Mike Browning

Author: MB

  • The Myth of the Perfect Market

    The Myth of the Perfect Market

    If something makes sense for you to do today, it’s usually best to do it and not look back.

    People waste a lot of time waiting for the market to become “perfect.”

    Perfect for buying.
    Perfect for selling.
    Perfect for building.
    Perfect for subdividing.
    Perfect for investing.

    Much of the time, it seems like their main fear is that other people are going to point out how they screwed up after the fact.

    (pro tip: keep your business to yourself and that’s much less of an issue)

    If you wait long enough, the perfect moment eventually shows up… about two years after it would have done you any good.

    I’ve watched this play out for two decades:

    someone waits and waits and waits because they’ve convinced themselves they’re going to catch the absolute top or the absolute bottom. They think there’s going to be a magic bell that rings to tell them, “OK, now.”

    That bell doesn’t exist. The perfect market doesn’t exist.

    Only hindsight pretends it does.

    And hindsight is a world-class liar.

    Real estate — and land especially — never lines up neatly.

    Interest rates rise.
    Then construction costs fall.
    Then inventory drops.
    Then a factory announces expansion.
    Then a buyer disappears.
    Then a new buyer shows up out of nowhere.

    It’s never tidy.
    It’s never predictable.
    And it never waits for you.

    Here’s the truth:

    Most success in land deals doesn’t come from timing.
    It comes from clarity and execution.

    Clarity means knowing what you want out of the transaction before you start.

    Execution means acting when the numbers make sense — not when the voices in your head finally stop arguing.

    The people who do well aren’t the ones who wait for perfect conditions.

    They’re the ones who look at the information in front of them today, make a plan, and move. Or don’t. If it makes sense to wait.

    They adjust when new information arrives.
    They don’t re-litigate the decision every morning.
    They don’t pull back because their neighbor’s cousin said “the market’s about to crash.”
    They don’t freeze because the new highway is “probably” moving three years from now.

    Perfect markets are a mirage.

    Good decisions are real.

    And good decisions tend to have a few things in common:

    1. The price makes sense today.
    Not “if rates fall.” Not “if a developer shows up.” Today.

    2. The timeline fits your life.
    If you don’t want to hold something for five more years, that matters more than whatever Yahoo Finance says.

    3. The numbers work even without the dream scenario.
    If a deal only makes sense with the perfect buyer, perfect zoning, perfect weather, and perfect timing… it’s not a deal.

    4. You’re not trying to outsmart the universe.
    Markets reward discipline, not clairvoyance.

    There is no perfect moment.

    There’s only the moment when the facts line up well enough that you can move confidently.

    People who act on “good enough” usually beat the people waiting on “perfect” — because they’re actually in the game.

    Pick your direction. Know your numbers. Then act.

    Everything else is noise.

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    PS- It may not be the right time for you to buy or sell land today. But is it ever a bad time to have the most current information?

    I offer a free, no obligation value report on any property (non residential). All you have to do is click the relevant link below to get started.

    No pressure, no BS, just straight talk.

    Is it crazy to want to deal with someone like that?

    Click Below:

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  • It’s Looking Like You’re Going to Have to Go.

    It’s Looking Like You’re Going to Have to Go.

    Trying to get better is fine — but that’s not what God is asking for.

    Joe Rogan said recently that he’s been going to church. He said something along the lines of: “It’s actually very nice. They’re all just trying to be better people. It’s a good vibe.”

    And that’s good.

    There are a lot of people who could benefit from simply sitting in a place where everyone is at least trying to orient themselves toward something higher than their own impulses.

    And I don’t know what’s in Joe’s heart, but I’m glad he’s going.

    His orientation toward Christianity has changed over the years, and I hope he gets all the way there.

    I also hope he isn’t being used to help people get comfortable with treating the Bible as just a moral framework, while stopping short of confessing that Jesus is Lord. Like many say about Jordan Peterson.

