"Are you sure?"

So, it's been a tough week.

 

Things you don't want to hear on a home inspection: "In 14 years as a home inspector, I've never seen termite damage up this hight."  Excellent.

 

Well, that was one thing.

 

The other real bad thing (on top of some more minor nuisances) was this:

 

So, Tuesday night I am sitting desk duty, which I use more as a tool to get in the office and do paperwork and such more than as a mode of growing my business.  As normal, no real good leads come about, but a guy does walk in just before 6pm.  The dude is huge, standing around 6'7" or so (yes, I am 6'5", but 6'7" looks huge even to me because I never look up to anyone).

 

The guy introduces himself and he wants a print out of listings under 250K in the area.  I tell him to sit down in one of the conference rooms.  At that point, he says, "Well, let me get my girlfiend."  Okay.

 

So, the girlfriend, and they sit down in the conference room, as she is on the phone with an agent that I believe they called off a sign.  She gets off the phone and I start asking some questions.  Actually, she is the buyer by herself and she is looking up to the 300K range.  Okay.

 

I open up my buyer conversation book (yes, I have a "buyer conversation book"...it's incredibly exciting I can assure you :) ).  I get through the introduction about me and the part about Long and Foster.  Then, almost simultaneously, the two customers start laughing.

 

The guys says, "Well, actually, both my brother and my mother are Long and Foster agents, so they'd probably be pissed if we didn't use them.  We really just want a list of listings."

 

What the...?  Letting the obvious questions subside, I say, "Well, in that case, you can call them and they can access that info from any computer with an internet connection."

The customers are somehow surprised by this information and go to leave.  I let them for a second, but then, not able to help myself, say, "Well, trust me, I understand family pressures.  But, not for nothing, you came in here for a reason.  Are your relatives full-time or part-time agents?  How experienced are they?  How's their service?  Honestly, you might want to listen to the rest of my spiel just to be sure that you really want to go with your family here."

 

They think for a bit, and say, "Well, okay."

 

Then, I spend the next 30 minutes going through everything I normally go through.  At the end I say to the girl, "Well, that's that.  That is why I have been successful in this business, even as a rookie.  Again, I understand family pressures and you need to do what you need to do if you have to go with your boyfriend's mother or brother, but, honestly, the arrogant part of me wants to say, 'I'm better'."

 

The girl decides that she will make a decision on which agent to use by Friday, and so I ask if it would be okay for me to follow up with her on Friday.  She says, "Sure," and gives me her cell phone number and e-mail.

 

They leave, I pack up my stuff at the office, and get to my car to get to a meeting in Baltimore that I am already late for (I called my clients ahead of time to work it out).  As I am putting my key in the ignition, my phone rings...a number I don't recognize, which is unusual, because I store every number in my phone (I mean, EVERY number).

 

"Hello...this is Greg."

 

"Hi, Greg.  It's (the girl).  I want to work with you."

 

"Wow...are you sure?  I know how family can be."

 

"Yes...you'll do a great job for me."

 

"Okay."

 

With me late to a meeting in Baltimore and her running to Virginia that night, we decide to meet the next day to sign the papers and get everything started with the lender.  Sweet.  I'm excited, glad to see someone so blown away by my presentation (honestly, it's a good presentation, and it's for real; I don't mess around as an agent and I have a very good system to get my buyers exactly what they want), and feeling much better about the "over-ambitious termites" that were encountered that morning.

 

That night, I e-mail the girl the following:

 

(the girl),

 

No, I don't make a daily habit of sending off e-mails at 1am, however I did want to touch base with you before our meeting tomorrow, thanking you for giving me the chance to work for you over the next couple of months (and beyond).  Your quick phone call was a pleasant surprise that ended up really putting a really bright spot in a rather hard day.

 

So, I will see you at 1pm tomorrow.  Thanks again, (the girl).

Peace,
Greg

 

I go to sleep shortly after writing the e-mail, just to get a call at 7am the next morning...it's a different number that I don't recognize...

 

"Hello...?"

 

"Oh...um...Greg...it's (the boy)."

 

"Yeah."

 

"I just want to let you know that we've decided to go with my brother, so you don't waste your time going to the office today."

 

"Well, you gotta do what you gotta do."

 

"Yeah."

 

I hang up, steam for the next 30-minutes, eventually fall back to sleep, only to wake up feeling unrested and crappy.

 

Mid that day, I wrote the following e-mail:

 

(the girl),

 

I must say that I was surprised when you called me last night, and I was extra surprised by the phone call I received from (the boy) this morning.  In the midst of everything else I have been doing, I have been pondering all day whether or not to write you this e-mail, but I guess I feel I have nothing to lose and you might have a lot to gain.

 

I don't know (the boy)'s brother, but the very fact that you called me last night gives me evidence that you have some reservations about hiring him as your buyer's agent.  This doesn't mean that you don't like him as a person...however, a client really ought to have full trust in their agent.  I assume that you consider this the most important purchase of your life, and you want to make sure that it is handled by someone that is readily accessible and who can provide you with top notch service while getting you exactly what you want/need.  (the boy)'s brother might have your best interests at heart, but his ability to deliver for you is honestly more important than his intentions to do so.

 

Maybe (the boy)'s brother is a great agent who has a good track record.  I don't know...but, if you haven't found this out yet, you need to.

 

How many transactions has he done of late?

 

How accessible is he (ie. will you be able to call him at 7:00am and have him actually answer the phone if that's when you need him)?

 

What is his track record in securing closing costs for his buyers?

 

How does he show you properties?

 

Will he be able to get you to settle in the timeframe that is best for you?

 

How does he deal with listing agents in negotiations and in nursing a transaction to closing?

 

Who are the referral partners that he works with, and how reliable are they?

 

He is able to write a strong, complete contract that will get accepted in a competing situation?

 

He is able to make sure that you are protected in the contract should something go wrong with it?

 

If you don't like the service you are getting, how will you feel firing your boyfriend's brother?

 

All of these things are important.

 

(the girl), you heard my speil yesterday.  I have been on the buyer's side of 11 transactions since April, and half of these transactions were from clients that I obtained by referrals from previous clients.  I am not saying that I am the absolute best agent out there, but my track record has shown that I am one of the better agents out there and I stand by my work 100%.

 

In short, I would ask you to reconsider and make sure that you are doing what is best for you.  If (the boy)'s brother is worth his weight as an agent, he should be able to answer all of the above questions in a manner that is acceptable to you and he should respect your decision if you decide that another agent (whether it is me or someone else) is better able to serve you.

 

Sincerely,
Greg

 

Yes...quite the week.  $4,000 that was never mine to begin with is handed to me and then ripped away.  Trust me, I would have busted my butt for the girl to earn every bit of that $4,000, and she's just going to give it to her boyfriend's family who I guarantee will "get" it more than he will "earn" it.  She hasn't even e-mailed me back.  Don't get me wrong...I firmly believe that few people intentionally act out to completely screw people over, but "innocent" incidents of intentions turned into misleadings are wrong.  When your word means so little that you will break it just to keep a little bit more peace in your life, you really have to evaluate yourself a little deeper.  Of course, that's just my opinion...

Peace,
Greg