NOT SOLD. DEAL BUSTED. HOUSE DID NOT APPRAISE!
"Congrats to me… I just lost another listing!"
“Record Breaking Year! I sold one house. A single lonely transaction wandering the MLS by itself. Six deals completely imploded. Three listings expired. My grand total production for the year: $122,000. Anyone else out there ready to buy a home before I start selling lemonade on the corner?”
Trust me, there would be a LOT more posts like this if Realtors were actually honest.
Realtors love to post their highlight reel. The “Closed in One Day” victory laps. The “Just Sold” graphics that look like a Hallmark poster. The “Breaking Records Again” announcements. Yes, I know I'm also guilty of this.
And then there’s my personal favorite — the infamous “Closing Table Big Key Photo Shoot.”
You know the one. The client is holding a giant plastic key the size of a surfboard, smiling like they just won a game show.
They stand there looking like a cut out standee, smiling through the pain, with a facial expression that screams:
“Do I really have to do this?”
“I thought I was buying a house, not starring in a low-budget commercial.”
“Is this key… mine?”
I’ve never understood the tactic. Not knocking it. If a giant piece of plastic makes someone feel like a homeowner, wonderful.
Now that we’ve covered the photo op portion of real estate, let's get back to the true reality:
Twenty-four showings over six months. You think you’re getting close. You feel the momentum. You’re mentally handing the buyer the keys.
Then out of nowhere the buyers announce… they’re renting.
Renting.
Half a year of showings, driving, prepping, lights on, lights off — and they want an apartment with a dog park.
List a home.
Get it under contract.
You celebrate with a “finally” deep breath.
Then inspections arrive like a demolition team.
The deal gets blown into tiny fragments.
Back on the market we go.
You regroup.
You relist.
You redo the photos.
You rewrite the MLS remarks for the 49th time because maybe this version will magically cause a buyer to appear.
You hold more open houses than Costco on sample day.
And then the final insult:
It expires.
Doesn’t sell.
Gone.
$7,200 in marketing evaporates.
Hours of calls, emails, texts, staging, driving — gone like the last donut at the office.
Where’s THAT post?
Where’s the “JUST NOT SOLD” announcement?
Where’s the graphic that says:
“Proud to announce I just lost thousands of dollars and eight months of my life on this one!”
Imagine scrolling through social media and seeing:
“Deal Fell Apart. Buyer Vanished. Inspection Looked Like a Haunted House. Tune in next week for more emotional carnage.”
Or maybe:
“New Listing: 0 Offers. 0 Interest. 0 Point Anymore. But perseverance is strong.”
But that’s real estate.
Feast or famine.
You question your life choices for 90 days, then suddenly close three deals in one week and look like a genius.
This business will humble you.
Confuse you.
Drain your account.
Stress your soul.
And keep you coming back for more because when it hits… it hits big.
So yes — keep posting the wins.
But sprinkle in the truth.
The real truth.
Clients appreciate honesty.
Agents need encouragement.
And the world needs to see that “Just Sold” usually comes after a whole lot of “Just Survived.”
You think Realtors are overpaid? Trust me, if you saw how many homes I’ve worked on that never sold, you’d be asking if I needed to start a GoFundMe.
Real estate is the only career where you can lose money, lose sleep, lose sanity, lose a listing, lose a deal, lose your appetite, and still wake up the next morning ready to do it all over again… voluntarily. That’s not dedication — that’s a diagnosed condition.
Wyatt Poindexter - The Agency Oklahoma
#RealEstateReality
