2013 Presentations –Don’t Tell the Nosey Neighbors

One of the easiest issues to overlook when you’re dealing with your buyers or sellers involves confidentiality. When someone is buying or selling a house, the last thing they want is to have their information, or in some cases, “dirty laundry” made public. As your clients’ trusted real estate advisor, make it a point to emphasize that all communications and correspondence will be held in the strictest confidence.
Expressing your respect for their confidentiality should be done before any serious conversation. For example,

“Mr. and Mrs. __________, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I want to assure you that all of our discussions will be held in the strictest confidence. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions to find out more about your goals with respect to real estate. Then based on your needs, I’ll be happy to share some specific suggestions and we can see it there’s a fit.”

The confidentiality concern should be revisited at the end of important communications. You can use the following script:

                        “Mr. and Mrs. ________, I appreciate you putting your trust in me. Once again, I want to reassure you that everything we discuss will always be held in the strictest confidence.”

Finally, for goodness sakes, never, never violate that confidentiality. Your reputation as a trusted advisor, like a priest hearing a confession, or an attorney/client relationship depends on it.