Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate with Leigh Brown - Episode #107 with Laura Fangman

Laura Fangman, realtor of 10 years and micro-farmer, gives us the
dirt on some drama that ensued when she showed a home to a buyer
who had recently gotten into a fight with the seller, unbeknownst
to her. Laura reflects on her experience as a new realtor and how
she learned to select her clients carefully from that point on.
Tune in to hear how Laura insists on asking better questions,
receiving better answers, and what she does if she can’t get
them.  


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Time Stamped Show Notes:


01:20 – Laura is in Virginia with a micro-farm outside of
D.C., has been licensed in Georgia and Tennessee, and has been
licensed for 10 years

02:25 – Laura’s CSIRE story



02:30 – 10 years ago, she got a call on her cell; it was an
agent from a close market, from the same brokerage, calling to
refer a client

03:10- She spoke to the people and was excited; they were
working on selling a house before buying one they liked and said
they were already working with a lender

03:48 – She took them out to see homes, the last home was the
original one they were looking at; the sellers and their agent
were there

04:40 –The agent’s male client starts losing his mind; he was
shouting obscenities, trying to move past his agent to where her
clients were standing, his wife started crying

05:30 – She leaves the house with her clients, apologizes,
and walks back in to talk to their agent; something was going on

06:02 – She learned that the sellers and her clients had had
an altercation and fight that involved police not long before the
showing

07:00 – The clients and the realtor who referred them to her
were friends and had set her up to show it, knowing that guy from
the altercation was the seller

07:30 – The seller had just gotten his stitches taken out
from the last altercation

07:40 – Laura learned that it is important to prequalify
clients before taking them out to make sure they are serious
about the purchase

08:18 – If that had happened now, 10 years later, Laura
would’ve been better equipped to handle the escalation with the
broker who referred the clients to her

08:35 – Real estate is a self-policing profession; oftentimes
new realtors aren’t prepared for this

09:10 – Laura doesn’t know if that realtor is still in the
business

09:28 – What Laura would say to a potential buyer/seller who
doesn’t want to answer questions

09:43 – “I’d be more than happy to refer you somebody who
might be more interested in dealing with this? Can recommend
another agent?”

10:00 – She has lost clients over this, but she refuses to
invest valuable time in people who aren’t serious about doing
something and don’t understand the importance of it

10:30 – She insists on a lender letter (proof of funds letter
if paying cash)

11:00 – How to reach Laura: her website, Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram



3 Key Points
As a new realtor, be aware that you may need to self-police; if
caught in a scary or serious situation, make your safety top
priority. Make sure someone is prequalified before taking them out;
not just to make sure that they’re at the right price point, but to
make sure they’re legit and serious. Select clients that understand
and respect your service and time investment; if they don’t, it is
okay to acknowledge that it isn’t a good fit.