I’ve been a real estate broker for almost two decades. Although it’s no longer my primary vocation, the lessons learned during my time owning brokerages still guide me today. 

Once I was helping a client sell their home. This was a very nice couple who I attended church with. They had seen another of my listings and wanted to make an offer. Although they didn’t get that house, it moved them to go ahead and put their home on the market and beginning the search for their new home. This meant I stood to sell their home and make in the neighborhood of $12,000 plus sell them a new home. This was a dream scenario.

Their house took longer to sell than anticipated, but we eventually got it under contract. The contract we accepted had a provision in it that read if no survey was available, the seller (not the buyer) would obtain a new survey at their cost. Given the seller believed they had their existing survey this was a non-issue so we signed. Well, guess what. No survey existed. The seller would be on the hook to buy a new survey at the tune of around $500. They were furious at me for letting this happen. 

I told them they needn’t worry I would make sure it was all handled. I could tell they were upset. The fact my yard sing in their front yard had been destroyed clued me in to this fact. It wasn’t that they were going to be out any more money (remember I assured them I would handle that) it was that moment of fear and anxiety this issue had caused them. I had failed. I should have been much more diligent in reviewing and explaining the contract with them. I should not have allowed them to agree to the contract as it was written. I should have had them better prepared.

We ended up getting a new survey. Who paid for it? That’s right. Yours truly. My client didn’t ask me to pay for it. However, I insisted. Goodwill established right? Wrong. They ended up buying a home valued at around $700,000 via another Realtor. I had lost them as a client. I had not gone the extra mile when it counted.

There is a time when it’s too late to go the extra mile. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to make up for your oversight or lack of attention to detail. I’m not saying that at all. I am saying you should make a point to go above and beyond when it doesn’t matter. Go the extra mile before you have to. Mistakes happen. However, if people know you are doing everything in your power to perform at this highest level on their behalf, they are much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. This will buy you goodwill when it counts. There are things that will happen on deals, transactions, you name it. Many of these things are beyond your control. If you want the benefit of the doubt when they arise, go the extra mile before they do.

Think about this. How many time have you had horrible service at a restaurant and therefore got it free? Did you later go, “WOW! I can’t wait to crush Miss. Patty Bufunclkles Fried Chicken Dojo again! The service sucks, but they comp your meal if it does.”? No of course not. You won’t go there again and if you do, you will be skeptical at best. But that’s most likely after you’ve given bad review’s of Patty’s to all your friends. The free meal was a quick fix with no lasting positive ramifications. 

Go the extra mile when it’s NOT expected. That’s the rule.

You rule!

Jason