Skip to main content

Everyone Digs a Scar

Currently, there’s a commercial on television for Allstate advertising their policy for full replacement of a motorcycle if you total your new one.  It’s short but succinct with a bit of humor at the end.  Good for you, Allstate!  However, it doesn’t exactly ring true. 

If you total your car, there’s a good chance you’re going to be a bit banged up that’s the nature of an accident where your car gets totaled, of course.  However, it’s certainly POSSIBLE that, because of airbags, crumple zones, improved seat belts, etc., you could walk away without a scratch from an accident severe enough to total your car.  On the other hand, if you’re involved in an accident on your motorcycle that’s bad enough that the insurance company is going to total it AND pay for a brand new bike, the likelihood that you’ll be walking around without a limp and/or a mild concussion chatting it up with one of your girlfriends is . . . well, it’s going to be lower than the space between you and the pavement when you had to lay the bike down.  In the Allstate commercial, though, the woman who totaled her bike doesn’t have her arm in a sling or a scratch on her face she and her friend are yukking it up about how getting a new motorcycle after totaling the original is like upgrading her second husband.  Ha ha ha ha! 

If a real estate agent makes a transaction look too easy like she came out of it without a scratch or a slight limp that might only last for a day or two she is sort of doing herself a disservice.  What?  Think about this: which inspires more confidence?  (A) “After we found the house and made an offer, all I had to do was show up at closing, sign some papers, and get the keys.”  Or, (B) “My agent fought tooth and nail to get my offer accepted over four other offers, made sure the seller gave us full concessions, and stayed in touch with the lender every step of the way.”  Sure, there are many people who like things to go super smoothly, and A is impressive.  However, I’ll go out on a limb here and assert that B is going to be far more compelling and will motivate more potential clients to seek out that real estate agent. 

In truth, though, both A and B could describe the exact same transaction, but it’s all in the way the agent tells the story, right?  The process of buying a house isn’t like walking up to a vending machine, feeding your money into the slot, and pressing the button marked “3 bed, 2 bath ranch style with a pool, 1895 square feet.”  There are so many moving parts in a real estate transaction that a great agent should take the time to point them out - helping her client see how she’s addressing them and overcoming obstacles is not only impressive, but it helps the client more fully appreciate their home after escrow closes.  When we talk to real estate agents, on both sides of the transaction, we like them to know what we’ve done to keep things on track it’s not bragging; it’s building confidence.

We’re in the thick of a seller’s market right now (I may have mentioned that once or twice in past editions of this newsletter), so believe me, agents are going to have a lot of chances with which to impress you.  If you’re a buyer, ask your friends whom they would recommend and don’t go for the “smooth” agent there’s no way to know whether he’s prepared to fight for you because it’s possible he’s never been battle tested.  Rather, go for the agent with some “scars” there’s always a cool story behind them, right?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Numbers Don't Lie, But Wherein Lies the Truth? (Posted November 21, 2016)

Said with enough conviction, you can make almost anything sound true.   Preface the fabrication with “according to a recent bi-partisan government study,” and you’re three quarters of the way to selling the lie to a lot of people.   Seriously, try this. The next time you’re at a dinner party or having coffee with friends, pepper this little tidbit into the conversation: “I read something really interesting the other day.   According to a recent bi-partisan government study – I think it took them three years to get it all done – middle-aged men who drive either a Toyota Camry or a Honda Odyssey have more testosterone than younger men who drive either a Ford F150 or a Dodge Charger.”   You’ll get some raised eyebrows and looks of mild disbelief, but don’t let that deter you.   Just lift up your hands, palms outward, and say, “I just think it’s interesting, and it makes sense when you think about it” – and then change the subject to something completely u...

Dumb as (or Smart as) a Box of Rocks (Posted June 27, 2016)

Obviously, you all want to know what Brexit means to the economy and the housing market specifically.   So do I!   But since my crystal ball is at the cleaner’s, let’s give the Brits and the European Union a little time to work out the terms of their separation and look at something else.   What’s a “fad ”?   With the help of Google, this is what I got as a definition: “an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.” In April 1975, an advertising executive by the name of Gary Dahl invented the Pet Rock.   The idea came from his sitting in a bar with some friends who were complaining about the cost and time required to take care of various types of pets.   He marketed his “pets” by placing a rock in a box cut and shaped like one you would get at the pet store to carry home a puppy or a kitten.   Along with the box and the rock, a booklet was included...

Left Behind (Posted April 4, 2016)

It’s highly likely that almost every single one of you already read the Yahoo! Finance article about the survey that Chase recently completed.   For the seven people who decided to take a nap under a rock last week, I’m going to share some of the major talking points here – the rest of you can step away and have an ice cream or paint your cat’s toenails.   First off, the survey shows that an ALARMING 68% of Americans are starting the home search on their own (gasp!) with 45% using a computer or laptop (as opposed to some other type of technologically advanced processor like a microwave oven) as the first step in this search and 13% using their mobile devices.   (In other related news from the Department of the Obvious, scientists have found that fish still have no use of a bicycle and looking directly at the sun is inadvisable.)   With numbers like these, we should just throw in the towel and join the circus, right?   Here’s the weird thing: in the ...