    But regardless of all that, there’s something important to clarify:

    Christianity is not a self-improvement project.

    It’s not “be a better version of yourself.” It’s not a lifestyle upgrade or a moral hobby. It’s not even “learn to be a good person.”

    Because here’s the truth:

    You can’t make yourself good.

    If it were possible to simply try harder and behave your way into righteousness, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come at all. And the people who followed Him wouldn’t have needed Him either.

    Self-help says: improve yourself.

    The Gospel says: you can’t. That’s why you need Christ.

    Now, it is true that following Jesus will often (not always, but often) lead to better outcomes in life.

    More peace. More patience. Fewer disasters caused by your own stupidity. Better relationships. Less self-inflicted chaos.

    But that isn’t because you’re “getting better.”

    It’s because He is changing you.

    There’s a difference.

    If Christianity were about improving your earthly situation, then Jesus — who never sinned once — should have had an easy life. He didn’t.

    They killed Him.

    The people closest to Him — the ones who became more like Him as they followed — were imprisoned, beaten, mocked, and executed. Not rich. Not adored.

    Not living their “best lives.”

    They didn’t become successful.

    They became sanctified.

    They didn’t get upgrades. They got transformation.

    So when someone goes to church and says, “It’s nice. Everyone’s just trying to be better people,” that’s okay. That’s an entry point. A doorway. A starting step.

    But the deeper truth is:

    The old you doesn’t need to improve.

    The old you needs to die.

    And the new life that comes after — the life in Christ — is something you cannot produce by effort, discipline, or good intentions.

    It’s not self-help.

    It’s surrender.

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  • Sometimes They Even Get Severance Pay (sort of)

    Sometimes They Even Get Severance Pay (sort of)

    I’m not above taking a little less to get the trash out of my life faster.

    I was talking yesterday about how the only sane way to do business is to only work with good clients. You have to get rid of the bad ones who waste your time.

    People love the idea of “firing a client.”

    They picture some dramatic moment where you slam a folder shut, stand up from the table, and announce you won’t be treated that way.

    The truth is a lot quieter — and a lot simpler.

    I’m pretty good at reading people, so it doesn’t happen often. But if I list a property and realize the seller is a flake, or dishonest, or just likes wasting people’s time?

    If the property isn’t under contract, I fill out a termination form, sign it, email it over, and tell them it’s not working. Two seconds later, the contact is deleted from my phone.

    But what if it is under contract?

    Well, a closing ends the relationship too.

    In that case, the smartest way to fire a bad client is to finish the deal, get paid, and then never work with them again.

    That’s it.
    No drama.
    No speeches.
    Just a clean exit.

    (even if it “costs” you a little)

    A while back, I had a couple of those deals where everything looked normal until the closing table.

    Then the buyer pulled a last-minute stunt — trying to back out of a standard cost he’d already agreed to.

    It’s always the same type of personality: someone who waits until the very end, when everyone’s time is spent, and tries to squeeze one last thing out of you.

    Not because they need to.

    Because they want to see if they can.

    (if you’re in my business you’ve seen it too, and know what I’m talking about…but no need to name it)

    A lot of people think the “strong” move is to dig in and refuse to budge. And yes, if I had pushed back, I probably would’ve “won.” The deal would have closed anyway and I’d have walked out with the full amount.

    But here’s the part most people never account for:

    The second he pulled that stunt, I knew I was never speaking to him again after that day. If we close, great. If we don’t, I’m pulling the listing.

    And he might get sued by the buyer.

    Not my problem.

    If there’s even a 20–30% chance that kind of person blows up the deal, the expected value drops fast.

    Option A:

    Fight it out, maybe get $8,000, maybe get $0 — and never deal with them again. Other than maybe testify against them in court later.

    Option B:

    Pay a small amount out of pocket, guarantee the deal closes, walk away with (say) $7,000 — and never deal with them again.

    It’s not a hard choice once you strip out the ego.

    You don’t build a strong business by letting bad clients take up space.

