Dallas Real Estate News

I began selling real estate when email was just kicking in to high gear.  People were still using dial up internet, there was no such thing as social media or cell phones that were used for anything other than telephone conversations.  Voice mail was still "it", and the news was delivered via network television and print newspapers. 

At the time, whenever I sat down with a seller, we would decide which day of the week was best for me to telephone with an update on showing feedback, market activity, plans for the week and whatever else we needed to discuss.  I would pull out my "daytimer" and mark "their" day and confirm a time to call... evening, morning, etc.  It was a good method.  I knew when they expected to hear from me, they knew when to expect to hear from me.  With few exceptions, my clients and I established a rapport and trust that enabled us to work together toward the successful sale of their home. Because I was pro-active, my clients never felt neglected.  They knew that they could contact me anytime they felt the need to do so, but calls from my clients were rare.   

A few years later, I began sending regular weekly reports of showing feedback directly from the showing service and market activity via email reports with lots of graphs and information.  At the time it was an innovative approach and sellers were generally very pleased with the information, but eventually, the lack of personal contact bothered me... and probably the sellers, too.  While e-mail reports are probably the best way to convey lots of detailed information, sometimes directly from the sources, there is no better way to stay in touch with my sellers than by a good old fashioned telephone call.  It doesn't have to be weekly, but it must be regular, and it is my job to initiate it!   

I cringe when I hear people say that the only time they heard from their agent was when they are being pestered to lower their asking price.  Of course, some sellers don't want to be bothered. "Just call me when you get an offer!", but that is NOT the norm.  Some sellers have expected me to contact them after every showing (also not the norm, thank heaven!).  The critical thing to remember is that from the outset,  everyone benefits when the sellers and their agent establish clear expectations about how and when they will communicate...

...until the offer comes in and the fun begins!  But that's a whole other blog.