Tales From the Trenches

There are times in your life that can be extra special, the times you will look back on for years to come with vivid memories of how things went down. There are also times that can be extra stressful. Buying and selling real estate is usually a mix of both.

Recent statistics show that Nova Scotia real estate prices have jumped over 13% over this time last year (that's the second highest in Canada). Negotiations, multiple offers, deadlines, high stress and emotions all mix together to make these times really memorable, for better or for worse. As a seasoned agent I have seen a lot over the years and it's my job to keep a level head and keep things on track.

At times there are fierce competitors on both sides of the transaction and I have seen negotiations go sideways more than enough to know that emotions and money don't always mix well. Occasionally both sides get to point where the end goal gets lost amongst the small arguments. A big picture outlook is key, and sometimes difficult to grasp, especially if one side feels that they are getting 'bulldozed' by a particularly aggressive/unreasonable opponent.  

As a professional I always go to bat for my clients, my job is to represent them to the best of my ability with a big picture mentality in order to ensure the end result is as favourable as possible for them. Sometimes this means mediating, sometimes it's allowing extra time for the process to play out, and occasionally it's putting my foot down and saying 'enough is enough'. This week I have played every one of these roles while negotiating over $2,000,000.00 in sales and closings. Some of those deals went as smoothly as I have ever been a part of, and some of those felt like a battle the whole way.

In the end we need to be able to take a step back from the emotions, and really scrutinize what battles to fight in order to win the wars that are important. All of my clients that won their wars this week, and I salute you all for putting your trust in me, realizing not everyone operates on the same ethical scale, and ultimately coming out as the winners once the dust has settled (and the dust is still settling in a few places). I appreciate every single one of the emotions that were and are still being processed, and ultimately will be felt for many years to come. I see you, I know what you are going through, and I am with you every step of the way!!