    You don’t build sanity by keeping people around who nickel-and-dime you.

    And you don’t build a reputation by escalating pointless standoffs.

    The smartest operators I know — in real estate, development, legal, construction, you name it — all do the same thing:

    They protect their pipeline, not their pride.

    A good client pays you in money, time saved, referrals, easier deals, smoother communication, and less chaos.

    A bad client takes far more than they ever give.

    So no, I don’t hesitate.

    If covering a small cost gets the deal closed and gets the wrong person out of my world forever, that’s not weakness.

    That’s strategy.

    You don’t have to win every little battle.

    You just have to win your time back.

    Once you understand that, firing bad clients becomes easy — even when it means paying them to leave.

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    PS- You may not be ready to sell today, but wouldn’t it be smart to be prepared ahead of time?

    I offer a free opinion of value on any property, along with market info etc. And no time wasting, no pestering you to hurry up, none of that.

    Is it ever a bad time to start talking to a pro who will treat you the right way?

    (and will have time for you because he doesn’t let bad actors mistreat him?)

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  • Working With Everyone Is a Good Way to Work for No One

    Working With Everyone Is a Good Way to Work for No One

    If people don’t respect their own time, how do you think they’ll handle yours?

    I was on a Zoom call this morning with a guy who used to be the city manager of one of the faster growing cities in my area. He retired, moved into development consulting, and said something that stuck with me.

    He joked that he has to “pick and choose” who he works with now — not because he’s trying to be fancy, but because there are more people wanting his time than he has hours to give.

    That hit home for me, because I’ve lived the same thing in real estate.

    I’ve written about this before: most people are terrified to fire a bad client. They think if they walk away from someone who drains them, they’ll never replace the lost business.

    It feels risky. It feels like turning down money.

    But here’s the odd thing about business — and it took me a while to learn this:

    The minute you stop saying yes to everyone, the right people start showing up.

    Not in a mystical way. Just cause and effect.

    When you’re overloaded, dealing with unreasonable demands, endless hand-holding, price-shoppers, or high-maintenance/low-commitment personalities… you don’t have the bandwidth to serve the people you should be serving.

    You aren’t as sharp. You aren’t as available. You don’t follow your instincts. You don’t market as well.

    You rush. You put things off. You tolerate behavior you shouldn’t. You start operating from pressure instead of intention.

    Every minute with a bad client is a minute you can’t spend with a good one. And good clients usually demand less time while giving you more back, it’s worse than just a one to one trade.

    There’s a standard. There has to be.

    And here’s the part most people don’t believe until they live it:

    Good clients notice when you raise your standards.

    Bad clients notice too — and disappear.

    It’s like the air changes. Smart, reasonable people are drawn to someone who values their own time and expertise.

    They respect it. They even expect it. And the ones who don’t? They self-select out.

    I’ve had deals in the past where everything in my gut said, “This isn’t a fit.” The minute I trusted that — not rudely, just clearly — I made more room for the right ones. And the right ones showed up faster than I would’ve predicted.

    Not because I’m special.

    Because that’s how the world works.

    People who operate at a high level want to work with other people who operate at a high level. The Sherman guy on the call? Same story.

    He’s not being conceited. He just knows that if he says yes to the wrong project, it keeps him from doing the projects that actually matter.

    Most professionals never make that leap. They cling to every lead, every maybe, every person who says “I’m thinking about it.” They treat scarcity like a strategy. And they wonder why they’re exhausted.

    The truth is simple:

    You don’t starve by turning down bad work.

    You starve by letting bad work crowd out the good.

    Set the standard. Hold it.

    The quality of your clients will rise to meet you.

    Get More Like This In Your Inbox Here!

    PS- The flip side of me having the right clients is that if you’re one of the “good ones” then you should only work with top professionals.

    You’re probably not ready to sell now. You know that the time to start preparing for a big event like that is before you’re actually ready.

