Real Estate is a Team Sport

August 2, 2007 |

Most people probably never think about the fact that when they are watching a team sporting event, they are actually watching THREE teams participate. The first two are obvious– the opposing teams of athletes. The third team is a little less obvious. You guessed it– the officials.

When I am officiating a basketball game, I have to be very cognizant of all three teams all the time. I must be especially cognizant of my team, the people in stripes. In the same way that the best teams are usually the ones who end up champions, the best officiated games are handled by officiating crews who work well as a team.

The team concept is not something that is confined only to sports. Most people become aware of teamwork at a very early age, usually in school. The lesson of teamwork is usually introduced to young kids in school, regardless of whether or not they ever set foot on the field of athletic competition. This is a good thing, because teamwork is something that will continue to show up throughout school, and as one enters the work force. Just about every person I know who works in a corporate job has, at some point, had to work with others in a team environment.

The strange thing is that people tend to think that teamwork only applies in the most obvious situations, i.e., when a team is purposely formed for the purpose of achieving some specific goal. This is not always the case, however. One situation in which teamwork can do wonders is in the real estate transaction.

Think about this for a moment: you want to buy or sell your home. In order to do this, you enlist the help of a real estate agent (hopefully one who is a REALTOR). You and this person now have a common goal. Guess what? You have just formed a team!

Far too often, the relationship between a REALTOR and his client can be needlessly adversarial. The fact of the matter is that your REALTOR wants you to buy or sell a home just as much as you do. You may disagree occasionally on how best to achieve this goal, but the fact remains that the goal is shared. I can guarantee that your REALTOR is going to do whatever is within his power to help you achieve the goal. Because real estate requires a team effort, there are some basic rules that can be followed in order to lay the groundwork for a successful team effort.
First, and the most basic of teamwork rules– treat your teammates with respect, and in a way that you would expect to be treated. You can call it the “golden rule” or whatever you would like. The bottom line is that everyone on a team needs to have respect for everyone else, or the whole thing breaks down very quickly.  Respect is given and shared in very simple ways– returning phone calls and emails, showing up on time, keeping a home ready for showings, making a home available for showings, etc.  These may seem like small things, but they are very important signals of respect.
Second– hold your teammates accountable, and expect them to hold you accountable. If you say you are going to do something, you need to do it. If you don’t, you should expect your teammates to hold you accountable for it. If I were to tell a client that I am going to make a color brochure for their home, and then I show up with a standard MLS sheet, I can expect my client to be mad, and rightfully so. In the same respect, if one of my clients tells me that they are going to have trash removed from their yard, and then two weeks go by and the pile still sits, we are going to have a very serious discussion about their listing. I expect to be held accountable for my actions by my clients, but I also expect them to have accountability for theirs.

Third, and perhaps most importantly– you MUST trust your teammates. The thing that makes all teams great, athletic or otherwise, is that they have complete trust in each other. This concept is something that is paramount in sports officiating. If I don’t trust my partners to officiate in their areas and make the right calls, and this causes me to look over their shoulders, that means I will miss something in my area. We all need to trust each other in order for us to be able to work effectively and successfully. The same is true in real estate. You hire a REALTOR because, presumably, you trust their opinion and judgment as a professional. If this isn’t the case, then you should not have hired him.

People often hide things from their REALTOR because they are afraid of what he might think, or they are afraid of how it will affect their transaction. Your REALTOR is there to help you, and if you can’t trust him with important information, they you are handicapping yourselves. REALTORS are guilty of the same thing, by sometimes not giving clients all the information they should because they are afraid of a client’s reaction to bad news. In order for a team to have the greatest chance for success, trust must be 100% mutual. Anything less than this leaves room for error and failure.

Any real estate transaction will have a greater chance for success if participants use teamwork to achieve their goal.  The three rules above are just the foundation for creating a successful real estate team.  Like any team, you will experience adversity, small triumphs, and a few setbacks.  If, however, you can always remember that you are part of a team, you can rely on your teammates for help and vastly increase your chance for success.

[tags] real estate, realtor, charlottesville, virginia, teamwork [/tags]

Posted by Daniel | Filed Under Buying, Officiating, Selling 

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