In my experience, we serve our clients best when we adopt an attitude of respect and cooperation.
Remember how uncertain everything was when the pandemic started? We faced so many unknowns, including what would happen in the real estate market.
Thankfully, Texas REALTORS® worked during the early days of the pandemic to get real estate designated as an essential service. Transactions could proceed with proper health and safety precautions in place. Even so, who would have imagined the volume of residential transactions to come, the multiple-offer scenarios that would take place, and the price appreciation we’ve seen during the last few years? It has been astonishing. But in retrospect, it’s not such a surprise. After all, the quality of life and opportunities in Texas cities, towns, and rural areas are unsurpassed.
Many Texas markets have eased off from the record sales of last spring and summer, but only slightly. The number of transactions this year far surpasses the sales during the same time period in the years prior to the pandemic. In other words, the Texas real estate business is still booming.
A thriving real estate market still presents challenges, though. Amid such high sales activity, we have to maintain the high level of service and professionalism expected of REALTORS®. That applies to our clients and customers and to each other. Yes, we have a fiduciary duty to our clients, but remember that the Code of Ethics requires us to treat all parties honestly.
Our responsibilities to others go even beyond honesty. In my experience, we serve our clients best when we adopt an attitude of respect and cooperation. An adversarial stance might be the reflex when parties are on opposing sides of a transaction, but I find that people are generally happier and more successful when we seek the proverbial win-win in real estate transactions.
For example, I believe we owe it to our clients to make sure newer agents –all agents, really–are filling out contracts correctly. There’s a way to point out issues like that without a “gotcha” mentality. It is just professional that we all work together.
Speaking to you new REALTORS®—nearly 30,000 current members have joined since January 2020—keep in mind that hot real estate markets don’t last forever. Those of us who have been in business a while understand that market conditions can turn. No matter what is going on in the market, though, professionalism and respect for others are always the right approach. It’s the REALTOR® way.