I have done enough real estate sales representing buyers and sellers to realize that every transaction is a first time. So far (and I have been active as a Realtor for more than 30 years) I have never experienced the same set of events, circumstances, attitudes or the approach to the transaction the same way.

Once I represented buyers where both the husband and wife were architects. They wanted the oldest and most run down house I could find so they could do their architect magic. We probably looked at 30 homes in the area they were most interested in. They ended up buying in a completely different area. The home they purchased was modern and needed no changes.

Then there was the seller who moved out of the area and the house was empty and in perfect condition. The grass was green and beautiful – this was during the California drought when the buzz words were “brown is the new green”. The seller had me and the gardener send pictures weekly to show the condition of the grass.

There was the transaction where everything went well for the seller but when the transaction closed he was upset that he had to move out immediately because he had not arranged accomodations. He finally moved out 10 days after the closing of the transaction but he was mad at me because he could not stay longer. Him remaining for a while was never discussed and he knew the move out date.

Most Realtors can tell story after story about different situations. The lesson I have (finally) learned is to treat every transaction as if it is my first transaction and the buyer or sellers first transaction and to listen intently to the customer and do not let any comment go unnoticed or remain the slightest bit unclear.

Boo