Sometimes you can't win.
This morning I received a call from a "senior" realtor with Hallmark. The senior part reflecting years of experience.
This realtor went on to relate an experience which occurred within the last few days. The realtor wanted to give me the "heads up" in case I heard from a member of the public on the matter.
It seems this realtor had met these "clients" in the usual way. The realtor determined their wants, needs and price point. A thorough meeting took place prior to any showings. These clients and the realtor had a meeting of the minds and decided to work together. Life was good for all.
Eventually a property of interest showed up which checked off everything for them. The discussion got around to doing a "pre-emptive" offer on the property. The realtor called the listing broker to get some background info. It was all a go.
Within hours, this realtor was informed by the listing broker that another offer was coming in. The realtor had a meeting with the clients and the decision was made to not compete. No worries - the realtor informed the listing broker that the clients would not be coming with an offer.
Next day, it was determined that the competing offer wasn't accepted and the property was still available.. The realtor informed the clients and all hell broke loose.
The clients went up and down on this realtor - throwing accusations about how it was all a set up and that there never was another offer. The realtor offered all the supporting info but to no avail. In the mind of the client, it was all a ruse to get them to offer and put in a higher price. It wasn't of course - with a fast moving market - things change.
A small part of me can understand the thought process of the clients - they didn't trust the "game" Not sure what the realtor could of done to gain their trust - with all of the press about realtors playing games with the public. This realtor runs business in a straight forward, transparent manner. Communication was key and intentional.
Because of the thought pattern of the clients, they are not bidding on the home which they wanted. They came to a conclusion which was wrong.
So what is the lesson in all of this? I didn't offered anything to this realtor which would of been different from what was done. The clients were intent that they were being set up, and that goes a long way to speaking to the state of our industry.
When it is all said and done, we can only continue to run our business in a transparent manner, ethical and with integrity. Some people will expect to be "taken" and perhaps they will eventually scope out someone who will - unfortunate as that is for all of us.
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