Hubris and Houses

The ancient Greeks, like Socrates pictured above, knew something about Hubris. From Achilles to Zeus, you could be fairly certain that excessive pride or arrogance was going to be the downfall of the great hero in every tale. It turns out that we can learn a lot about modern home buying and selling from those same stories.

What I’ve observed is that transactions go exceedingly well when all parties involved act with good faith and apply a little bit of understanding and humility. This can mean things like being willing to make repairs, being flexible on dates, and applying a little effort to leaving a clean home behind. Sometimes it means leaving a few dollars on the negotiating table in order to make it an overall win. Conversely, the more sellers try to hold out for a bigger offer or reject all offers that don't meet exact stipulations, the longer the process and in many cases, the more likely they eventually concede for a lesser amount. A lowball offer might sound shrewd, unless it leaves the seller feeling insulted.

Homes are often bought and sold under very human conditions: marriages, divorces, new babies, babies going off to college, a new job, a death in the family. As a broker, it is humbling to be part of these moments with families making difficult decisions. As buyers and sellers, we often don’t have complete information about what might be going on in the lives of the parties at the negotiating table. Approaching the process as less “I win, you lose“ and more from the perspective of mutual gain and respect can make such a difference in seeing a home purchase and sale through to completion.