I don’t want you to think I’m going to the dark side when I speak this, but there are times when interacting with others, I’m asked my opinion on something and I give it freely without any personal hidden agenda on my part. Later, I found them to move forward in a completely opposite direction. I can’t tell you how many times I have given my professional opinion regarding marketing, valuations, and recommended repairs or improvements, and the buyers or sellers do nearly exactly the opposite of what I suggested. It’s almost like they have the world’s smallest loudspeaker mounted in their ears screaming exactly the opposite of what I’m saying.
We all have family members and friends who have come to us asking for our opinions on this subject or that. Isn’t it strange how you find out later that they’ve done exactly the opposite? I’ve found that when speaking to some, there seems to be that “deer in the headlights” look in their eyes when they are looking right at you and pretending to be listening. I call it the “background music” that’s being played.
What’s the most scary is when you find over the years some of those very same people repeating over and over the same mistakes. There have been buyers that have jumped into buying the wrong homes over and over again and in the end loosing equity after each transaction. You can’t help but think they’re either in a self-destruct mode or they enjoy the trials and tribulations in a sick sort of fashion. You can’t even imagine some of the emotional roller coasters I’ve encountered in dealing with clients and customers like these. I’ll never forget a couple from years ago who jumped from home to home looking for the “right fit”. I never worked with them personally but couldn’t help but notice their movements from home to home. I don’t know where they moved after the last sale I noticed, but that particular home would have been the last place I would have purchased.
They were nearly senior citizens when they purchased a rickety old two story home that needed nearly everything and was located in an area where the values were deteriorating. After many thousands of dollars of upgrades, it went on the market and eventually sold for certainly less than the amount of money they had invested in it. I would have considered myself possessed if I had purchased a home like that in that location and condition. Seems we all have these invisible paths we are called to follow.
