Lessons I'm Learning from a Bad Review

Me as The Perfect Realtor

I am usually my harshest critic. That was until I received a very negative review last fall. I am taking the opportunity to own letting a client down in this public forum and reaffirming my commitment to improving my professional performance.

The story is not important, but the basic outline is that I took on buyer clients and then didn’t do the work to support them. I’ve ruminated on this for a while, reflected on my own actions, and identified areas in which I can improve.

5 Lessons I’ve Learned:

1. I can’t work in as large of an area as I thought. I’m licensed in Oregon and Washington, with a focus on the Portland Metro Area (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, and Clark Counties). Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Canby, and other exurbs are too far away and a different real estate market that I’m not an expert in.
2. I am not the perfect agent for every potential client. I am a structured person, I have very liberal/leftist/socialist political views, I am not involved in a Western religion. My clients don’t line up with me on each and every point, but this is who I am and what I believe in.

3. I need to communicate my process better to my clients. This includes scheduling appointments and house tours several days in advance. I need to qualify potential clients and see if we are a match in schedule, area, and communication.

REAL ME: VERY IMPERFECT BUT HAVING FUN!

4. I need to limit the number of active buyer clients I am working with at one time. This will ensure that I can give my clients as much attention that they deserve without overextending myself and burning out.

5. I can and will make mistakes, let people down, let myself down, and find new areas of my business and personal life to work on. This is my practice.

I welcome all feedback, the sooner I hear that I’m not meeting your expectations the better!

If you would like to share your own experience of working with me, please submit it to this link at Realtor.com or Zillow, or reply to this email with a review! These public reviews for my services are for the sole purpose of informing potential clients about the experience of working with me. I encourage every client of mine to be open and honest when speaking to my potential clients about what I have to offer. 

I also ask for direct honest feedback, constructive criticism, or other suggestions on how I can serve my clients better. It is only through the perspective of my clients that I can learn how to grow to better serve them.