The best? Or the worst?

The other day my husband looked at me and said, "You're either the best real estate agent on the planet or the worst!".

I had to laugh. I'd just spent an hour on the phone with a client, talking through why they maybe shouldn’t buy a specific house. Not because anything was wrong with the property, exactly. But because as we talked, it was clear this wasn't the right fit for them, right now, for reasons that had nothing to do with square footage or granite countertops.

I wasn’t going to push for a sale. I wanted to help them fully flesh out what was important to them.

The Anxious Jump

This happens more than people realize. Someone decides they need to move, and suddenly every day that passes without a signed contract feels like falling behind. Anxiety creeps in. They start to feel like they have to jump on something.

I've sat across from clients — sometimes literally, sometimes over the phone — who didn't actually need to move at all. They were in the middle of something else entirely: a job change, a family situation, a season of life that had nothing to do with real estate but was quietly driving the urgency to buy or sell. And in those moments, I've gently asked the question nobody else seems to be asking them: is now the right time?

Not My Decision to Make

I want to be really clear: I never make that decision for my clients or push one way or the other. That's not my job, and honestly, it's not my right. What I can do is slow things down enough for them to hear themselves think. I can point out that houses will always be here. The market will still be here. The listings will still come. There is almost never a version of "now or never" that's actually true.

Sometimes all someone needs is permission to step back. To reevaluate. To say, "Maybe not yet."

Congratulations Aren't for Me

Here's a funny thing that happens in this job: when a deal closes, people alway say "Congratulations!". To ME.

I always think, ‘What??” The congratulations belong to my clients. When they find the right fit — the home that actually makes sense for their life, their timing, their peace of mind — that's their win, and I celebrate it right alongside them, loudly and genuinely.

That said, I won't pretend I don't appreciate a pat on the back every once in a while. Some deals are genuinely sticky — tangled negotiations, shifting circumstances, deals that could have fallen apart a dozen times before they didn't. Getting those across the finish line takes real behind the scenes work and not infrequently more than a few sleepless nights. I'll happily take the compliment on those. Bring it on!

So, Best or Worst?

The answer is neither. I'm just trying to ensure that when my clients do make a move, it's the right one — for them. If that occasionally means walking away from a sale, it’s a small price to pay for clients who trust that when I say "let's talk this through," I actually mean it. That my advice is sincere. That I have been really listening to them. And once their decision is made, I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen.