Email Elizabethmanaging expectations
Assessing an Accurate Picture to Manage Expectations
Elizabeth Weintraub and niece Laura Burgard at Al Vente in Minneapolis
My sister Margie says I have an aura about me, a presence, she says, that makes people want to do nice things for me. If it is true, and I am not certain that it is, I wouldn’t know it, I suppose, because it’s awfully nice, I have to admit, to have things go your own way most of the time. It could also be because I am completely grateful when nice things happen out of the blue, seemingly for no reason. But I also know that I can’t force good things to happen.
My niece Laura says people instinctively realize when they meet me that they should go out of their way to make certain I am happy. She thinks I have a magic touch. I’m not sure where she gets that impression. Although, at dinner last night, at this lovely French restaurant, Café Levain, near 48th and Chicago in south Minneapolis, our server, noticing we had finished our bottle of Rothschild white bordeaux dashed breathlessly to our table, carting a mostly empty bottle of the same wine, “Look what I found in the kitchen!” She poured a bit into our glasses.
See, I’ve never had that happen before. But my niece doesn’t know that. We all have our views of the world. And it’s our views that shape our expectations and help me, especially in my real estate business, to help manage expectations of my clients. In order to do that, though, you’ve got to accurately assess the picture. You can’t pick an isolated circumstance and figure that is the norm.
Experience is what gives me an edge. I can often accurately predict a future happening based on the present circumstances because I’ve been through so much a million times. When a person hires me to be his or her Sacramento Realtor, they are also gaining my experience. It’s a unique experience, unlike anybody’s. But I rely on it and my clients can too. I manage expectations well.
Sacramento Real Estate is Not About Crossing Bridges Twice
A client emailed to say he admires my optimism. As a Sacramento real estate agent, I am pretty much required to be optimistic because if I let every little thing get to me, I’d be a mad woman. Without optimism, I’d be crouching in a corner, knuckles dragging the ground, frizzy hair in my face, licking the asbestos and giggling to myself.
Not only am I an optimist, but I am a problem solver and am paid to anticipate problems before the happen. If a problem slips past me and blows up into a full-blown “situation,” I am responsible for deflating it, managing expectations and resolving issues. Happy endings, that’s what I strive for.
I want my real estate clients to be happy when we go into escrow, during escrow and when escrow closes. I want no doubt in their minds that I did my job to the fullest of my abilities, and that I performed a good, no . . . a GREAT job.
Selling a house is stressful for sellers. First, they worry nobody will buy it. Then they worry buyers won’t pay enough. After that, it’s whether the buyers will really qualify for their loan or if the lender will find some reason to deny it, whether the home will appraise at value, if the buyer’s home inspection will reveal some ugly truth that requires resolution or renegotiation. There are a million things to worry about. Or not.
When clients ask me what can go wrong, thinking they can prepare themselves, my answer is there is no reason to cross a bridge a twice. Especially when one may never cross that bridge at all. There is no reason to bring heartbreak or anxiety into a transaction if it doesn’t belong there.
