Real Estate, like most businesses, focuses on keeping customers and clients happy and making them customers and clients for life. Most agents agree that they are looking for referrals from existing and past clients and are focused on providing satisfactory service. Yet, many times either we fall short, or, the customer or client has exaggerated expectations that we simply cannot meet. What's a Realtor to do? Part of what you do should be carefully selecting who you will work with as a client. Not everyone who comes your way is good client material--it's just like your Mom always told you--all those potential dates out there might or might not be 'husband or wife' material. Someone who expects you to do something illegal should be off your list--"Only sell my home to people who are (are not) in Group A, B or C". Someone who has unrealistic expectations should be off your list: "I know the average price of a home here in Upscale Estates is $1.5 million, but I need you to find me a motivated seller who will take $300,000 down and finance another $300,000 at 1% for a hundred years". Someone who has exaggerated expectations should be off your list: "We think we will need to view at least 400 homes before making a decision, and we expect you to be available 24/7 until we find the right home". The problem is, most unreasonable people are not this blatant. They start off sounding reasonable and then continue to increase their demands. Here's an inescapable truth: You won't make everyone happy. Here's the second truth: As long as you are honest, ethical and consistently work in your client's best interests, you'll still be able to sleep at night. Much of what happens to make clients unhappy is simply beyond their control--or yours.  Early in my career, I had to take a female client who had 'lost it' at a closing into the Ladies room to calm her down. She was angry--at me, at the lawyer, at the lender--but, at the end of the tirade, she was really angry at her soon to be ex-husband and the position he had gotten them into. I got her to focus on the fact that selling the house was one more thing 'off the list' of stuff holding her to the ex. I reminded her that she had hired us to sell her house, and we had done that.  She calmed down and went ahead with her closing. More recently, I had a seller client known for being a 'hothead'. Our transaction proceeded smoothly--until on the final walk through the buyer observed what looked like a leak on the furnace (it was). When I called the seller to tell him about the problem and suggest solutions, he went ballistic on me, the buyer, the other agent, and everyone involved. Later, we lined up a plumber to go look at it (after he had verbally abused my husband--also a Realtor--and threatened to 'punch him in the nose' for bringing up the problem). We got the plumber there by agreeing that we, the listing agents, would pay the plumber if there was 'no problem'. Well, there was a problem. The seller paid the bill. He didn't attend closing, and I'm sure he is still out there somewhere, angry (he moved out of state). I did write him after the closing reminding him that he had hired us to sell his home, which we had done (we got more than asking Price for it) and that our job was to resolve problems and take it to settlement. We never got an apology from Mr. 'Hothead'--and we probably never will. Was he happy? No. Could I have made him happy? I don't think so. Could he have been more unhappy? Yes, if we had managed to drop the ball entirely, so he had no closing. So what's my point? Do the best you can--every time, even to the people who probably don't deserve it. Understand that sometimes you will get the fallout from other things going on in your clients' lives.  Best of all, know that for everyone who is difficult and unreasonable, there are usually 10-15 folks who are wonderful.

 Melanie J. McLane, ABR, CRB, CRS, ePRO, GRI, RAA, SRES, 32 year veteran of the real estate industry. Offering training, speaking and consulting throughout the industry, I teach everything from ABR to USPAP. Certified ePRO Instructor. To contact me, email me at: melanie@TheMelanieGroup.com or visit my website: www.TheMelanieGroup.com