Be thankful to learn from your client.

Every real estate agent I know bills themselves as an expert in their field. Most do a good job of keeping up with the market and helping their client execute what may be the biggest financial transaction of their lives.

Every once in a while, you come across a client that teaches you a thing or two. I had a few clients that have helped me learn and expand my expertise. Without them, I might not enjoy some of the success I have been afforded.

I can think of one example. It was when I partnered with a friend that wanted to start a new home construction business. He had a plan to buy some land, split the parcels, resell half of the parcels, and build new homes on the remaining lots. At that time, I was a relatively new agent that had only sold a few single-family homes and condos. I knew very little about selling new build homes or buying vacant land, but he was willing to work with me while I learned on the job. I quickly became an expert on the attributes that made a parcel ideal for the projects that he had in mind. I made contacts with the surveyors. I learned about easements, flood plains, water wells, and septic systems. After a while, I was on a first-name basis with the zoning officials at Maricopa county.

As he built new homes, I would list them, which made me become an expert on the unique new home sales contract. It also gave me a rare insight into the types of options and amenities that homebuyers wanted. When you sell new homes and offer buyers a chance to choose their features it is different than selling homes where everything is already in place.

After that, selling resale homes became easier. Even today, some fifteen years later, I have a different perspective on real estate than agents who have never had a chance to learn from the ground up.

When real estate crashed in 2008, my builder friend lost his business. He had overextended himself and declared bankruptcy. He ultimately moved out of the area. I continued on the resale side of the business.

But I will forever be thankful for the opportunity he offered me so many years ago.