Relationship Real Estate Shattered
Posted May 12th, 2008 in R.E. Stories, Real Estate
You’ve Done Your Best
By all reasoned measure as a Realtor® you have done all the right things for your client. Professional knowledge is shared in anticipating the market and you helped convince them to buy a particular house. Time has passed and they have more than doubled their money - tax free. By all accounts a worthy and profitable recommendation. Success is shared by both.
Is it True?
You visit on a regular basis, all is cordial, truthful, respectful, and ideas are enjoyably exchanged - a relationship is building - or is it?
A Change in The Wind
It is a few short days since street talk was exchanged. Announcement of wedding plans, excitement at the prospect of having found a life partner are shared and congratulations are given. No indication is evidenced of another change that is about to happen.
Wham
A quick update of homes coming to market reveals the breach. Their house is for sale and they are not using your services.
Self analysis, doubt, anxiety are the trademarks of the change. What part of the relationship wasn’t complete? Was it imagined, was it assumed, was it somehow marginal? There will be no chance for an understanding. The reasons often irrational, leave more distrust than just knowing it didn’t work. Shortchanged, you feel jilted. You move on and survive fortified in knowing that everything required was done.
And The Answer Is?
It takes two people to establish relationship. At stake, is the understanding of each trusting and valuing each other. Does it have extended mutual benefits or is it a convenient commodity for the time?
Reflection asks what aspect of human nature is so lacking in appreciating the value of a relationship that it is so easily trivialized and squandered as quickly as a match burns.
I’m just sayin…….. One often wonders?
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Sounds you like were the jilted lover of an unrequited relationship. We’ve all done this to one service or other. I had an accountant who was fantastic but later found one I connected with more (and charged me less). Was the service better or worse? Can’t tell. I’d need them to do the same thing at the same time to compare. All I know is that I connected more with my new accountant.
Same goes for my old company. It was fairly mutually beneficial for several years and we had a good relationship… but I was holding back several issues from them that were causing me to look elsewhere. They didn’t know I was leaving till I left and had the sit down to tell them so. They were surprised. Surprised only because I didn’t let on that there were business cultural differences I was having with them. I’m very happy with my current firm.
Both instances, and likely the case you speak of and what has happened to me as well point to one root cause; likely the cause of all relationship breakdowns. Communication (of issues big and small) withheld and finding a new partner where there is a stronger connection.
C’est la vie!
I agree that we have all done it but does it move the process forward?
I can deal with the jilted part - it’s the holding the issues back that is bothersome. It’s the lack of civility in our business or for that matter any other business.
How are we to offer a better service if there is no conversation about the issue(s).
Company’s spend fortunes trying to figure out how to keep the customer satisfied. But if they don’t tell you how are you ever going to make the experience better?
Isn’t that what we hope for in a relationship?
Did the life partner bring a Realtor along with her or him? How many times has that happened over the years?
Duncan,
how many times……
It seems to be a recurring theme. Many in the industry suffer this fate during their career. The question at hand is what part of the relationship is not understood.
Is it a one way conversation?
Keep doing what you’re doing Larry. If you’re as good as I think you are, they will return. The competition is not much of a threat in the long run. The gap between good and not-so-good is huge.
Ducan,
thanks for the Attaboy.
you may be right about them returning. But the only relationship I can think of that did that was Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Few Realtors are movie stars .>)