Monday Morning Match is a simple post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
I just returned from a trip to Starkville, Mississippi. I took my son Ryan to The Magnolia State to visit Mississippi State University and spend a few days in this beautiful little college town in North Central Mississippi.
MSU is one of the schools that Ryan is considering for his collegiate home. He plans to major in the Professional Golf Management program and Mississippi State has one of the flagship programs in the country. When we last visited Starkville, it was early July and the campus and town were extremely quiet with the students away for summer and the 4th of July holiday. Ryan really wanted to get a feel for the campus when it was bustling with student activity so we drove down for a few days of visits, including the football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Now it’s no secret that I am a huge college football fan. It’s also no secret that I am a proud supporter of the Southeastern Conference, having graduated from Florida, being married to a Kentucky alum, and having a daughter who is a junior at South Carolina. I fondly recall my time in college in Gainesville as the best six years of my life. Yes, I said six years.
Now please understand, I didn’t take six years to graduate because I was stupid, I took 6 years because I was smart…and realized that I would never be able to re-live those moments once I was done, so I took my sweet time and savored every moment of college life. As much as I enjoyed the days of walking across a college campus to classes, hanging out with buddies in the dorm or fraternity house, and becoming part of the fabric of the campus and town where the college is, I reminded myself on the drive back to Ohio that this time, it’s not my decision.
As much fun as I had sitting in on a class in McCool Hall, visiting Magnolia Hall to see what the dorms looked like, walking around The Drill Field and experiencing a football Saturday morning on The Junction with the famous cowbells ringing proudly, this won’t be my choice. It will be up to Ryan to decide where he will spend the next chapter of his life. All I can do is help him gather all the facts, meet the right people, and answer the questions he might have. I can share my insights and experiences but those are only one person’s opinion. He’ll need to weigh them into his decision the way he sees fit. I will support him whatever he decides.
The Power of Fiduciary Duties
As Realtors, we work in the best interests of our clients. We help them make the best decisions and choices possible with the facts, information, and experience we can gather. When we show houses to our buyers, it is never our job to tell the clients which houses or condos they should like. When representing Sellers, we shouldn’t tell our clients which offers to take or not take. We can only advise them on their options.
“We control the process; the client controls the decision” is a great piece of advice I learned a long time ago from one of my real estate mentors. We can tell our clients what options they have but it’s never our decision on what to do. I’ve seen many houses that I personally didn’t like yet I had clients choose to write offers and sometimes even buy the house. I’ve had many Sellers make some decisions that I wouldn’t have made but they knew their options and moved forward. It’s not uncommon for cooperating Realtors to mistakenly get emotionally involved in the contract negotiations, pitting themselves against the other Realtor, pulling out every trick and dialogue in the book in their effort to “beat” the other agent. Contract negotiations should never between agents, they should be between the Buyers and Sellers hoping to agree to a win-win situation.
Hopefully, it’s a great reminder for all of us that unless we’re writing the checks, signing the deeds, or handing over the keys, it’s not our decision. We just need to show up each day focused on building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.
No Decisions Yet
As much fun as we had on the trip, Ryan never showed his hand and exclaimed that he wanted to be a Bulldog. He also never said he didn’t want to be in Starkville next fall. He got a great chance to get many of his questions answered, he met some incredibly nice people on campus and in the town, and he probably learned a few answers to questions he never even asked.
Just like when we are showing houses to our Buyers, we don’t know when they will walk into a house and they will know that it’s “the one,” he will make his decision when it feels right.
As I pulled in to the driveway after the long drive home from Mississippi, I looked over at Ryan and tousled his hair. “I had a great time with ya, Buddy. Thanks for letting me come along on your trip.” It wasn’t my trip, it was his. I was just lucky enough to be the guide.