On Monday, our broker asked us to think about how we would answer someone who asked why they should choose us as their real estate agent. The answer needed to be about thirty seconds long, but there was one catch. We could not begin by saying "I." At first, that seemed like a simple restriction, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how difficult the question really was. Most real estate agents can say they communicate well, negotiate for their clients, know the market, answer their phones, work hard, and care about the people they represent. Those are all important qualities, but when everyone is saying essentially the same thing, they do not necessarily explain why a buyer or seller should choose one particular agent. It made me wonder if perhaps the answer to "Why me?" should not really be about me at all.

Recently, I worked with a family who had found a house they really liked and had gone under contract to purchase it. They completed their inspections and received the CL-100, and there were concerns about the property that they wanted addressed. Repair requests were submitted, but as the final day of their due-diligence period progressed, we still did not have an agreement with the seller. By three o'clock that afternoon, their due-diligence period was scheduled to end at six, and several important questions remained unresolved. They were also preparing to close on the house they were selling, which meant that walking away from the house they hoped to purchase would leave them temporarily without a home of their own.

This was where the transaction became about much more than simply buying a house. They liked the property and had already invested time, money, and emotion into the purchase. Their belongings were being packed, their current home was being sold, and changing course would be inconvenient. However, none of those circumstances changed the questions that remained about the property they were purchasing. We had to have a serious conversation about whether they were comfortable allowing their due-diligence period to expire without an agreement that addressed the CL-100 and repair concerns to their satisfaction. The important question was not whether someone else would consider the proposed repairs sufficient. The important question was whether these buyers understood the risks and were comfortable accepting them.

Ultimately, they decided they were not. They terminated the contract, closed on the home they were selling, and moved into an Airbnb while we continued looking. It was certainly not the easiest option, but it gave them something that can become surprisingly difficult to preserve during a real estate transaction: time to make another decision. We immediately began looking at other properties, they found another house, completed the due-diligence process again, and are now scheduled to close on their new home.

None of this means the first house was necessarily a bad house, nor does it mean another buyer could not have been perfectly comfortable purchasing it. Different buyers have different financial situations, expectations, abilities to make repairs, and tolerances for risk. The lesson for me was something different. Once people have spent money on inspections, packed their belongings, imagined where their furniture will go, and begun thinking of a property as their new home, there can be tremendous pressure to keep moving forward simply because they have already come so far. That pressure, however, does not make the unanswered questions disappear.

A real estate agent's job should certainly include helping clients successfully buy and sell homes, but getting to closing should not become more important than helping someone make a thoughtful decision. Sometimes good representation means negotiating an agreement and moving confidently toward closing. Other times it means slowing down, asking another question, researching something further, or reminding someone that walking away is still one of the choices available to them. There may even be times when the best advice is that a homeowner should not sell or that a buyer should not purchase the house in front of them.

After thinking about my broker's question, I believe my thirty-second answer has become much simpler. A real estate decision should not be driven by pressure to get to closing. Buyers and sellers deserve enough information to understand the property, the numbers, the risks, and the choices available to them, even when one of those choices is to wait or walk away. The goal is not simply to get someone under contract and get them to closing. The goal is to help them make a decision they can still believe was wise long after the transaction is over.

Perhaps that is also a useful question for consumers to consider when choosing a real estate agent. Instead of only asking what an agent will do to help them buy or sell a house, it may be worth asking what that agent will do when the wisest advice might mean there is no closing at all.

Bonnie Wicks, licensed as Bonnie Jean Wicks Bertalot, is an Associate Broker with Carolina One Real Estate and team lead of Shoreline Key Team, serving Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Summerville, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Ladson, and surrounding Lowcountry communities. Contact Bonnie at 843-754-0754 or visit bonniewicks.com.