A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
Know the situation before opening your mouth
I often feel frustrated with rules that I am forced to
follow as a Real Estate Broker in California. There are so many things I need
to keep to myself, so I don’t offend people or groups of people and sometimes I
think the rules actually hurt my clients and make me look like a fool. But many
years ago before I became a Realtor, I learned that my opinion is just that,
mine and voicing that opinion where it is not appropriate could show my
ignorance of a situation.
Many years ago when I was working as a contractor, I was working on a home that had been sold and was just about to
close Escrow. I was on the roof and a woman that I did not know, drove up to
the home and got out of her car and started walking towards the home. She
started to talk to me and asked
me how everything was going. She told me that she bought the home and she
wanted to know what I thought of the home.
I wanted to tell her that the home
had many problems. The roof was not in good shape and there were many other
things that I really wanted to say. This was a very small home and in my “Opinion”
it was a dump. I held my opinion and then the woman spoke and these words may
not be exact, but I will never forget what she told me:
“This home is a godsend; Me, my husband and my 3 boys have
been living in a one bedroom apartment for 2 years. I have been dreaming to
have a home of our own.” Then she went on to explain to me how she is picturing
how she is going to decorate the home and put a dance floor in one room so when
her boys grew up, they could bring their girl friends there to dance.
After she left, I was so relieved that I kept my mouth shut
when she asked me about the home. My opinion would have crushed this woman and
would have shown my ignorance of her situation. To me that home was a dump, but
to her, it was her dream. I learned that day, that just because I may not like
something or I may think that something is not up to my standards, to others it
may be the greatest thing ever. All of us have our own ideas of what is good
and what is not so good, but we need to realize that all of us come from a different
place and we need to remember that there are people who think what we like is
not so nice.
I am a very opinionated person, but there is a place for
opinion and a place to keep our opinions to our selves. As a Real Estate Broker,
I have learned to be very careful about my opinions and instead I educate my
clients and let them make decisions that are best for them.
Whenever I get the urge to say something that should be kept
to myself, I think back to that woman. She will never know the impact she had
on me.
I don’t know if her boys were ever able to dance with their girl friends
in that home, but if that woman had anything to say about it, I’ll bet they did.
A.D. Cantelmo Property
Management Specializes in Property Management in Orange County
Ca.