    But you also know how it is with real estate agents. You reach out and ask for some info, then regret it because the agent won’t stop pestering you about needed to sell now.

    But if you work with someone who already attracts top clients, they don’t have time to pester people who aren’t ready.

    (Hello).

    Is it ever a bad idea to start talking to someone who knows the business, respects your time, and acts with integrity?

    Click Below:

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  • Don’t Be Afraid to Scare the Cheapskates

    Don’t Be Afraid to Scare the Cheapskates

    You’re not selling to everyone. Especially not the cheap ones.

    If you spend any time studying negotiation, you’ll run into the concept of anchoring quickly.

    Here’s a quick explanation. Humans are not great at evaluating numbers in a vacuum. Whatever number we hear first gets in our mind, and everything gets judged relative to that.

    Strangely, the anchoring number doesn’t even have to be related to the subject being negotiated to have an effect. Studies have been done where, before discussion starts, an unrelated number gets thrown out.

    Something like the local left fielder’s salary or the price of a gallon of gas.

    And the resulting agreements end at a higher price when the higher number was mentioned.

    Happens in real estate all the time.

    If you’ve ever written an offer on a property, you know the routine, start as low as you can without insulting the seller or making them stop talking to you.

    In almost every case, the buyer expects to pay more than the first number they write down.

    They want a counter, and the counter will usually drift toward the anchor created by that first offer.

    So by starting lower, you finish lower.

    Sellers can use this too.

    When you put a property on the market, the asking price works like an opening offer. Not a perfect match to a written offer, but close enough that the psychology is the same.

    Your asking price sets the anchor on your side.

    Obviously you can’t list a $100K property for $100 million and call that strategy.

    But you can list it on the high side and shift the entire negotiation upward before it even begins.

    Most buyers will start higher if you start higher. And most deals finish somewhere related to those starting positions.

    This idea works much better on land than it does on houses. (lucky for me)

    Housing has tighter price bands. There are a lot of comparable sales, a lot of similar properties, and buyers who can look at dozens of options in an afternoon.

    People can tell instantly when a house is overpriced.

    On top of that, almost all housing depends on financing. And financing depends on appraisals. A lender won’t let a buyer stretch very far, and even if the buyer wants to, they often can’t.

    Land doesn’t always follow the same rules. Each tract is unique.

    Size, shape, elevation, trees, road access, water, and views hit buyers differently.

    Something that is just fine for one person can be perfect for someone else.

    And if the right buyer (or more realistically the buyer’s wife) decides a piece of land is perfect, the price ceiling gets flexible very quickly.

    You also run into a lot more cash buyers, which means the appraisal choke point disappears.

    With land, you’re almost making a mistake if you don’t price fifteen to twenty-five percent above what you truly expect to receive.

    Notice I said 15–25 percent. Not 250.

    A little high won’t scare people off the way it does with houses. And if the right buyer shows up, you might end up selling for more than you planned.

    But even if you don’t, the anchoring still works in your favor. Start higher, finish higher.

    That’s the point.

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    PS – I say on here all the time that if you improve your negotiation skills you improve every part of you life. The best two books I know of (I read them both every year because they are that good) are Start With No by Jim Camp and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.

    If you’re interested in learning the systems and strategies they employ (ie not cheap tactics you can get them at my Recommended Reading page.

    Click Here To Get Them

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Clicking that link may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you.)

  • This One Easy Rule Will Get Rid of (Almost All) of Your Stress

    This One Easy Rule Will Get Rid of (Almost All) of Your Stress

    Make the Decision, Then Stop Thinking About It

    Much of the stress people carry around isn’t caused by big problems.

    It’s caused by small decisions that never get closed.

    You’ve probably experienced it: You make a plan, put something on the calendar, set an appointment, but as it gets closer, you start thinking about moving it.

    Not because anything serious changed. Just because the idea of dealing with it feels inconvenient. Or you don’t want to disappoint someone else who asked for something.

    From my observations, a high percentage of people live this way.

