We MUST Be Our Clients' Advocate--Empower Them with Homework Too!
I recently had a cute young couple who have two small children who had moved here for a new job and did not know the area at all. They wound up with a real estate agent who placed them in a neighborhood outside of the city, neglecting to tell them that there would be fighting in the streets and gunfire in the middle of the night--OFTEN! They hated the neighborhood AND the school that their children were attending and were ready to move after their first two days in their new home.
WAIT! The information that these clients needed is NOT something that we are legally allowed to tell our clients! I know, it IS a shame but, it's a fact of life that we must learn to live with if we want to maintain our business licenses. What we ARE allowed to do is share references from which the client can glean all of the 'touchy' information that they'd like.
On with the story--Taking quite the financial hit, the family moved even farther out of the city into a much better area to rent but, continued to commute to work in Charlotte. Some time later, they began looking for another home, wisely NOT using their previous agent; instead they used my team to assist them through a referral from the wife's job at the bank. After sending them links to do their own research as well as setting them up with a gateway and having them pre-qualified, we began their home search.
They qualified for a much higher priced home than they originally thought and after viewing three homes in GREAT areas, in close proximity to their work, they've put in an Offer and are now proud homeowners in an area that they plan to reside for quite a few years!
The moral of the story--the original agent not only forgot to do her homework but, my clients had NO idea that THEY could do a little homework themselves. They thought that was what they had 'hired' the original agent to do. She did not pre-qualify them--they just THOUGHT the home that they purchased was all that they could afford because that is what a 'friend' had told them. So, the other agent wound up placing them in a home in an unsafe neighborhood in a school that the children were miserable, just to 'get it done'--not to mention, putting them in harms way in the process.
Because we are unable to discuss matters which our Buyers ask about certain neighborhoods, schoola and areas doesn't mean that we can't guide them to do it themselves. Give your clients homework to do and let them feel empowered and feel that they ARE a part of this process.
Believe me, YOU will sleep better at night.
About the author:
Debe Maxwell is a Charlotte Residential Real Estate Broker, Certified Neighborhood & Relocation Specialist, ABR & e-PRO who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in the Charlotte NC Metro Area. If you're relocating to or from any other area of the country, Debe connects you with any member of her team of relocation professionals in your destination or exit city of choice. The destination service is of no cost to you! The Maxwell House Group's quality service guarantee puts this team far ahead of the competition; providing unsurpassed customer service is their #1 priority! Debe Maxwell -- Helen Adams Realty -- 704.491.3310Disclaimer: All information provided by this author is strictly an opinion, is not guaranteed, may be based on information collected from several sources, which may or may not be deemed reliable at the time of researching this article and may be time sensitive.
Let's go shopping for Charlotte NC homes for sale!
(THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)
Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310
