Effective Communication Between Lawyers and Brokers

I work with a lot of real estate brokers. Some of them are great and some of them could use some advice on how to work with real estate lawyers. It’s not that they are bad brokers, but learning effective communication can help them become great brokers.

Here are my 4 tips:

1. No assumptions
   Don’t assume that I know the property that you are referring to. As a broker, you have a lot of clients, and as lawyer, I have many clients. When you call me, please, give me all the information I need – the address and the clients’ full name. Don’t assume I know what you are talking about and we can start our conversation off on the right foot
2. There are no “sides”
   There are two sets of professionals – brokers and lawyers – in each sale both for the sellers and the buyers. But this does not mean that there are two sets of opposing “sides” with teams of people working against each other. No one is the enemy and everyone working on a sale wants the best for all parties and want the deal to get executed smoothly.This means that all the brokers can talk to the lawyers involved in the deal. If you are the broker for the seller, and I am the buyer’s attorney, don’t feel like I am on the opposing team. Please feel free to call me. Communication is the key to a smooth closing.
3. Be Honest – Every Time
   I have a pet peeve when a client calls me up and is upset at something I’ve told the broker. This makes me particularly crazy when the broker hasn’t talked to me at all. Please, don’t tell the client that I’m doing something when you haven’t reached out to me. Please, feel free to call me and ask. It’s easier to ask than to lie.
4. Communication is key
   Perhaps this should have been my first point because 1-3 all fall into communication. In order to be a better broker, make sure you can communicate well and honestly with all the parties involved.