What Makes a Client Difficult to Work With?

I am reporting to you fresh off of my bachelor party weekend!  It was incredible - not solely because I got to see the best Phish show in 25+ years, but because I was able to catch up with old friends (the real kind, not just the "phriend" kind).

Many of these friends don't really see me as a real estate agent - understandably so, as most of the time we spent together was growing up together or in college.  One of the questions a buddy asked me really got me thinking.  He asked me "what are some qualities you identify in a client that makes you know they're going to be difficult to work with" (note: I'm pretty sure he was asking me this because he thought the agent who sold his house in Colorado had identified him as difficult...and this was likely a correct assumption).

I pondered this for a bit.  Truth be told, I have not had really any clients who stand out as particularly difficult.  Part of this is due to the fact that I began my career working at and eventually running a vocational rehabilitation center that served adults with serious and persistent mental illness...so many of those clients could be particularly challenging just by the nature of their need for services.  When I got into real estate, I felt like I had warmed up with about 46 bats in the on-deck circle (extra bonus for anyone who gets the reference).  And if you think it's a stretch to compare clients in the mental health world with clients in the real estate world...well, I can assure you it is not.  We're all human after all, and home sales are inherently stressful experiences.

Anyways, I blurted out to this friend the most obvious answer - an answer I'm sure many other agents would say: unrealistic expectations.  The cliche example of the guy who owns a 3 bed 1 bath ranch that hasn't been updated since the Reagan administration, yet he thinks it's on par with his cousin's 4 bed 2 bath colonial in a completely different town.  These people are the worst because you're very unlikely to please them...ever.

The only other quality I could think of was entitlement.  People who felt like they were owed something - whether it be from me or the world.  Perhaps there's a connection there to the first quality.  I also don't think that this is a "my client" issue...this is likely more of a "entitled people are the worst in every facet of life" sort of issue.

Lastly, I suppose, there are the people who seem to only treat me like a hired gun...but that's a more "after the fact" realization.  Clearly, I am a relationship-based agent, and it's always a bummer when folks don't take me up on the offer of staying connected (in any capacity) post-transaction.  But to each their own.

This rambling spiel (and click-baity headline) is all a set up to acknowledge that I've been very lucky.  I'm coming fresh off of working with multiple sellers who worked their butts off to prepare their properties for market, followed my lead on pricing, trusted the process, and now are set up for success.

You'll read many stories below about how many sellers (either locally or all over the country) are not seeing what they had hoped to see from the market.  That is not the case with my people.  Is it because I'm the greatest real estate agent in the world?  No.  It's because we work together as a team, and as cringey of a saying as "your vibe attracts your tribe" is...it's also very, very true.  Thank you to you, my people!

On that note, if there are any Phish fans out there...PLEASE reach out and ask me about that Sunday show 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