08:42 AM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Oh my gosh, that is so true - every last bit of it! A great one to re-blog, Sally!

Aug 21, 2019 09:38 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Morning Sally.

Been there seen that.  It has bitten the other agent involved.  

Aug 22, 2019 12:42 AM
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Fathom Realty Washington LLC - Tacoma, WA
South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!

Thank you for sharing this blog with us Sally K. & David L. Hanson 

Aug 23, 2019 06:59 AM