The thing that surprised me the most about real estate when I started as an agent six years ago was that it wasn’t always happy.
Real estate can feel like jumping from one shiny object to another…Selling Sunset, Buying Beverly Hills, HGTV, scrolling Zillow, cheery open houses, living vicariously through gorgeous staging, and aspirationally falling head-over-heels with “the one”.
While some folks do joyfully leap into their “forever” homes, the truth is that most people buy and sell houses during really monumental junctures in their lives.
After interest rates jumped in 2022, we saw a decrease in the number of “voluntary” home buyers and sellers. Those who had the choice to stay, did. Instead, the number of people engaging us in our services because of the loss of a family member, divorce, or an unexpected life-change has ticked up in the past year.
Every buyer and seller needs a steady hand, rock-solid guidance, and privacy and discretion when buying or selling a home. When that endeavor is for reasons that are less joyful, or involves multiple decision makers who may or may not be on the same page, clarity of communication is even more important.
Trustees grapple with the loss of a loved one while being asked to handle an estate. It can feel overwhelming, and the biggest need for these clients is an agent who can competently lift workload off their shoulders and solve problems without kicking up additional dust. When there are multiple decision-makers and beneficiaries, it’s of the utmost importance that the communications are even-handed, clear, and that all parties have access to the information that led to a decision. Last, these clients need the emotional intelligence that only another person who has experienced loss can bring - the sensitivity to understand that in the days after a loss, time can lose meaning, sleep can be hard to come by, and emotions run high. It’s all part of the natural course of mourning.
Our clients who are going through divorce have a slightly different set of needs. While there is loss and mourning in any separation, the priority for these folks lies in representation. Each person has to feel that their best interests are being addressed and met. All our communications include all parties (no “side chats”), which is important for building trust and agreement in decision-making. The goal is that regardless of the outcome in a home sale, each person feels like they received equal representation along the way and were empowered to make the best decision that they could have given the circumstances.
When life unexpectedly shifts and our sellers are not local, they need to trust that their agents are caring for their home as if it were their own. Having a crystal-clear path on any market preparation is paramount - bids that don’t shift, a scope of work that makes sense, is vetted, and approved, and regular updates with photos and video. If something unpredicted happens, these sellers need to trust that their agent communicates about the issue at-hand and has a reasonable path for resolving it. The last thing an out-of-town seller needs is to feel that they need to be physically present and our goal is to “handle everything” with our clients’ knowledge and authorization.
Gentle but direct guidance, clear and frequent communication copying all parties involved, and an unwavering ethics and fiduciary are a cornerstone of how we approach our practice.
We say this again and again…no two clients are alike. It’s our joy and happiness to support our clients through some of the hardest and simultaneously most joyful moments in their lives.
This work has never been about the houses. It’s about the lives lived in these homes and the lives imagined. Through the hardest times and the best times, we are here for it.
