Real estate comes with a high level of drama — be prepared for it

Key Takeaways

• During a real estate transaction, clients can feel tremendous stress — financial stress, work stress, and family stress.
• Transactions feel like big life decisions to clients — and because we’re in so deep with them, agents are the ones who often end up counseling them.
• Being an agent is about building relationships of trust — which means we’re sometimes called on for advice years after a transaction.

There will be a high level of drama in your real estate business. Clients can be under tremendous stress when buying or selling a house — financial stress, family stress, work stress.

Couples divorce. A spouse loses a job. I had a client whose spouse passed away while I was representing them. Another client had a child commit suicide during the time I was helping them.

Emotions run high in this business, and often you are the person your clients lean on.

I’ve had phone calls from clients at 11 P.M. the night before closing on a property that we’ve worked on over the past nine months. They are suddenly freaking out because they are now sure that buying the property is a bad idea for them and they want to back out.

These are big life decisions, and the impact on our clients’ lives can be huge. And because we’re in so deep with them, we’re the ones who often end up counseling them.

Divorce is common in this country, and many divorces involve real estate negotiations. An agent who is not careful can get sucked into the drama. You’re trying to help a couple reach an amicable settlement, and the next thing you know you’re being accused of taking his side or her side. That can get ugly.

Being an agent is about building a relationship of trust, not just for the duration of one sale but for years to come. I’ve had times when years go by after a sale, then one of the clients passes away unexpectedly, and the spouse contacts me because they’re overwhelmed with financial decisions that may or may not be real estate–related.

When that happens, you help them through it because you’ve built a relationship with them. They’ve come to you in their time of need, so you help them, no matter how difficult the situation. The job of a real estate agent frequently evolves into something so much more than selling homes. Some days you’ll feel more like a guidance counselor or a relationship therapist.