The Importance of Trust

Buying and selling Main Line luxury homes is unique in many ways, but like any real estate deal, success begins with an agent you can trust. As a Main Line Realtor, I know I’m lucky to be dealing with buyers and sellers who’ve found a terrific community to call home.

Recently, an old friend who had moved to Boston years ago was talking to her book club member about a potential move for this member’s adult son to the Philadelphia area. My friend began waxing eloquent on the wonderful Main Line area and the ultimate result is that the son is now looking for a home here with me. We have not even met yet, but the trust he has in his mother’s (friend’s) opinion has been key in developing a relationship that I believe will work well for us.

Trust is what most people really want to feel when they embark on a purchase or sale of an asset that represents, for most people, an emotional and financial asset of greatest importance. I consider it my duty to establish that trust and keep it for the entire time we are working together. Every step of the process is fraught with anxiety-producing information for most people. My job is to relieve that anxiety by making sure the client feels fully informed and confident in his or her control over the process. No transaction can be stress free, but it should be manageable stress and my job as the Main Line Realtor® should be to reduce it as much as possible.

Every client reacts differently and I have found that it takes different skills to develop trust with different types of people. Some want to know every possible option and often assume the worst outcome will be the one that will happen in their case. It often helps to suggest that I have seen many transactions and that my experience is that the better outcome is the more likely one. It is common for one side to attribute bad intentions to the other side. In that case, it often helps to turn around the perspective and say, “If you were the seller, wouldn’t you be defensive at seeing this inspection report if the issues raised had not been a problem for you? Let’s frame our request in a way that does not offend them into thinking we are accusing them of hiding something and see if we get a better response.” If the client trusts that I have their best interests at heart, the entire experience is measurably better for all. I am working with a couple now who have told me time and again that they trust my judgment on a myriad of issues and it is very satisfying to hear that.

So developing trust with your agent should be your top priority in any real estate transaction, whether here on the Main Line or elsewhere. And if it does not seem like your agent has the same goal, I strongly suggest finding another agent. Try Sage!

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