    They “keep their options open” right up until the moment something can’t be avoided anymore. Then they scramble, apologize, reschedule, and wonder why everything feels disorganized.

    And wonder why they seem to have a harder time of things.

    There’s a simple rule that will clean up your life faster than almost anything else:

    Once you make a commitment, keep it — unless reality forces you to change.

    Not feelings. Not inconvenience. Not “I’m just not feeling it today.”

    Reality.

    There’s a huge difference.

    You don’t have to be rigid, Life happens.

    Kids get sick.

    A flat tire is a legitimate reason to adjust. (real flat tires, not ‘flat tires.’)

    A genuine emergency deserves a real change of plans.

    But most of the time, people don’t reschedule because of emergencies. They reschedule because the idea of sticking to the plan creates a little bit of friction. And they want to avoid that momentary discomfort.

    Here’s the problem:

    Every time you revisit a decision, you multiply the mental load.

    The appointment still exists.

    The work still needs to be done.

    The responsibility is still waiting.

    But now you’ve added a layer of:

    • indecision
    • guilt
    • clutter
    • extra logistics
    • and more future inconvenience

    You didn’t save yourself trouble. You just kicked it down the road and made it heavier.

    There’s real power in closing a decision once and leaving it closed.

    It builds confidence. It sharpens your thinking. It simplifies your schedule.

    It reduces the noise in your head.

    And it quietly teaches everyone around you that your word means something.

    People with chaotic lives almost always have one thing in common: Their decisions don’t stay decided.

    People with cleaner, calmer, more productive lives do something different:

    They make a choice, commit, and execute — even when they don’t feel like it in the moment.

    It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being consistent.

    If you can build the habit of sticking to what you said you’d do, your life gets dramatically easier — not because the world changes, but because you stop reopening the door every time something tugs at your attention.

    Decide once.

    Follow through.

    Everything else starts falling into place.

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    PS- This one doesn’t tie directly to real estate.

    If I had to shoehorn it in, I’d ask the following:

    Is it a crazy idea to want to work with someone who understands the value of doing what they say?

    But aside from that, this is a small change a person can make that will result in huge positive changes down the road.

    Success really isn’t the result of one great action, it comes from lots of small actions repeated daily (or often). This is the main principle offered in Jeff Olson’s book The Slight Edge.

    If you’re looking for a personal development book that’s realistic and doesn’t veer into a bunch of “woo-woo” manifestation type stuff, I can’t think of a better one.

    You can buy it here.

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Clicking that link may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you.)

  • Trump’s Not the Only One Who Does It (And You Should Too)

    Trump’s Not the Only One Who Does It (And You Should Too)

    And the people complaining about it? They probably do it as well.

    A few weeks ago I wrote something on here that went all the way back to the 2016 presidential debates. The moment where Hillary Clinton tried to score points by saying Donald Trump had paid little (if any) income taxes in several years, thinking it would make him look bad.

    Instead of running for cover, Trump handled it exactly right.

    His mic was still on, Hillary kept talking, and he just cut in:

    “That makes me smart.”

    Most politicians would have tried to hide from a charge like that. They’d scramble to justify why they didn’t pay more than legally required.

    And they’d lose the argument before it even started.

    Trump leaned into it. He made it clear he (or his accountants) used the rules as written, which is exactly what anyone with common sense would do.

    If anything, it would be irresponsible not to.

    At the time I wrote that, I offered a short info flyer explaining Section 1031 Exchanges and how they can be used to reduce or defer tax liability on real estate sales. You can get it below if you want.

    (Insert the usual disclaimer here:
    I’m not a CPA or attorney. I’m a real estate broker. This isn’t tax, legal, or financial advice. It’s informational. Read it, ask questions to the right professional, and make your own decisions.)

    Quite a few people downloaded it.

    Probably because many already knew the basics — 1031s aren’t a new trick.

    But another thought crossed my mind:

    Some folks may have avoided the info because they didn’t want to be “associated with Donald Trump.”

