After nearly 50 years in estate agency, some principles matter more than simply doing the business. A personal reflection on relationships, trust and knowing where to draw the line when working in property on the Costa del Sol.
Where we draw the line - The supermarket rule
A neighbour of mine here in Marbella recently decided to sell their house, and somebody asked me a perfectly reasonable question.
"Why aren't you selling it?"
In truth, it is a fair question. After all, I have been an estate agent for nearly 50 years. The answer is actually fundamental to the ideas behind the way we do business and to what we believe trust in an estate agent should mean. In this case, and most importantly, they are my neighbours, and I would rather they remained my neighbours than became my clients. I am more than happy to help them with advice about selling their property, and they know that they can come to me for help at any time, so why wouldn't I want the business?
I think sometimes you just have to draw a line and take the right decision rather than simply following the money. This would become a business transaction, and whilst there is absolutely no reason why anything should go wrong, once you enter into a business relationship, the dynamics change and you introduce expectations and responsibilities that weren't there before. They might expect something from me that I don't feel able to deliver. I might sell their property to somebody who subsequently becomes unhappy about some aspect of it or the community. Something that should simply have been a business matter can very easily become personal.
I have always believed that some things are simply too close to home.
That is part of a much wider approach to business which I have followed throughout my career. I have never wanted to be clever with people. I don't want to persuade somebody to do something they don't really want to do, and I certainly don't want sleepless nights wondering whether something I have done was fair.
Sometimes that means walking away from something that doesn't feel right.
It isn't about being prepared to lose the business. It is about recognising that not every piece of business is necessarily worth doing.
Because estate agency is a very localised business, particularly here on the Costa del Sol, and we tend to live and work in the same town or area, I have always had a very simple test. When I see someone I have dealt with professionally in the supermarket, am I perfectly happy to walk up the same aisle and say hello, or do I suddenly need something from the next aisle?
After nearly 50 years in estate agency, I can genuinely say that I can't think of anybody I would want to avoid because of the way I dealt with them professionally. I must confess that I do occasionally avoid people in the supermarket when I'm in a hurry and don't want to enter into a lengthy conversation, but that is a different matter.
There are plenty of ways of measuring a lifetime in estate agency, but the supermarket rule is not a bad one. Over the years, this approach has become fundamental to the way we work as a company and as a team.
If you're thinking of selling your Costa del Sol property and would like impartial help and advice, we would love to hear from you. Call us on (0034) 952 90 52 00, WhatsApp us, or email info@michael-moon.com.
