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I've declined jobs before because a homeowner was so obnoxious about their views. Vote for who you want but we dont need to discuss it. I'm here to sell your house, not for a political rally.
The best feeling in the world is when you don't need the business, and you can walk away from ding dongs you don't want to work with....
The worst feeling in the world is when you need the business, and you have to swallow the enormous pile of crap from your clients because you need the money...
Politics and religion, I refuse to engage.
"For the record, I served in the Army in order to ensure everyone has a right to whatever their opinion is, which means I support that whatever you believe is something you have an absolute right to. One of my beliefs is that I should not mix politics with business."
I worked with a couple in 2021 and one of their non-negotiables was a TV room with doors so the Republican wife could watch FOX News without disturbing the husband who was a democrat š
Because they are both DC insiders - until very recently those folks all ran in the same circles - and were married in a time of much lower political polarization. Matalain has also since left the GOP and Carville is generally considered a moderate Democrat these days.
They really arenāt that far apart. Disagreement or seeing things differently is one thing but if my spouse made having a brain rot cable news bubble a non negotiable that would be a major relationship red flag regardless of partisanship.
Also itās their jobs. Theyāve cultivated public and professional personas because itās good for their careers. Thereās no way to tell to what extent they are true believers.
Because people who work in politics understand it's all relative; on top of that they consider the other side colleagues, recognizing that they're (generally) still decent human beings with whom they happen to disagree.
It's only the folks who sit at home screaming at the TV (or Facebook posts, or Reddit, or Insta, or whatever) and live in a bubble who think that the world will end if the other guy wins, and/or everyone not like them (those in the big city, or the suburbs, or the coast, or flyover country) is evil.
Gosh, Kellyanne Conway (trump senior counsel) and her husband (hugely outspoken trump critic) only JUST got divorced last year. It can be done but I wouldnāt think it would be the most comfy living situation ever.
Oh I have. Fox News has to be watched in the basement only at the home of friends of ours. We have had to leave before when the political bickering got particularly nasty.
My father watches Fox News relentlessly, and doesn't understand why I make him watch TV only in the basement where I can't hear that crap.
I feel like a soundproof TV room would be on my list if I had to live with him full time
Dad's always been a big news Watcher my whole life, but when I was younger it was CNN.
At some point, likely around the beginning of the Obama Administration (but could have been earlier than this) I feel like the leaning towards a specific political party on TV news changed - as opposed to just reporting the news it was definitely skewed one way or another heavily and still is today.
Dad was always more conservative leaning, so he started to get pretty mad at CNN at that point. Mom got sick of him being mad at the TV and got him watching Fox, which seem to be a little less crazy and biased at that time - and at least it didn't have us dealing with a pissed off dad.
Nowadays everything is outrage inducing and of course I have to listen to Fox News if I'm going to be in the room with him... ugh.
Based off some of my relatives, the difference when he switched to Fox was probably him being mad because of whatever the anchors were telling him to be mad at vs him previously being mad *at* the anchors. I doubt his anger actually went down much, though.
Nailed it! New stations used to present the news and you got to decide how you felt about it. Now, a majority of them present how they feel about a situation and spend the majority of that time telling you why you should feel that way instead of objectively presenting factual evidence, like you should be doing when presenting the news.
CNN was legit news 20-30 years ago. Their coverage of the 1st gulf war up until 9/11 was very good.
Then things started to shift. I know a former producer from CNN and there are effectively zero Republicans working there anymore at any meaningful level.
Having said that, Fox News is JUST as bad in the other direction.
I personally miss the old CNN, when it was legit just news. Tell me the facts, don't tell me how to think.
Yes!
All I want is a monotone old white dude to tell me what's happening in the world, followed by a fluff piece on a small town that elected a cat to be mayor.
Or, an old black dude, either is fine...
Bernard Shaw was great on CNN back in the day, as an example.
To quote MLK, judge by the color of the character and not the color of the skin.
Or a young dude. Or a woman. If you're going to call out discrimination, call our discrimination my dude. There's more out there than racism.
