Thinking like someone else
We all do it. We get “cursed” by our own knowledge and expertise. For real estate brokers and agents, for title officers, and for mortgage lenders; it’s easy to forget that the person you’re talking to doesn’t understand half of what you’re saying. You’d be amazed how many people don’t know what TREC, APR, LTV, GF# or BPO even stand for. Title? Most people don’t even understand what that is and why it’s important.
You have to change seats, and try to understand what your client is feeling and hearing.
Speaking Clearly
It’s tempting to just carry on using these terms and trust that clients are using google to effectively translate. But that’s still leaving too much to chance. If we truly value the relationships we have, then we have to value communication. That means taking the time to put words together that your audience will understand.
The same goes for all the paperwork. You may know exactly where to look for a specific piece of information, you’ve seen the TREC 1-4 family residential contract a thousand times. But for people who have only bought and sold real estate every 10+ years, this can look ominous. You’re here to guide them to the important stuff. Similarly, when preparing our title report, we need information; it’s our job to guide people through the clutter and help them focus in on what’s important.
Staying Proactive = Managing Emotions
Silence is deafening. There’s nothing worse than having earnest money on the line and moving towards a closing and then all communication stops. As a client, it’s terrifying, as an agent, it’s where deals lose momentum and die. We wish we could step in for every other party to a transaction, but we can’t, so we focus hard on the things we can impact. We’ve developed a habit of checking in, of communicating directly with the buyer and seller when we need information and always looping the agents in on whatever is happening. We don’t wait for anyone to ask us what’s going on, we’re proactive. And we won’t send someone a confusing document that’ll bog them down or a jargon-filled email. We explain what we need in plain English, and if it’s still not clear, we’ll jump on the phone and help them through it. For mortgage file numbers, we’ve been known to host a 3-way call for the client to get the information we need.
Wouldn’t it all be a little calmer if everyone understood everyone else, and everyone you relied on was being proactive?