Excpectations
By Jim Palmer Jr.

Frequently I see brokers making decisions in real estate transactions that have a huge influence in how the transaction turns out. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how their luck goes! What I really mean by that is that it is obvious in many cases that decisions were not really made by the client. It is true that many buyers or sellers choose their broker because they trust their expertise and really expect to be strongly guided through difficult decisions, but does that mean they expect their broker/agent to make decisions for them? Probably not! Most brokers don’t see themselves as “all knowing and wise” like the great and powerful Oz, but there are those who do see themselves that way and who like to insert their will into a transaction when a more sensible approach would be to explain the choices and then allow the client to make the choice that is right for them.

Realtors® are not licensed to give legal advice like some people expect, and instead should always just explain the options or the meaning of forms or when appropriate, steer the client towards someone who is licensed to give legal advice.

When things go badly in a transaction some clients immediately place the blame on their broker as if they should have a crystal ball and the ability to out maneuver any unseen issues ahead of time. In those cases, the very person who is and has been advocating on the clients behalf seems to be converted into the enemy. That becomes an adverse work environment! I’m not saying that there should not be responsibility when someone steers a client in the wrong direction, but what I am saying is that sometimes bad things just happen in transactions that have a negative outcome despite the best efforts of a competent broker.

In my brokerage, we solicit a quality service response from the clients we serve in order to process that feedback to become better at what we do. One of the questions asks the client, “Overall, how did your broker’s service compare with expectations? More than expected? What you expected? Or less than you expected?” I find it very interesting how many people check the box for “What you expected” even in difficult transactions where the broker far exceeded reasonable service levels. Either they started out with a high expectation because of reputation or they were oblivious to the amount of energy the broker really expended.