In this short discussion, Catherine Bell and two other speakers debunk the myth that real‑estate transactions should follow a polite, relationship‑building approach akin to dating. They argue that deals are purely business and should be driven by numbers and documentation from the outset. The speakers stress that being upfront in requesting financial statements, appraisals, and other paperwork is normal and professional. If a seller’s agent resists providing these documents, it is a red flag—often indicating the property may be overpriced relative to its appraisal. Finally, they note that forming a friendship with the seller’s agent is unnecessary unless the agent will become a partner in the transaction.
Chapters
The broker said that usually it's not customary and polite to ask for all documents the first day. So he said you have to approach a real estate deal like, like a dating process. Is she breaking up with me? So the first day needs to be smiles and butterflies. No, that's not true. Is that not the case? No. You can go in there straight off the bat. You can go straight off the bat. Okay. I didn't know if I had to build rapport.
No, that's not how it works. This is not personal. Okay. This is not personal. We are not getting into business with them. We are there, we do the numbers, and the numbers tell us what to do. Yes, we can be polite about it. Yes, we can be professional about it, but this isn't about building a relationship with them unless they're going to be partners with us doing the deal.
Okay, so it's totally okay and totally normal to be extremely upfront with numbers and documents.
Yeah, just for the sake of understanding, we are not courting this individual for any kind of romantic or sexual encounter. So therefore, all the, all the typical rules that we would use for engagement are out the window. We are 100% there for business. I'm not asking this person to dance with me. I'm asking them to do business with me. And they're on the other side of the counter. When you're talking to a realtor who's trying to sell a property, and you ask for documentation and they give you a hard time about the documentation, it's because they're hiding something. That's the—
So if the only reason somebody would hide that is if they are selling it at a higher value than what the appraisal is, correct?
Correct. And so if they, if they actually had a contract with somebody and appraisal was done, that's a piece of documentation that's very valuable. And so It should stay attached to the property and go with the property.
Yes. You're not needing to make friends with the seller's agent.
