I follow way too many Realtor Facebook groups. While there is often some great idea sharing and networking, there seem to be equally as often rants about Realtors exhibiting unprofessional behavior.
What Makes Realtors Really Angry?
Lying and Misrepresentation of the Facts – Not too much more to say on this one.
Lack of Communication – Don’t leave Realtors and their clients in the dark. Keep all parties informed throughout every step of the process.
Unprofessional Communication – Rude, aggressive behavior, or using expletives is entirely unnecessary. Also, contacting clients or other Realtors outside of reasonable hours without urgent necessity is intrusive and disrespectful.
Lack of Consideration for Clients’ Time – Making sudden changes to appointments or not showing up for showings disrespects buyers’ and sellers’ time. In addition, allowing buyer clients to unknowingly proceed with showings when an offer is already in the final hours of being accepted or, worse, is accepted, is unwarranted.
Failure to Collaborate – We are all in the same market conditions, so work together. Accommodate each other during overlapping showings. Furthermore, regardless of the offer amounts or terms, always be responsive and courteous and send over a counteroffer. Don’t let the deal die on your side. You never know what will happen.
Sloppy Paperwork – Submitting incomplete or poorly prepared documents creates additional work for everyone involved, causing delays and frustrations. It can also put your clients in a detrimental position.
Lack of Diligence – Read the listing thoroughly and do your homework. Ignoring supplements or member-only comments wastes everyone’s time when you ask questions or request information that has been readily provided.
Trading Outside Your Area of Expertise – Without the proper education and experience, city-based Realtors should avoid handling rural properties, residential Realtors should not venture into commercial, and you should never work in a different city or town you are unfamiliar with. Refer out the transaction or partner with an experienced Realtor.
Disregard for the Property – Not taking care of the property during showings or leaving it in poor condition not only creates a risk of damage and security issues, but it will also directly damage your reputation.
Unrealistic or Last-Minute Demands – Give lots of time before the condition date for home inspections, and ensure your clients have their finances in order before viewing homes. You may need to do more homework or have the seller verify more details about the property. Give your clients more time by booking appointments related to conditions early. Making 11th hour negotiation demands, or asking for unreasonable concessions is a quick way to anger the other party and damage the potential for future amicable dealings.
Responding to Unprofessional Behaviour
This is a full topic for its own article, but here is the overall theme… remain calm, professional, and do not take it upon yourself to reprimand someone for their behaviour. Emotional outbursts often stem from taking things personally and making assumptions about this person’s intent. Their chosen actions and responses are all about them and not about you. The best thing you can do is ignore the emotion and focus on the facts. Be curious about what is important to them and ask clarifying questions.
Reacting in an emotionally charged way to a Realtor’s misgivings will not only harm future interactions with this person but will also make your clients question your ability to handle difficult situations. Remember that there are two sets of clients in this transaction who have important needs and substantial investments are at stake. To have two Realtors squabbling over the tone of a text message is something that should stay in high school and not a professional industry.
You will meet an enormous number of people during your real estate career and all of them have different personalities, experience and emotional regulation. You can’t change everyone, so don’t take it upon yourself to try. Focus on the transaction and always keep it professional for the sake of your clients. Remember, “You can’t carpet the world, so you need to wear slippers.”
