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Excuse Me Mr. Real Estate Broker - Can You Clean My Toilet?

October 10, 2007

Our Food is Fresh. Our Customers are spoiled is a great tag-line from Fresh Direct - A New York City online home delivery service for fresh food.

In the recent Wallstreet Journal article, Real Estate Agents Who Clean Your House and Run Errands, June Fletcher shares some interesting real estate stories. It seems that in this tight real estate market, home sellers are asking their agents to bend over backwards for them by doing some pretty weird tasks. Things like toilet cleaning, chauffeuring, painting, yard sales and more. Is that asking too much of your real estate agent?

My short answer is, it depends. Every real estate agent, home selling situation and client relationship is different. So how does a real estate agent know when to say no? Should they say no? What should they do when asked to do a menial, degrading or unusual task?

It all starts with how you value yourself. You should never do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Then again, you shouldn’t put yourself on a pedestal either. Having a marketing plan that you can provide to your client should spell out the things you will do for them. Maybe it should also state what you won’t do. When both parties respect each other and have a clear channel of communication, the chances of the client asking you to vacuum their house diminishes.

Not all clients are the same. Some respect you while others try to walk all over you. Once you sense that someone is trying to take advantage of you, speak up. Communicate. Professionally. You may be surprised how quickly the client will respect you for being honest.

Then there’s a whole other side of the coin. Screw your self worth, do whatever it takes to satisfy the client and to get the place sold - within the law of course. Remember fiduciary duty? Always putting a clients best interest ahead of yours? How does an agent decide what to do ? As a rule of thumb, use your gut instinct, most of the time, it’s right.

I have been in this situation a few times. My very first seller client had two beautiful dogs. They loved to pee on the lovely original hardwood parquet floors. Over time, the wood had absorbed the pee. The smell was virtually impossible to remove or cover up. The seller was a great guy and sprayed the place down but it just wasn’t enough. He asked if I could freshen it up some more every time I showed the place. I said no problem.

Before I showed the place to a buyer, I would make sure the windows were open and the air conditioner was on. I poured some febreze bottles on the stained floor to let it absorb. Amazingly, it did a good job, but didn’t kill the smell completely. I was honest with every buyer that I showed the place to and told them about the dog and floor situation. I would say that everyone appreciated my candor. The eventual buyer gut renovated the place anyways.

Another time, my seller asked me to help them rent a truck and move some of their furniture to their country home 70 miles away. Although I told them I would have loved to get down and dirty with them, I suggested they use a professional company for the move. They heeded my advice and were glad they didn’t do it on their own. Some things are just better left to those who specialize in that task.

Here’s one last example for you - on the buyer side. I love working with buyers. A couple of years ago, I had some buyers with eclectic tastes. Not only did they like unique apartments, but before they decided on an apartment, they wanted to experience the neighborhoods on weekends - both day and night. So, on a couple of occasions, they asked me to join them. I did. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We went shopping together and even walked through some street fairs together. Yada Yada Yada.

At this point you must be thinking I was nuts for doing this, but hold on. Why did I do this? They were more than just my customers, they were becoming my friends. They trusted me to help them with neighborhoods, transportation, shopping, parks, nightlife and more. I helped them evaluate more than just the apartment. I helped them find their new home. Eventually, we did find it - even though we lost a few good ones during some crazy bidding wars.

So for me, I evaluate each situation on a case by case basis. Thus far, it has worked for me. Sure, I have done some things like cleaning the kitchen counter top or throwing out some left over Chinese food that stunk up the place. But hey, that’s me. As an agent, you decide what to do for yourself. As a buyer or seller, just put yourself in the other persons shoes. Treat others how you would like to be treated. All will be good.

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