    So let’s get something out of the way.

    Using tax law to your advantage isn’t a Donald Trump thing. It’s not a Republican thing. It’s not a Democrat thing.

    It’s a smart thing.

    And people on all political sides do it — especially the ones who complain about it publicly.

    “That makes me smart” wasn’t the last thing Trump said that night.

    When the tax topic resurfaced, he pointed out that Hillary Clinton had been a U.S. Senator and could have tried to change the laws, but didn’t.

    Why?

    Because her friends use the exact same rules he does.

    If you’re not doing the same thing, the only person you’re hurting is yourself.

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    So if you own land or are thinking about selling, and you want to understand how real estate tax law actually works in the real world — not in political talking points — start here.

    Click to learn more.

  • The Easy Way Is The Hard Way

    The Easy Way Is The Hard Way

    Most shortcuts just push pain into the future.

    Most of the time when something seems easy, you can count on one of two things.

    Either you did the hard work first and are moving downhill now,

    or you put the hard work off to be paid back later (with interest).

    You can see it everywhere once you start noticing.

    Skipping the gym is easy. Explaining your health later isn’t.

    Putting off a hard conversation is easy. Living with the tension that follows isn’t.

    Pricing your property high “just to see what happens” is easy.

    Watching it sit for six months while the serious buyers move on — that’s the hard part.

    We all tell ourselves we’re just buying time.

    But time has a way of collecting interest.

    There’s a reason discipline, planning, and patience sound boring — they front-load the difficulty.

    They make you face discomfort early, when it’s small.

    And that’s what keeps it from growing into something unmanageable later.

    As the saying goes, Hard Now, Easy Later.

    Most of the people who get in real trouble — financially, relationally, professionally — didn’t simply make one big mistake. Or just get “unlucky once.”

    They just chose the easy path a few too many times in a row.

    Then they looked up and they weren’t where they wanted to be.

    (Probably blamed everyone but themselves too).

    In business, it looks like:

    • Avoiding tough calls because you don’t want confrontation.
    • Hiring the cheaper person because you didn’t want to dig deeper.
    • Waiting until the deadline because it “won’t take long.”

    Those decisions all feel harmless in the moment.

    But the easy way almost always turns into the expensive way.

    When I see sellers overprice their property, I already know what’s going to happen.

    They’ll get a few showings, no offers, and start to wonder why.

    Then six months later, after multiple price cuts, the listing is stale and buyers assume something’s wrong.

    The easy road — my allowing you to chase a fantasy number — turns into the hard reality of lost momentum.

    It works the other direction too.

    Doing things the right way up front — marketing elbow grease, honest pricing, and full disclosure — feels like work.

    But it makes everything that comes after easier.

    You don’t have to explain. You don’t have to backtrack. You don’t have to rebuild trust.

    That’s the hidden truth about the “easy” route: it just changes when you pay the cost.

    And the longer you delay it, the more expensive it gets.

    So the next time something looks like a shortcut, ask yourself a simple question:
    “Am I making this easier now, or easier later?”

    If the answer’s “now,” you probably already know how that story ends.

    Still haven’t subscribed? (it helps me and doesn’t cost you anything)

    PS- You’re probably not looking to buy or sell right now. But by starting before you’re ready you make things that much easier when its time.

    If you’d like a free (no obligation) opinion of value for any property, all you need to do is ask. You’ll get the truth now, which is always easier to hear when you’re not under pressure.

    Although you may even hear something you like.

    Is it a crazy idea to do things now that make it easier for you in the future?

    Click Below:

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  • It Ain’t Over Yet

    It Ain’t Over Yet

    It’s not your job to keep it fair. Stop worrying about it.

    Proverbs 11:31 says:

    If the righteous receive their due on earth,
    how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

    This feels straightforward, and it matches how we want the world to work:

    You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around. Justice happens. People get what they deserve.

    The problem is: that’s not what we always see.

