Real Estate: Codependency is a NO NO

Realtors would do well to practice empathy rather than sympathy when working with real estate clients

Real estate sales is an art where–and those in the industry can well attest–the success and failure of a particular project is frequently separated by a razor’s edge.

Issues so small that they go unnoticed or are deemed inconsequential can fester resentment between inexperienced Realtors and their real estate clients, causing deals to fall through. But if you keep a close eye on what seem to be minor details, you can use them to your advantage, and can bring even the rockiest situation to a fruitful conclusion.

One such subtlety you need to pay attention to as a real estate agent is the difference between being sympathetic or empathetic toward your clients. Empathy is defined as being affected by another person’s feelings, moods, or behavior. Being sympathetic, on the other hand, is to understand but not personally identify with someone else’s feelings or situation. Sympathy allows for some distance between you and the other person. While I may sound like your sixth-grade teacher handing out a pop vocabulary quiz, in reality I’m giving you an important lesson in eliminating codependency from business partnerships.

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