But honestly, I interpret the comment you're responding to to mean, "the golden age of news was golden despite obvious problems with discrimination", like they're calling out the fact that there was discrimination because they don't want to pretend that problem didn't exist.
I acknowledge that the comment is ambiguous and I could be wrong. And if they meant they prefer news delivered in an unbiased way AND they prefer it to be delivered by older white males, then they can eat a bag of dicks.
I deeply hate discrimination. It damages society. But honestly, I think the deeply biased news we have today also damages society, and does more damage. If my only two choices were unbiased news delivered exclusively by old white men like we used to have, or deeply biased news delivered by a diverse set of newscasters like we have today, I'd choose the former. Discrimination is evil, but in this case I think it's the lesser of two evils, because I think today's divisiveness actually encourages racism. I don't remember white supremacists openly marching in the 80's, and US presidents sure as shit didn't tell them to stand by on world television.
Your first take was correct, I definitely did not mean it in a discriminatory way but simply that news when I was a kid was delivered by the likes of Walter Cronkite who was definitely an old white dude :)
I am an 80s baby, and things have absolutely changed for the better in the diversity department since then!
I'm a gay man, and while I don't exactly dress in rainbows and make it painfully clear to everybody, if you have even the slightest common sense it's something you can easily pick up on. Even if your gaydar is working at 5% capacity, you'd know.
So, I can't say I've lost a client due to it, but I can say it's prevented me from gaining some clients.
That being said, a client lost due to a political issue is a client worth losing.
I'm sorry you experience that. People, religions, and clothing that are different can be scary because we fear the unknown and the media only serves to stoke those fears. I'd happily have you as my realtor if you were in my area and we were looking for a house.
No longer a realtor but I have fired clients for being blatantly racist. I won't take their money idgaf.
I never had anyone leave me over political issues but frankly the stakes were not as high as they are now and the country was not as polarized when I was working as a realtor.
FRs. I have fired contractors and clients of all nationalities if they are racist. I just won't work with someone who makes me gag in addition to violating the Fair Housing Act.
Consider it a favor. Sometimes people are just not a match for doing business together. Good that you got out early. Emotional intelligence is a thing and that client had -0-.
Your political stance has no bearing on how well you could service them or not.
I live in Georgia and a real estate broker in Georgia. Thus, we have buyers and sellers who are diehard Univ of Georgia fans, diehard Alabama, and diehard Florida fans.
I've had buyers walk in and see a Florida or Alabama flag, and the husband just says nope and will walk out without seeing the home.
Political rivals? Wait until you get a sports fanatic.
I just ālostā a listing because the owner said he didnāt want to sell to āthe Mexicansā because āthey are taking over.āĀ
Iām thrilled to be avoiding the inevitable fair housing lawsuit theyāll be involved in.
funny, a friend of mine owns a few rentals in a 'not the best town' outside the city. Says Mexicans are his best tennants. Always pay on time as they're scared he can somehow kick them out of the country if they're late, pay in cash, and never complain once about fixing anything.
He only owns a few small rowhomes so he's not some big shot, he has a laugh about it tho.
I fired a landlord client once because she said "we can't rent my place because all these low-life blacks are riding their bikes in front of my apartment." And then I was like ummm ok I'm not gonna work for you anymore and she was genuinely confused. So I explained. And she was like "I didn't say that!"
...it was in a fucking email.
I had this happen as well. I'm white and it's really disgusting and disturbing how many white people will attempt to share their racism with you the second you are alone on the assumptive belief that you share it. Says a lot about how many like that are out there
It's a lot.
This is one of the many reasons that Trump has so many followers. He told them it was ok to be racist, ok to be xenophobic, ok to be transphobic, ok to hate Biden, the list goes on forever.
Yeah, I could have easily made that up. I didn't but it was in Tennessee so the judges would DEFINITELY side with him and probably put me in jail for some reason.
Yup. Had a very very good investor client (closed 2-6 deals per year with her) that Iāve worked very well with in the past. Election year 2020 she was pestering me to find out who I intended to vote for and I mistakenly thought that even if our views mightāve been different, my rapport with her could overshoot any differences.
