In the Trenches

To Attract Clients, Aim for the Mercedes
Don’t Wear Stilettos During Showings
Where’s My Closing Gift?
Buying for the Amenities

To Attract Clients, Aim for the Mercedes

“Aim for the Mercedes.” Our trainer for new practitioners counseled us to set our sights high, to envision ourselves enjoying the fruits of our labor. Smell the leather in those seats, she said, and hear the hum of the engine of the beautiful car we will buy after achieving our goals. I don’t think the way I applied her advice is what she had in mind.

One day, I was driving along unfamiliar streets. Without realizing it, I clipped a double-parked car. Unfortunately, it was a Mercedes-Benz. I shuddered and braked. “Why did you do that?” asked the outraged car owner. “Why? My new car!” What could I say? I cringed.

We exchanged license and insurance information. Apologizing profusely, I handed out my business card to both the husband and wife. I asked them please to call me. I reassured them that I intended to fix the car. The car owner’s son also asked me for a card. I duly handed it to him. “I’ll keep this,” he said. “I might want to buy a house.”

I do not recommend this rather expensive method of generating leads. If you decide to pursue it, however, remember my experience and aim for the Mercedes!

—Katharine Hadow, sales associate with Burgdorff ERA, REALTORS®, in Summit, N.J.

Don’t Wear Stilettos During Showings

About 13 years ago, I was showing an expensive home in the upscale Bel Air section of Los Angeles. My client was, of course, with me. As always, she was impeccably dressed. The listing agent looked sharp in his designer suit. Everything was very genteel.

It happened that the sellers were at home, sitting in their breakfast room, relaxing with their morning coffee and enjoying the view of the expansive garden on their property. Everything was going very well until we moved to the garden area. Back then, I always wore very high-heeled spiky shoes. As I stepped from the solid patio onto the grassy area, my spiky heels sank into the earth. I lost my balance and flipped over, landing in an extremely unflattering position, with mud-splattered dress, in front of everybody. I wasn't hurt, but my dignity certainly suffered. I've since modified the shoes I wear when I show property.

—Sheri Weisbender, associate broker with RE/MAX Westside Properties, Brentwood, Calif.

Where’s My Closing Gift?

It was seven days before the scheduled closing on one of my listings. The FHA appraiser was just getting to our property. The sellers were in Florida with their children visiting Mickey. They were to have a painter work on the pealing paint and unpainted wood siding on the exterior trim. Well, of course, the painter never arrived, and the appraiser said he could not overlook the paint issue.

Fortunately for the sellers, as a former home improvement contractor, I had all the equipment and knowledge needed and proceeded to paint about 20 percent of the exterior trim. I sent digital photos to the appraiser and the loan was approved. The sellers returned from Walt Disney World the day before closing. We did back-to-back closings on their sale and new purchase.

It was bad enough that it did not occur to them to thank me for saving the sale or pay for the work they would have paid the painter, but here's the real kicker: After the closing of their new home, one of the sellers said, “Don't you usually give us a gift when the sale goes through?” I told them that I left their gift on the trim of the house they just sold! That would have to do, as I considered the painting to be a huge gift.

—Mike Travers, associate broker with Jack Conway & Co. in Bridgewater, Mass.

Buying for the Amenities

Ringing the doorbell and calling out does not always catch the attention of everyone in a 7,000-square-foot home. Nobody was supposed to be home. The husband and wife buyers and I arrived to view the large home, and we were half-way up one of the staircases when we saw a young lady wearing nothing but shoulder-length blonde hair walk quite calmly across the landing.

The husband might have bought the house if for no other reason than the memory. His wife? Let’s just say she didn’t care for the decoration.

—Anna Schulte, sales associate with Dawn Shumway & Associates, Houston

Return to In the Trenches main page