Competitors or Collaborators?

Claudia Stallings

I’m a fan of the VOLS. I’m a graduate of the university, my husband is also a graduate, we were both in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, whose main goal is to rally fan excitement on game day in order to support our team. I’ve sat through games so hot that some band members passed out on the field. I’ve sat through games so cold my fingers couldn’t feel my instrument as we played “Rocky Top.” I’ve sat in the drenching rain, rehearsed for weeks for a performance that lasted just a few minutes, rode for hours on a bus, and woke up before dawn, day after day, to make it to the practice field across campus in time. There’s little a band member doesn’t do in support of his/her team and in support of the other band members.

And I know first-hand what it’s like to be in a stadium full of fans rooting for the opponent. There were times when we were instructed to remove the plumes from our hats before walking through the stadium containing the opponent’s fans, lest they pluck them off our heads. Smack talk is everywhere. People wear shirts and costumes that taunt the other team. Memes on social media are relentless in their competitive nature. In a sports arena, these things are endured, tolerated, and sometimes encouraged.

But in real estate, it’s different. Or at least it should be. One might equate being a buyer as being on one team, and the seller being the opposing team. Each side wants victory for themselves. But thinking of each side as the opposing team can have negative consequences for both parties. Unlike on the playing field where there is one winner and one loser, there is a single, shared goal in a real estate transaction, and that’s the sale of the property in question. On the gridiron, one team attempts to block any movement made by the other, while the other team does all in its power to dodge, pass, or power through the blocking side. But when a seller lists their property and a buyer makes an attempt to purchase that property, it’s not a competition. It’s a collaboration, with each side searching for the point at which both sides can score. The buyer usually wants it for the least amount of money, while the seller wants the most amount of money. An offer is simply a way to find out how low a seller and how high a buyer will go to reach the mutual goal.

I’ve witnessed transactions where a seller and buyer found themselves at odds. One side pushing too far and the other side taking offense. All that does is cause both sides to put on their pads, pull out their helmets and continue to push and block where no one gets to the goal line and usually someone gets hurt.

The main thing to remember in real estate is that the seller wants to sell, and the buyer wants to buy. The goal is on one side of the field, and both have to get there. Let’s call it harmony. If both sides work together, in step with each other, playing from the same page of music, in step to the same drummer, even if they play different instruments or are standing on a different part of the field, even if the transaction is difficult, the results can be as powerful as a good circle drill.

Go Vols!