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Laryngitis for a Sacramento Realtor Puts Mr. Natomas Seller in Perspective
While a Sacramento Realtor recovers from laryngitis, her cellphone is forwarded to a team member.
Coming down with laryngitis for this Sacramento Realtor makes it extremely difficult to call a seller in Natomas to get permission to retrieve my lockboxes on a pending sale that is not mine. I installed two lockboxes on this home, but that was before the seller broke his promise to hire me. Because of my laryngitis, I cannot say thank you, Mr. Natomas Seller, for begging me to accommodate you on my afternoon off to help with your trashed house in Natomas. Thank you for dragging me there. Thank you for listening to all of the wonderful ideas I gave you, not only how to fix up your home but how to file a claim for reimbursement.
Thank you for implementing every last detail and then taking the less confrontational way out at the last minute by emailing to say you changed your mind. That you decided to run after a less experienced agent who quoted you 1% less in commission. Because that $3,150 goes a long way toward your retirement. Or betting at a Reno crap table. Or for new Texas-sized tires on that F150 pickup. Or buying a hooker in Las Vegas. That 1% fee stood between the agent you deserved and the agent you got, which could be the agent you deserved, now that I stop to ponder.
That $3,150 you felt was so all-fired important that you overlooked the fact your cheaper agent listed the home for $10,000 less than I suggested. My idea was to list it $10,000 higher. That price most likely would have risen further during negotiations, and even if the home did not appraise, my strategy induces buyers to pony up. That $3,150 you “saved” resulted in being on the market under 24 hours and grabbing a fast offer, effectively cutting out the opportunity for multiple offers, which tend to result in higher offers. But having that 1% in your pocket is important, I understand. It’s your integrity or money. That $3,150 wins. I get it.
Thank you for installing the hardwood floors in the color choice I recommended. It looks beautiful. You can’t even tell the previous occupants had deposited bodily fluids all over the carpeting and walls. I hope for your sake there aren’t huge losses for you when the buyer either forces you to do repairs or to fork over more money as a credit after the home inspection. How much will you lose overall? It doesn’t matter, because you have that $3,150, right? You did not want to hire an agent with 40 years of experience. That’s OK. It’s your prerogative.
No, instead of calling you, Mr. Natomas seller, I struggled yesterday to answer my phone when it rang. It was a tenant, hoping a Sacramento Realtor would help her to find a rental. I explained, in little bits and pieces of high squeaks / grunts that I could not talk; I have laryngitis, on top of which agents do not help tenants find rentals in Sacramento. I apologized. Sacramento is still a small town. I said I was sorry that she could not hear me very well because my throat was incredibly sore. I could not talk. Words are painful for me.
Instead, the tenant caller pressed on, asked if I could give her recommendations . . .
She reminded me of you, Mr. Natomas Seller.
And now that I have my lockboxes, there is no longer a reason for us to talk, even if I could; it doesn’t matter. Laryngitis clears up in a week or so. Exploitation in a person’s nature is much a more difficult deficiency to cure.
Listening Skills for Real Estate Agents Begin by Answering the Phone
When a potential client calls me, I try to listen very carefully before offering solutions. Most agents talk too much, I find. They don’t always listen. And listening is key to finding out what our clients want from us. Listening and asking questions. Often, a phone call will begin because a person is looking for information and believes there is one agenda at hand when what the client really wants is something else. I try to figure out how I can help.
Sometimes, I end up referring the client to a different real estate agent in another state because they live outside of California and need to buy or sell a piece of real estate that is outside of my Sacramento Valley jurisdiction. There are also times that a person might not have thought about selling a home in Sacramento until they have talked to me. That might be the best idea for them, and if it’s not they can count on me to say it. Because I don’t need that business right now today, and I’m happy to wait a few years if that’s what it takes and is best for the client. The key is what is best for the client.
I’m not going anywhere that I know about anytime soon. I will be here in Sacramento, answering my phone, taking care of real estate and talking with people. Conversing with people is what I do best, so that’s what I do. There are other people who call, real estate agents, for example, who begin the conversation by telling me they do not want to do what needs to be done for their buyer to buy a home. I wonder at that point why I am talking to the agent when the agent is stuck inside a square box and can’t seem to get out.
If I see my phone is ringing with another buyer or seller question, the best use of my time is to answer that call and listen to those buyers and sellers. I like to talk to real estate agents, but I am not their broker nor their manager. I can give them the information they seek about a home, but if they want to argue with me how they want to operate differently than other agents, I don’t have time for that. So it’s nothing personal when I say I have to go and take another call, because I do.
It’s generally a seller or a buyer calling on the other line who needs my help. They need me to listen to them, analyze their situation and offer solutions. Sometimes these conversations lead to a sale, and sometimes not. These phone discussions lead to enough sales, though, that I don’t have to worry about whether I am doing the right thing by listening, because I am.
Not every real estate agent has developed listening skills, I have noticed. Charles Chatham would rollover in his grave today.
