07/10/2024
In the real estate business you definitely have to have thick skin. You will help people, go out of your way to give advice, be johnny on the spot, and even be a family member or close friend and then you'll see that they just bought a house or just listed a house and you were never invited to the party, so to speak. Oh you were pumped for that, "let me ask you a question about real estate" advice. In some cases you were hit up several times for advice. It's easy to take those things personal and even get down on yourself or them and get aggravated but if you want longevity you have to be able to move forward and understand that it's not always personal. Sometimes people just don't understand the process. I'd say a majority of people don't even fully understand how real estate agents get paid. I get asked for "free advice" all the time when it comes to real estate, and I continue to help people when and where I can with no strings attached. That has probably cost me over the years but so be it. If they decide to let me help them with the buying and selling process, then that's great. If not, I hope they have success whether I'm involved or not. I've been in this business for almost 20 years and I've helped hundreds of people and families and I will continue to do so. When I take on new clients, I want them to want to work with me and not feel obligated just because I'm a Realtor and they know me or are family. I have an absolutely huge family and so does Scarlett but over the years I can count the number of family members that I've worked with on 1 hand. That's not a very good percentage with the size of our families. For a long time that bothered me but then I got over it. lol. I had to understand that people have all kinds of other circles of people that they know and interact with and let me tell you, it seems like everybody is either a real estate agent or knows one or ten...lol...I tell people if they want honesty, if they want a hard worker, and if they want someone that knows the business and has weathered the storms with a proven track record then use me and if not, no harm no foul. Use who you feel comfortable with because there are a lot of good real estate agents out there but beware, because there are also a lot of fly by night ones. God bless and have a wonderful rest of the week. Derrick Merritt - The Real Estate Firm