    Some people who treat others poorly seem to be doing great. Meanwhile, people who really try to do things the “right way” seem to run into every roadblock in life.

    And of course, we always assume we’re the righteous ones — and everyone else is the ungodly.

    But let’s slow down a second.

    First:

    You’re only seeing the highlight reel of other people’s lives. Whether it’s social media or public reputation, you’re not seeing the whole story. A lot of the time, people who look like they have it made are carrying more struggle than you know.

    Second:

    Why are we so sure that we are the righteous ones?

    If you’re honest, you fall short all the time. I do too.

    We all do.

    So maybe some of the “unfairness” we experience is just us receiving what is actually owed.

    Although thankfully, that’s not the whole story.

    Because Christ paid what we couldn’t.

    But here’s the real point:

    Proverbs (and most of Scripture) speaks in principles, not instant transactions.

    Wisdom literature describes how the world truly works, not how it looks in the moment.

    So when Proverbs says the righteous will receive their due — it doesn’t necessarily mean right now.

    And when it says the wicked will receive theirs — it doesn’t always mean today.

    It means: God settles accounts. All of them.

    Just not on our timeline.

    Jeremiah asked God directly:

    Why do the wicked prosper?

    And God’s answer was basically:

    You’re judging the story before it’s over. I’m not done yet.

    So instead of worrying about how “unfair” life looks:

    Quit keeping score. Quit comparing.

    Quit assuming you’re the good guy and they’re the bad guy.

    God sees everything.

    Everything will be dealt with. Perfectly.

    In His time.

    Not necessarily the way you think it will be, or think it “should.”

    (and that’s to our benefit if you think about it for even a second)

    Our job is simple:

    Trust Jesus.

    Do what He says.

    Let God handle everything else.

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  • It’s (Probably) Not About You

    It’s (Probably) Not About You

    Assuming unseen details is a good way to miss the boat. Or the deal.

    Everybody’s heard that saying:

    People see what they want to see.

    Or hear what they want to hear.

    It’s true — not because people can’t recognize facts, but because we fill in the blanks with stories that make us the good guy.

    The “scientific” name for it is WYSIATI (What you see is all there is)

    If a clerk or customer service rep treats us badly, our mind immediately writes the script:

    They’re rude. They’re jealous. They don’t want me to get what I came for.

    And off we go — feeling irritated but also a little self-righteous.

    But we almost never have the full story. What if you found out their dog died? Or their mom’s in the hospital?

    You’d still remember the moment, but the story would change completely.

    The truth is, you can’t go wrong assuming someone’s just having a bad day.

    It saves a lot of unnecessary resentment — and you feel better too.

    (Not because they are having a bad day of course, but you don’t stew over their behavior.)

    I got a reminder of that this week.

    I’m working an off-market sale, and my client called to ask if I’d been showing his property around.

    I hadn’t — but he said an attorney had reached out to one of his partners to verify pricing and availability.

    I told him that maybe the attorney was working for our potential buyer, and was making sure what I had told them was true before spending their time (and client’s money).

    Then I caught myself. Because that’s the version where I look good and get paid, so I defaulted to it.

    I said, “Of course, there are probably other explanations. That one just happens to be the one I would like the most so it’s where my brain went.”

    Turns out, that was the right one this time — but it easily could’ve been wrong.

    It was a good reminder that our “explanations” are often just stories we prefer.

    And in business, assuming the wrong story can cost you.

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    PS – Some brokers “shoot first, ask later” — they chase offers without even knowing if the seller will sell or what price makes sense.

    It sometimes works, but it can also create resentment and kill deals before they start.

    So yes — that attorney checking first? Smart move.

    And me avoiding that behavior? It’s why I get to represent top clients on large deals like this.

    Because they trust me.

    If you’re not ready to sell yet, that’s fine.

    But the time to start covering your bases is before you’re ready.

    Is it a bad idea to have the most current information — and to be working with someone who treats you right?

    Click below to start that conversation:

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