Well, If You ASK Me...

We Realtors® are by and large gregarious, fun-loving types of people who take pride in our work, and love to see our clients smile. We want to always place those smiles on their faces because it is instant reinforcement we are on the right track and our people love us. Oh, how FUN real estate is! But if our powers of observation lead us to a potential pitfall, or if we have to break bad news, we tend to get a little shy in our approach to speaking with our people.

If our buyers want to move on a property we suspect is already listed under market, or if our sellers wish to reduce the list price, we are all too happy to offer our opinion. Yet, timidity sometimes sets in when we discuss a purchase price, or whether to accept a counter-offer. After all, that's an administrative minefield, and we don't want to look bad if our advice backfires. However, whole deals will go south if we do not offer our advice. Our clients will become confused, frustrated and leaderless. In short, we fail when we do nothing.

Why should we ever wait for our clients to ASK us anything as it relates to the real estate process? It seems amazing when an offer comes in and the professional simply throws the paperwork on the table, and asks "So, what do you think"? That's not offering advice, that's being a currier. Our clients hire an industry expert, and deserve better. In fact, if they don't get the service they think is owed them, they will go elsewhere.

Of course, the people we represent are under no obligation to actually take our advice, but it is comforting for them to know our idea is an option. Years ago, I was showing a home in rural Rutherford County. The property was almost a century old, the floor slanted, there were cracks in the drywall, and through an attic window, it appeared to be hewn timbers between every other rafter. I actually said "PLEASE, do not buy this property!" I was fearful from a safety standpoint. I told them we could continue to look for homes elsewhere. But the dwelling reminded the lady of the old homestead growing up, and the man insisted he was handy enough to make such repairs himself. They bought the house against my objection.

Ultimately, our clients hold all the decision-making cards. Much to my relief, when  I visited them a month later, almost all the repairs had been made. So, do I feel ridiculous for voicing my concern? Absolutely not! In fact, before moving forward on the purchase, they did take time to more deeply reflect upon what it would really take to make all the repairs once they took possession. So, I did my job.

As Abraham Lincoln stated "A lawyers time and advice is his stock in trade". Whether we advise to; accept, reject, or counter; go high, go low, or go home, our clients expect a certain amount of guidance beyond where the GPS tells us to turn for the next appointment. We need not always wait for them to stare at us in stone silence before we open our mouths. They are already waiting for us.


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