An Open Letter to Buyers…

By rerockstar • July 20th, 2010

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Dear San Antonio home buyer:

I’ve been looking at some older posts and found this one that I thought I might share with all of you. Originally written for my blog at ActiveRain, I was still quite new to the industry when I wrote it. Even with the passage of time, I found myself nodding in agreement with my past thoughts – many things change, but some always stay the same.

Recently I wrote a post on AgentGenius entitled “An Open Letter to New Agents…” and I enjoyed the thought of it. For those of you that don’t know me very well, I often use the word “new” when referring to myself. I’m not afraid of the word like many people seem to be. I have tons to learn (and always will, no matter how much of an expert I am), so I actually like the tag, because to me, it just means I’m ready for more. Anyway, after writing it, I thought maybe I would continue in that same vein with some thoughts I’ve been having about real estate and my experiences with it.

Dear buyers,

Hi, my name is Matt Stigliano and I’m a real estate agent. I love what I do. It can be hard work, it can be frustrating work, but the fact is, I love it. I enjoy the feeling I get when a transaction closes. I enjoy the feeling I get when I can tell a client has found what they’re looking for. I enjoy the nodding heads when I see I’ve explained something in a way that the client understands. I enjoy driving around looking at houses. I love what I do.

In order for me to enjoy myself, I need to work hard. I don’t mind hard work at all. Sure, like anyone, sometimes I want to be sitting in front of a TV or out at the park, but instead my eyes are locked on a computer screen, my ear glued to a telephone, my gas tank empty from miles driven back and forth across the city, and my head is swimming with numbers and statistics. I love what I do.

Now I know how many of you feel about real estate agents, heck, us agents are probably more aware of that than you think. We try to battle the misconceptions and the anger directed at us at times, but the fact is, someone made you dislike us and probably because they weren’t very good to you. I guess I don’t blame you. I actually hated a real estate agent once. Had this particular agent been the last agent I ever used, I probably would have never become an agent. That’s how much I hated my experience. So you see, I know where you’re coming from. Then I found myself moving again and randomly picked someone off the internet (after several agents didn’t return my calls or emails) before heading to San Antonio and well, I got lucky. I not only picked a good agent, I picked an awesome agent. One that showed me how it should be done. One who handled everything without even breaking a sweat, even when we were two months past closing thanks to a mortgage broker that I insisted we use (who was then fired by us, forcing us to find yet another loan). That agent made me realize that not everyone fell under the umbrella of hatred I had formed against agents.

So when I decided to become an agent myself, I swore I would never be like one agent and be more like the two I had liked. They had done things right and even when things went wrong, they handled them in a calm manner, even though I (as the buyer) was freaking out. I did a lot of freaking out when I was buying! Me, I’m not too shocked when a client freaks out a bit. There’s a lot of money on the line and money makes people freak out. Especially when its theirs. Especially when one tiny detail makes everything suddenly look bleak. That’s where we, the agents, step in. We need to know how to get around those bleak-looking moments (the best way is to prevent them from ever happening, but I’m a realist, and they do happen). We need to think on our feet and fix things so that we can get back on track. And that’s what a good agent will do for you. Having said that, I also don’t think we will always have the answer, even if we’re quick to solve problems. Sometimes, we have to go somewhere else to find you the answer. A broker, a more experienced agent, other agents that we socialize with, a book…somewhere else. I have an agent in my office who has become my source for all sorts of questions about real estate. And because we’ve formed a good relationship, he answers my calls, day or night and gives me the advice and information I need. Its like having two agents in one!

I want you to know that we are out there. Agents who care for you and understand where you’re coming from. Agents who want the best for you and will do what it takes to help you get it. I don’t speak for everyone, but I know plenty of them. Let us understand your dreams and we will help make them happen. Be open, honest, and forthcoming and we will be able to great things together. I promise you the same. Your help on that alone, will get us further than you can imagine. I have big goals and big ambitions when it comes to real estate, I want it to change for the better for all of us (you and me). And we will make it better, there are many in the industry that are doing positive things to make your experience better, your transactions smoother, and everyone happier. I look forward to watching the real estate industry grow as I too will be growing during that time. That is a promise.

Matt

photo courtesy of annilove