Ohhh, the Realtor Life… Just Be Nice

Have you ever heard the saying, “You attract more bees with honey than vinegar”. To me, it is such an important adage- just BE KIND and all of the sudden the world can feel so different. I can’t say 100% of the people out there will react positively to your kindness, but when they do, it is the best feeling in the world. Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness and the kindness we offer to others is what makes us a beautiful inside and out.

Which is why what happened to me my first time sitting the front desk left me so hurt and befuddled. Picture me : an eager, excited, new affiliate of Coldwell Banker, SO pumped to receive my first call on “Floor Duty”; I’ve studied my dialogue, I have my MLS webpage up and ready to go, I AM SO PREPARED to answer questions and get leads! The phone rings, my heart jumps and pulse quickens. Here goes!

Me, with a smile in my voice: “This is Susie with Coldwell Banker South Hills, how may I assist you today?”

Vinegar: “I NEED TO KNOW THE PRICE OF A HOME ON MONTOWN RD”- a haughty voice barks into the phone.

Me, smile slowing fading: “No problem. I didn’t quite hear you though. Can you please repeat that street name?”

Vinegar: “MONTOWN RD!”

Me, as I frantically type in Montown Rd and have “0” results- smile now gone: “I am having difficulty finding a home on Montown Rd. In what area is the home located?” At this point I can hear her breathing heavily into the phone, she is really huffing. My stomach starts to turn, I am not getting the best feeling about where this conversation is heading…

Vinegar: “I DON’T KNOW! Finleyville? No, maybe Eighty-Four?”

Me: “Okay, so that’s a big area, if you could give me the street number, I can search by that.”

Vinegar: “OH MY GOD. ARE YOU NEW TO THE BUSINESS? This is RIDICULOUS.” I can hear her car door beeping and it is making her REALLY flustered. From the sound of it, she’s fumbling around with papers and can’t seem to find what she is looking for- I can feel the actual thump of my heart beat inside my head…

Me: “Ma’am, if you just tell me the address you are looking at, I can find it quickly.”

Vinegar: ” I CAN’T SEE THE ADDRESS! IT HAS A SIGN UP AND I WANT TO KNOW THE PRICE! I CAN FIND IT ON ZILLOW FASTER THAN TALKING TO YOU.” Car door is still beeping in the background- it is starting to make my upper lip sweat a bit. I wipe it away and try and stay focused and calm.

Me: “Well, you could always use Zillow if that is easier for you. Or how about this, give me your name and phone number and I will call you right back with the information once I have proper time to research it.”

Vinegar: “YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT? YOU-TO-DO-YOUR-JOB AND TELL ME WHAT I HAVE NOW I ASKED YOU FOR THREE TIMES.” Whoa. This is not good. She is clearly irate now- and being exceptionally irrational.

Me: “Okay, I don’t feel this phone call is going in a professional manner. Why don’t you give me a call back when you can talk to me more professionally.”

Vinegar: inhales sharply and spits out through gritted teeth “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”

At this point another agent has come to assist me, and she is signaling to me to give her the info so she could try and find the listing. She grabs my attention at the exact moment Vinegar asks for my name, and I get distracted and I pause.

Vinegar: “OH. YOU AREN’T GOING TO TELL ME YOUR NAME? THAT’S REAL PROFESSIONAL!”

Me, after I quickly regain focus: “No Ma’am, sorry, someone came into my office. My name is Susie.”

Vinegar: “WELL SUSIE. YOU ARE THE WORST AGENT IN PITTSBURGH. I FEEL SORRY FOR ANYONE WHO USES YOU. YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED IN THIS BUSINESS AND YOU WILL FAIL MISERABLY! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO REAL ESTATE AND HAVE NO CLUE.”

Me: “Oh, thank you for those kind words.”

Vinegar: “AREN’T YOU JUST THE RUDEST PERSON! I WILL TELL EVERYONE NOT TO USE YOU. I’VE NEVER!!!!! YOU. ARE. RUDE!”

Me: “Thank you for those kind words.”

She hangs up on me. I put the phone down.

The other agent that came to my aide looks at me in reassurance. She says to me, “Well, that ended better than it started!” I look at her quizically and ask if she is messing with me. She says, “No! You thanked her for her kind words- I thought she was apologizing to you.” And that’s when I broke down into tears. So much for my first call.

It turns out the road she was on was Munntown, not Montown. If she had taken the time to speak kindly and make sure the information she was providing was correct, she would have discovered within minutes that the home she was inquiring about was already under contract. But because she chose to be mean and irrational, nothing was accomplished and feelings were hurt:-(

So always remember to BE KIND, BE CALM, BE UNDERSTANDING and for the love of all that is good in the world, spell words that are not common! (I ALWAYS spell my last name, even if the person doesn’t ask. No one ever guesses right!)

Later that night when I told my husband about the angry lady that told me I was the worst agent in Pittsburgh, he responded:

“Well now, how could she know that? There is no way she has met ALL the agents in Pittsburgh!” Thanks honey.