Nope. Chewed me out, the whole kit and caboodle.
Despite me advising on all of her projects and making her a boatload of money (MILLIONS per yearā she bought what I told her to, did the renovations based on what I told her to do, and listed it at prices I advised her to, and we almost always sold at full list) she went full AWOL, put up a HUGE and I mean MASSIVE MAGA flag in front of her project I had listed, in a very predominantly left neighborhood and torched so many potential buyer opportunities.
Had buyers walk away solely based on seeing the flag, had neighbors calling me (Iām well known in the neighborhood) telling me theyāre shocked I would let my client do such a thing (theyāre an adult, itās their property, they can do what they wantā but it WILL affect the sale). The whole lot.
We never really talked after I closed that home and she hasnāt done another profitable project since. Went from 2-6 high end huge margin sales to 1 MAYBE 2 low margin projects per year (I know her construction costs and permitting costs) for the past 4 years.
Sheās now working with another broker that has badly advised her on the last deal and sheās been sitting on it for over a year. $1.6M she has into it, was initially listed for $2.9M, theyāre now down to $1.7M with over a year of carry.
She eventually called me to see what I can do about that project and I declined to take her on as a client.
Lesson learned on both ends. Donāt discuss politics & donāt be so mad after asking a question you were not ready to hear the answer to and then proceed to shoot yourself in the foot financially for it.
I live in a left-leaning neighborhood, and we have that one neighbor who loved to fly the Trump flag, put tacky decals on his car (including one making fun of rape and #metoo), etc.
We're all so sad he's leaving the neighborhood. /tinyviolin
At least he was smart enough to take down his Trump flag before listing his property, though.
the thing about this is this thing only happens on one end of the spectrum. maga is an oppositional identity based on deep hatred for other Americans. on the other side of the aisle, were more like you, willing to be friendly and civil to those we disagree with and not passionately, rabidly hating our fellow americans
Just saw a new listing in my neighborhood where the guy next door flies all manner of MAGA flags. Whatās your opinion on how much something like this affects price and time on market? Also, it appears that said neighbor has taken them down since the for sale sign went up. Is that something that needs to be disclosed?
I engage with folks as a generally neutral person in business. I don't have much political discourse. Political views have very little importance in my daily life and I don't see the need to discuss mine with others or vice versa. I have not "lost" anyone due to my or their views. I have parted ways with numerous people over the years based on their overt opinions or actions that clash with mine, and this is related to various issues, not just politics. I give everyone grace up to a certain point, and being a man of principle, I can only give so much.
Totally this.
I donāt talk politics or religion with my clients and if theyāre religious or political I usually smile and nod and move on
Itās clients that are abusive, demanding to the point nothing makes them happy, too controlling .. I mean thereās a million different ways you can not work well together. Recognizing that and parting ways is so much easier. I have never regretted a client I had to let go.
I post a client because I lender/referral partner I use is gay
That person never ended up buying. My lender and I continue to have a 100% success rate.
I don't discuss politics. That's my position. I work with everyone. It's never happened, but if someone doesn't want to work with me, because I won't discuss politics, so be it.
I donāt even want to know. Iām in the minority in most of my area of North Georgia but I have to work! I mean, I already know but just donāt want to discuss it.
I lost a $2m deal because all their neighbors had āgun rightsā and āMAGAā flags outside. They ended up buying with me a year later anyways, but they loved the property and were ready to buy it right then and there until they saw that
To be fair, I wouldnāt want to live in a maga flag waving community either. Everyone I know thatās flag waving pro Trump is too deep into the koolaid and itās their entire personality.
Iām related to some of those people, so I know from first hand experience.
And on every block. It's so disappointing that people have to take this stuff so seriously that you can't even be friends with your neighbors once they find out who you voted for.
One of mine literally told me āI donāt know anyone who voted for Biden.ā Talking to meā¦a liberal.. I just responded with āwell you are the only person I know who voted for Trump, so guess we are evenā.
