Real Estate Agent or Therapist?

The other day a client was sharing something personal with me and said “Gosh, I’m sorry, I’m acting like you’re my therapist.”

I hear this often. My job puts me in the position where people are sharing personal information with me. A lot. They’re asking for advice based on difficult decisions that they may be making. I hear about very happy and sad situations all of the time. A marriage. A new child. A better job. An impending divorce. Family sickness. Death of a loved one. Financial distress.

These are all reasons why people move. Depending on a particular situation, different advice needs to be given. This all requires listening. And empathy. Hence why folks often vocalize that they feel like they’re talking to a therapist when I have conversations with them.

I don’t really mind this. I left my job in corporate America because I felt that I wasn’t making a difference. In my role now I help people solve problems that they’re having. Sometimes their situations are happy, sometimes not. But I’m assisting them with moving on in most cases. I appreciate that my clients trust me enough to let me into their worlds. And I respect them by keeping our conversations confidential.

I guess the point is that you want to have an agent you feel you can trust with personal information, because there’s a good chance something sensitive will be shared along the way. And better yet, you want an agent who is trustworthy and actually cares about your situation.

One thought on “Real Estate Agent or Therapist?

  1. Moving can be a big decision, and on at least some ocassions, require a difficult balancing of factors which are often in conflict. In other moves, its all pretty straightforward. This is just speaking from my own experience – but I suspect its not unusual. I prefer the easy staightforward moves and remember them fondly for the most part – like in my 20s where it was nothing more than finding a better apartment and a couple friends who had an afternoon to help. Boom – over and done in an afternoon. Time to party. So easy!
    I am not suprised to find out that you end up becoming privy, at times, to many of these factors, which can be quite personal. Its good that you take this in stride and embrace it as part of the process of being a good realtor. It could become burdensome if you didn’t have the right personality for that kind of sharing. Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you everything, and hold nothing back…LOL.

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