So in the travels of 27 plus years in real estate, most of the training I received early on, was the craftwork of the deal.  Call it old school if you will, but given the comparison to today’s “newer” agents, and the use of technology, there really isn’t any craftwork. And let’s mix in a dose of the modern day era of “now” and “me-ism”, it just is a sign of the times, but it’s also the sign that we’ve lost our way a bit in the real estate transaction and the elements thereof. Is there really such thing as a win-win?

A few months back, in our “Realtor” magazine, there was a well written article by Mike Cooper.  He’s a broker in Virginia, and I really liked his points.  

I’ll summarize them below:

Now to the above and just a general concern I see in the Portland market.  Many more than not, broker/agents that is, wear the badge of “dead” files as if it was a real honor.   To my fellow Realtors, dead files don’t pay you, the other side, nor either seller or buyer.   Frankly, they are a complete waste of time, and even the managing/office broker doesn’t like them, it’s a sign of failure, not success.

I’m right in the middle of deal right now, and one side is having a hard time understanding the concept of collaboration.  I find it a bit baffling to me, because the exchange of real estate is the goal, not getting every little element the way you want it.  It’s a failure in seeing the whole picture, the holistic if you will, collaboration that says everyone needs to pull hard at the same time to clear the goal line.  We’ll see if I’m up to the task of referee.

Continue reading about negotiations here