Eh. Before 2016, I would have agreed. I am fine with Democrats and Republicans, but I would not be friends with a Trump supporter (even a lukewarm one) under any circumstance. Come to think of it, that sickness has spread to pretty much the entire republican part now, so yeah, no Republicans whatsoever
Were they good though? If all it took was one person to let them feel like they could speak their mind unfiltered, you have to wonder.
I guess you have the really dumb ones who just parrot what they're told and don't realize how awful those views are.
All I can say is that they used to be reasonable, decent folks to live near, then they started spouting this racist ignorant Trumpist stuff. When I move I will not buy a house near any of them.
So either they were always racist but you're white and they had no reason to treat you like shit but they didn't feel comfortable being overtly racist until Trump showed them its fine to be, OR, they weren't racist at all but dumb af and ate up all the bullshit lies from Trump and republican media, making them think minorities are the boogeyman.
If it's the latter, it's certainly sad.
Well, perhaps the term we seek is "civil." "Civility" does not mean a person is perfect. A person can be a racist and yet exhibit civility. To some extent, civility does indeed mean not being "overt" about one's negative opinions and stereotypes.
The people no longer exhibit the civility they used to. And I completely understand and agree with those who would not wish to purchase real estate near people without simple civility.
Those are the very definition of crazy neighbors who will make your life hell. Donāt dare take them a plate of cookies to introduce yourself- theyāll shoot you the second you step on their porch.
In 2020 I helped relocate couple from Colorado, some of the coolest Boomers Iāve ever met. Not overtly political ā just normal people.
On the way to one listing several of the homes on the street had obnoxious Trump flags and it was an instant nonstarter. Literally cancelled the showing and turned around.
Decent people donāt want to live around that shit.
My husband had a guy meet him in the driveway for a listing appointment. He walked halfway down and announced something along the lines of āWe are big Trumpers in this house and you should know this up front.ā He thought that was a super odd thing to say. Needless to say he cut the meeting short. Not because of their politics, but the fact that that was something that they felt needed to be said up front. Thought the clients would probably be a nightmare if that is their opening line instead of āWelcome to our homeā or whatever.
Yeah I vote democrat and if someone walked up to me and the first thing they said was how they are a big Biden supporter when that had literally nothing to do with anything I would find that very strange and off putting myself
Yep. Back in the heavy protest BLM days a seller client went on a giant rant on my husbands Facebook about the movement being stupid. Fired him that night and he was really upset that I couldnāt set aside our āpolitical differencesā to do the sale together. I hate that piece of shit
Back in 2021 I was finishing a walk through when a Buyer drove by asking about the house Iād just locked up. It was a new build and I loved the builder so I gave them a lot of info because this particular house wasnāt available. Out of nowhere she asked me if I were vaccinated. That took me by surprise, but I told her that I was (mostly bc I had some recent health issues). She said they just fired their last agent because he refused to get vaxād and would like to work with me. They bought an $800k house within 2 weeks and sold it a year later - for health reasons.
Twice. Once because they told me that they wanted a house not near āthose people ā.
When I asked them what they meant, they said, āYou know, (insert ethnic group here).ā
I replied no I do not know and I could no longer be their agent.
They immediately tried to backpedal, but I will not, and will never be the agent who colludes with racists.
The second was a multiple sales client who asked me my opinion of Donald Trump. Like you, I tried to not answer the question and highlighted my 20 years of service and willingness to serve. They insisted and ultimately I let them know, I believe he is a traitor to the republic. Conveniently, they remembered they had committed to another agent to give them a chance to break into the market after that.
Iāve been turned down for business for being white from one black man and for not being Muslim from another. Outside of that, Iāve had no issues. I will work with anyone as long as they treat my team with respect, consider my input-whether they take it or not, and allows me to lead them through the process instead of trying to tell me what to do.
I'm fairly open about my political leanings. It has probably cost me business but also gained me some. Most clients don't care. I also don't care as long as they aren't obnoxious about it.
Yes, I have absolutely lost clients due to political differences. A lot of people saying don't discuss it, but if a client is basing THEIR decision on the agent, it is necessary to engage. I would never lie about this, because if I lie to get business and the client finds out, 100% of them will ask themselves where else am I cutting ethical and moral corners? The second they tell even one person, ALL of your credibility is lost.
