In a survey conducted by Inman, a U.S.-based trade magazine for realtors, 60% of respondents felt that withholding critical information [from the client]is a common occurrence.
And yet, here is the shocking part:
The
majority of homeowners still will not take it upon themselves to do the
due diligence necessary to protect themselves. Real Estate Greed is
real. It exists. Sure, many agents are ethical and can be trusted. But
as the Inman survey found, the majority of agents may not be ethical.
This
is something I see on a daily basis. As you know, over the course of
several months, I invested a great deal of time and energy to construct
the book, The Value Driven Approach to Sell Real Estate: A practical
guide to protect yourself from Real Estate Greed & bank and extra
$30,000 by thinking like the great Warren Buffet. If you do not have
a copy, I will get you a copy. It is that important. If you have a
friend or family member who needs a copy. I will get them a copy too,
reading it could be the difference between success and failure. For the
clients who have read it, then meticulously adhered to the steps
outlined in the chapters, we have consistently seen higher bottom-line
profits. Yes, this is great. But the opposite has also been true. Those
who do not make it a priority to adhere to the steps outlined in the
book, their bottom-line profits have suffered. By
these people I am frustrated. Partly I guess it is my fault. Perhaps
I’ve not done a good [enough] job to convey the importance of adhering
to the exact process. In certain cases, I’ve allowed exeptions. I’ve
even broken my own rules. I have, of course, warned these folks about
the likely damage that will be caused, as a result of not adhering to
the steps outlined in the book, but I’ve been soft. I haven’t been as
adamant as I should be about not allowing deviation from the approach
that’s been proven. I want my clients to be successful. I want my
clients to maximize their profit. I want my clients to be one of the few
who see their real estate
agent (me) as an investment, returning in spades, oppose to the
salesman who runs off with the commission. We both know these kinds of
agents exist. Inman found, if their survey is correct, 60% of agents are
that way. Unethical.
As a commitment to my clients. And to myself. I’ve decided to be more firm in my modus operandi. If someone is not willing to read my book, and at least understand the basic arguments, and precisely adhere to the approach outlined, then I can no longer work with those folks.
It
is painful and frustrating to me, to see a client get an inferior
result, when I know the result could have been much better. Perhaps it’s
the competitor in me. The sense of pride I have about my work. Or the
want I’ve always had to do my best. Or maybe it’s all three, plus a
number of other factors too. I just know that it kills me, and is not at
all gratufying to sell a home, for a client, when I know the result is
inferior to which it could be, because we didn’t take the time to do X,
Y, Z… outlined in my book.
And frankly, if I’m being honest,
it boggles my mind. Why do these poeple not care about their home sale?
Why do they not take it seriously? Do they not realize the difference,
proper preparation can make—a profit difference that could be as high as
$30,000 more? That’s a lot of money.
If you have any explanation for me, I would love to hear it.
At
the end of the day, to be happy, and to achieve something special for
my clients, I want to work with clients who are as committed to the
success of their home sale as I am.
Just finishing the race isn’t enough, when you know you could have won, had you just tried harder.
