Real estate agents often have access to a lot of personal information about people that they don’t necessarily want shared with others. For example, sometimes people call me because they are getting a divorce. They want to sell their home, but they don’t want anyone to know why they’re moving. Other people are in the process of a job search and would like to be ready to move quickly if the right opportunity comes along, but obviously don’t want others to know that they’re interviewing for new jobs. Finally, some people are purchasing a home and don’t necessarily want others to know they’re buying until the sale is closed.
I take the phrase “loose lips sink ships” to heart. When people are confident enough in me to share personal information, they should feel reassured that it’s not going any further than me. I respect their confidentiality and am glad they see me as a trustworthy individual. It is not my place to be sharing anyone’s personal business with others. I am happy to share facts when they are made publically available, but that’s about it. I will tell you a house is under contract when it’s under contract. I will tell you the sale price once the property has closed. And I can tell you the name of who appears on the deed when it’s recorded at town hall. But that’s really about it.
Neighbors are often curious as to what’s going on with real estate in their neighborhood. I see this at open houses all of the time. Typically I’m asked about another property in the neighborhood that I, or someone else, has under contract. They want to know how much the house sold for or who’s buying it. None of that information can be disclosed until the sale is finalized. It is my job to keep that information confidential, but neighbors sometimes have a hard time with that. They want to know who’s moving in next door. I always politely decline and just say “You’ll just have to wait a few weeks to find out. Be sure to welcome them with some cookies!” They usually laugh at that comment and respect that I can’t tell them any more information at that point.
In real estate, your reputation is everything. One quality of a good real estate agent is trustworthiness. Maintaining confidentiality is one component of earning peoples trust and something that I take seriously.
How has a real estate agent earned your trust?