Buyers are LIARS and Sellers are YELLERS!

Those sage words, ladies and gentlemen, represent the quintessential belief system of many real estate professionals today.

Now that I have insulted each and every one of you, I will even the score with this one….

Real estate agents are no better than used car salesmen They only care about their commission.

So….who is right?

These expressions are nothing more than character assassinations and nothing less than gross generalizations.

As the infamous Rodney King once said, “Can’t we all just get along?”

As a Realtor®, I am incensed when I hear other professionals make comments like, Buyers Are Liars! I’d like to examine why it might be that so many Realtors think this way.

Might it be that……………

The Realtor’s expectations are more than what reality should dictate?

The Realtor’s communication skills fell short?

The lingo and verbiage used means different things to different people?

Wow, look at that! Three possible explanations and none deserve for a buyer to be called a liar. If you’ve read, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, you will see that, uh, yikes, ALL FOUR agreements are blown here! But the one I wanted to focus on was agreement numero dos, don’t make assumptions.

Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? I was not raised in a particularly religious household but I was taught a value system. And one of the premises in that value system is, coincidentally, derived from the Bible, known as The Golden Rule.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Or as I simply say, treat others as you would like to be treated.

This is how I run my business.

Here’s a scenario in which many Realtors operate (and trust me, I am making no friends in my industry by saying this). Enter a potential Buyer. Buyer meets Realtor® at agent’s office. After some niceties, a brief discussion of Gainesville Real Estate, Buyer’s needs, etc., then the procedural stuff and ….out comes the Buyer’s Agent contract. “If you sign right here, I promise to do this, that and the other thing…”

WAIT JUST A MINUTE! I don’t even know you!

If I was the buyer in that scenario, I would not walk; I would RUN just as fast as I could. What happened to making your own decision as to whether someone can adequately represent you? Don’t you have any say in that?

Many of us actually like to do business with those we like, those with whom we have rapport, a common interest or bond, someone who listens to our needs. How the heck can one determine that after 15 minutes of talking….or even after one outing?

Long story short…..I NEVER have anyone sign a Buyer’s Agent Agreement. My Broker is probably not happy with me for not doing so and many Realtors®, if not most, would say I am foolish, not protecting myself, and wasting large amounts of time.

Why?

Because their belief system may be that everyone is out to take advantage of everyone else, that we require contracts and agreements just to ensure civility and common courtesy.

Listen, if after working with me for a day, a week, a month, and you are not satisfied with my performance…..the Gainesville real estate I keep showing you are homes outside of your desired price range, I miss or am routinely late for appointments; you can’t get hold of me on the phone, then guess what?

I DESERVE to lose you as a customer!!

So this piece of paper, this Buyer’s Agreement is supposed to do what….force the Buyer to continue to work with someone who is not doing his or her job? I have my customer’s back and I operate as though they have mine as well. Loyalty begets loyalty. But words are cheap and the proof is in my performance.

I am not saying I have not been burned; what I am saying is this: treat others with respect, expect that they will do the same and, more often than not, you will be rewarded.

By the way, should you decide to sign a Buyer’s Agreement, be sure to read it thoroughly. There may be language in there that may obligate you to a fee should you decide to either switch agents or not buy Gainesville real estate at all.

Gainesville Real Estate, Spirituality and The Golden Rule (part two) , will address the Buyers Are Liars myth.