Sunday, January 27, 2013

My first client...

I remember my first client, while not exactly fondly, with much appreciation.  That experience taught some tough lessons about real estate upfront.

This was it…I had passed the state required test and coursework.  I had paid my dues.  I had attended the broker’s training; I knew the paperwork inside and out; my car was clean; I was ready.

It was weekend duty, so the office phones were forwarded to me from 5 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Monday morning.  I received a call from a guy asking about listing his (and his wife’s) home and then buying a new one.  His name was Tim and he was very direct with what he, not they, wanted.  After asking some basic questions, we set an appointment for the following day.

There was a lot of work to do and not a lot of time.  A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) needed to be completed on their current home, and I had to search for potential new homes for them.  I had to speak to my Broker to make sure I was hitting all the right wickets, not to mention getting help on the CMA.  That can be a tricky one.

The time for the appointment came quickly.  I arrived about 5 minutes early.  Not too early but enough so that it could be considered punctual.  I had all my marketing materials with me, was looking sharp, and feeling outwardly confident.  As I walked up to the door my heart was pounding and the adrenaline was starting to flow: my palms started to sweat.  I nonchalantly (just in case anyone was watching) put my right hand into my pocket to try and dry it…I would be shaking hands in just a second.

I rang the bell, it was nothing special; just your typical sounding doorbell.  Steps came toward the door.  You know when you speak with someone on the phone and you have a preconceived notion of what they should look like?  Well I had one…and the guy who answered the door was not it.

When Tom and I first spoke, he came across the phone as your typical Type “A” personality…a strong, forceful voice that resonated confidence.  I had this picture of a bug hulk of a man ready to snap someone in half if he did not get what he wanted.  Instead I got a guy about 2” shorter than me with his chest puffed out and a pissed off look on his face.  I soon came to realize that this was his normal look.

We shook hands and while he was trying to crush mine, the first words out of his mouth were, “It’s a good thing you aren’t late! I hate it when people are late!”

My first thought was, “great he’s got a little-big man complex.”  But my first words were, “Hi Tim, glad to meet you, I’m Duncan.”  “no sh!@” was his reply followed quickly by, “Take your shoes off”.  This was getting better and better.

Entering his house was a bit overwhelming; not because it was big and luxurious, just the opposite.  It was small, or made smaller, by all the “stuff” jammed into it.  And it was spotless.  I don’t mean really clean, I mean SPOTLESS.  Plastic covers on the couches and chairs; plastics runners on the carpet.  Everything shined.  Everything in its place.

As I toured the housed I realized it wasn’t just the living areas that were spotless; every room, every closet, the garage, everything was almost sterile it was so clean.  Tim kept up a running commentary as he showed me his home.

As we finished walking around the house, we settled in at the kitchen table.  I had my listing presentation ready to go, all the facts and figures needed to convince him to let me list his house.  As I spoke and led Tim through the CMA he just nodded his head, bobbing it up and down; not making a sound.  When I was finished he told, “Sounds good”.  Inside I was jumping for joy but kept a professional smile on my face; until he followed up with “On a couple of conditions”.

My smile faltered a bit and I think he noticed because he told not to worry, they weren’t difficult conditions (famous last words!).  His conditions were 1) I be available whenever he called and needed me and 2) he wanted exactly what he wanted in a new home, no more, no less.  Heck, sounded reasonable enough to me.  There was a smile back on my face as I led Tim through the listing agreement for his initials and signature.

I was so proud of myself that day.  My first listing!  Not only a listing but a buyer as well!  I thought I was pretty good at this real estate game.  Little did I know what I was letting myself in for.

Well, too make a long, and painful, story short, Tim did expect me to be available whenever he called, day or night, weekday or weekend.  I got calls from him at 5:30 in the morning; and 11:00 at night.  I got voicemails asking me where I was and why I wasn’t answering his calls. 

Tim also knew what he wanted in a house and would not accept ANYTHING else.  I showed him over 40 houses.  He would send me a list of houses to see and I would schedule them.  There was always at least one thing wrong, always a deal breaker.  Nothing was ever big enough, light enough, had a big enough yard, or it was too big a yard, too many trees not enough trees, too much updating to be done, too much had been redone so he couldn’t make it “his”.  It was never ending. 

His house never did sell, at least not for another 18 months.  His listing (after 6 months) with my broker expired and I decided to not take him back as a client.  To me it has to be a good fit, if not then I won’t take a client.

Anyway there are two huge lessons I learned from my time with Tim.  The first was time management and limits.  The second was to manage my client’s expectations.

I had to learn to set limits with my clients.  I would be available during certain times, for example:  Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and in an emergency on Sundays.  Family time is critical and working with Tim, I was sacrificing that.

The second lesson I learned was to manage expectations for my clients, both when listing their home and when buying.  A person willing to buy your home may not see it being worth what you think it is.  You are emotionally and financially invested in your home, they are not.  On the flip side, you may not think a house you like is worth what is being asked. 

When looking at homes, all homebuyers have a “wish list”.  This list is made up of “must haves” and “nice to haves”.  A buyer will not find a house with everything they are looking for, exactly the way they want it.  The odds are against it.  Having a wish list with “must haves” and “nice to haves” makes life a lot easier when you are looking at homes.

I hope Tim learned something as well.  When working with a REALTOR, keep in mind that they are building a business.  Yes, they are there to fulfill your needs in selling or buying a home, but not to be at your beck and call.  They have a life outside work, just as you do.  Let them have that family time.  When you look for a new home, have an idea of what you need and want but have some flexibility.

Thanks for reading one my real estate encounters.  Next time I’ll post a “success” story.

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