Setting Boundaries: The Agent/Client Business Relationship

Grab your maps and road trip snacks while I take you on a nostalgic journey back to 2006. I was a brand new agent, and at my brokerage, there was a lot of buzz going around the office about a hot new app called Zillow. Little did we know it would become the behemoth real estate platform that it is today. 16 years ago, real estate wasn’t as tech-forward with countless paid options to generate leads. Your options were the trusty sphere of influence, post cards, and working open houses for successful agents.

My office happened to have one more option for leads known as “phone duty.” Now you could approach this as a duty, sitting at a desk by the receptionist, answering the phone for anywhere from 3-5 hours and not getting paid for it. Or, you could look at this position as I did: not as a duty but as an opportunity. However, since I was one of the only agents willing to do “phone opportunity,” I started noticing that I was put on the schedule more than any other agent. More often than not, they were crappy shifts late in the day and on weekends. I had to discuss this with my office manager as I had a new baby daughter at home, a husband, and a dog who missed me. I had to set boundaries.

Both new agents and seasoned real estate industry experts both struggle with work-life balance. Setting reasonable boundaries with your clients will result in a solid relationship that demands respect. It is very hard to do when you are hungry for business or just simply a people pleaser. The most successful agents will tell you that they didn’t get to where they are today by always being a “yes man.”

ESTABLISHING LIMITATIONS

Guess what? If you send your clients text messages at 11pm on a Sunday because a hot new listing just hit the market. That’s okay! You know that this listing will go fast, and you wanted to set up a showing with them as soon as possible. Just keep in mind that you set the precedent for when that same client is texting you late at night asking for immediate showings. Asking preferred means of contact (phone, text, email) in the beginning will help establish a steady stream of communication. Take the extra step and ask if there are certain times that you shouldn’t call. Perhaps they work 3^rd shift and are trying to sleep during the day. Showing care and respect for your clients in the early stages will convey how much you truly plan to be their advocate later in the transaction. 

HIGH MAINTENANCE

We have all dealt with “high maintenance” clients. For an unseasoned new real estate agent, you may be having regrets about the profession as a whole if a client is overly demanding. Don’t get discouraged. They aren’t all this way! Being forthright and politely reminding the client of your duties to them will reestablish why they hired you in the first place. Remember, you are a licensed professional and YOU hold the keys to the city in finding them their next home or selling their current one for best possible financial outcome. 

YOU’RE NOT A PSYCHIATRIST

Since residential real estate often contains many emotional facets, you may find yourself playing shrink. There may be financial problems forcing a client to sell the house before they are ready to. Maybe they are going thru a divorce or separation. Perhaps the sale of the property is the result of someone’s passing. When heirs are left with closing an estate, they sometimes leave rational decisions at the door. The house may be the ugliest on the block, but their grandfather was born on the kitchen floor, so it holds sentimental value to them. You have to maintain your role as the real estate professional. You are not a mental health professional, couple’s therapist or probate attorney. You are a real estate agent who must be able to tread softly with clients facing emotionally-charged decisions. You’re not Dr. Phil.