As a mom of three, I’ve spent a lot of time at the playground.
On one such outing, my son (then three years old) wanted to try something he’d never done before: the rock climbing wall.
It was tough. He wasn’t sure where to put his feet. He felt like he was going to fall. He needed support and guidance to get all the way to the top:
When he made it, we clapped and celebrated like he’d overcome something huge.
And for him, it was!
But here’s the thing:
Not exactly El Capitan.
What I love about these two pictures, though, is that they perfectly capture the difference in our perspectives.
As an adult, I look at that little climbing wall and think nothing of it.
For my son, on the other hand, it’s a mountain. The top is high and difficult to reach. The holds seem unnatural and far apart. Falling and getting hurt is a legitimate fear.
But perspective and experience change everything, and as his mom, I have the advantage. It was easy for me to help him through the climb, show him where to position his hands and feet, and provide encouragement every step of the way.
So once he did get to the top, it felt like a huge win — for both of us.
The same principle holds true in real estate.
As professionals in the industry, we know the transaction process inside and out. We’ve successfully navigated bumps along the way — and if we do run into something we’ve never experienced before, we probably know someone who has.
For most buyers and sellers, though, this isn’t familiar territory. It could be their first home purchase, or first time selling a home. Maybe they’re moving from another state where there are unique norms and requirements. Or perhaps they’re buying another type of property than what they’ve previously owned.
In other words, the closing experience probably looks and feels a bit different to them than it does to you.
From their angle, the process is probably foreign. With unfamiliar requirements and an inexact timeline, they may even feel a bit overwhelmed. But they want to get to the finish line.
Too often, we’ve seen real estate agents create amazing customer experiences with high levels of communication, insightful data, and expert advice …
… until the deal’s under contract.
And suddenly those super proactive agents switch into reactive mode and get preoccupied nurturing other prospects and generating new leads.
But that’s precisely when things are “getting real” for buyers and sellers.
It’s not the time to take your foot off the gas.
As a real estate professional, you have the perspective and experience to make the closing process easy, efficient, and enjoyable for your clients. You can guide and empower them with information and understanding so their climb up the mountain isn’t quite so intimidating.
That’s a level of service they’re not likely to forget.
Client relationships don’t end when you go under contract… or even when you wrap up closing! And when you give clients an experience worth raving about all the way to the close, you’re creating a huge win-win — for them and for your business.
Creating unforgettable home buying and selling experiences is at the heart of Preclose — an all-in-one client experience platform that makes transactions intuitive and stress-free for agents, teams, transaction coordinators, brokers and their clients.