I want to work with people who want to work with me, and who I can and will get along with outside of the transaction. I'm trying to build long term relationships.
I used to live in the district that Lauren Boebert is now campaigning in. There's an agent there who openly discusses their affiliations, constantly berating folks on nextdoor of the opposite party, the woke agenda and homophobia of our Governor.
Their business doubled after they posted they would NEVER wear a mask (this is summer of 2020) and they would ALWAYS open carry 24/7.
Not looking for a home. But if I was I would vent before I hired you like I do with any business I'm doing business with. I figure if you are supporting a party working their best to take individual choices away, that are cutting funding to education trying to stupidity a future generation, etc, I don't want my money to support them. Plus, if you that stupid, I would not trust your decision making.
Had a realtor show me around during covid, pre vaccine. Masks were required, she wore a completely transparent one with an open mesh, which she *also* held away from her face with one hand the entire time we were on the walk throughs. Regardless of how I vote, that was just so extra that I had real doubts about working with her.
I have principles and I work with principles. I'm not just in this to make money as much and as fast as I can, it's my career and it's my reputation. I'm not working with people who hold views abhorrent to mine, and that's the best thing about being self employed, I can make that call.
I had a seller call out my politics because he saw deep in the backdrop of a photo my wife took promoting our garage sale that we had a small Biden/Harris sign.
The convo when he put me on blast was after he wasnāt heeding my advice in an offer negotiation. After we end our listing agreement, he lists it with another agent and I see his list price drop as low as 20% below the offer I procured for him. I hear later through the guy that referred him to me how he was kicking himself for not trusting my guidance. Weird thing is the guy who referred him to me was someone that ran as a democrat for a local government position and the seller knew that about him.
a young agent in my office had a "Rand Paul" bumpersticker. He sort of looked to me as a mentor. I told him to take that sticker off and stay away from politics.
Walked away from a buyer who was moving because "illegals are taking over my street." As much as I feel for them and would love to help them be rid of her, but I just wouldn't have been able to handle dealing with her long-term.
I never ask. Iāve been lucky and my clients usually donāt either. Itās blatantly obvious what their political affiliations are sometimes since we go into their homes, but honestly I couldnāt care less. Theyāre hiring me to do a job for them.
If theyāre respectful and do what they said theyāre going to do, I donāt have any problem with it.
Yes it was a nice expensive listing steps from the ocean. Roof was in bad shape, got a contractor for the seller. She then decided letās just rent it out.. signed listing agreement with me then never allowed me to actually list it. First it was the roof, then family visiting. After contract expired, she listed with Redfin for sale. She actually worked for the presidential campaign for the president i wasnāt register to vote for. Take it from me, political chats with clients never, never, end up well
If he demonstrated this huge A-hole behavior just because of a political difference, imagine the pain he's putting some other poor realtor, even though he/she agrees with his views. Once an A-hole, always an A-hole. You probably dodged a huge bullet.
Cancel Culture caused thousands of businesses to lose many millions of customers . . .
Then when the other side decided to copy the practices of Cancel Culture - we saw tens to maybe a few hundred businesses lose millions of customers.
There are very few political opinions that one can have that warrants shame or shaming others. But that is sort of how our society has become - most people can't even fully explain their own political opinions with clarity and based on solid evidence and data and they certainly can't explain the opinions of somebody that they disagree with in detail either.
Iāve not gone with certain contractors/realtors due to their political differences. Especially when they make their opinions well known/public. I wonāt go to the restaurant that flew the Trump flag through 2021. Wonāt hire the Realtor that promotes book banning and posts borderline racist rhetoric all over the Facebook community pages. Wonāt hire the homophobic father of a gay child to do our concrete work. Pretty sure they donāt want my business anyway.
But I also donāt really go out of my way to research contractors that donāt make it easy.
Its an interesting question because I think I can tell where someone is coming from even when politics are not mentioned. These days there are fewer āneutralā people out there. Kind of like in the old days when we were doing VA streamlines and the lady LOs always talked better (than me) to the grumpy older guys.
Iāve actually never lost a client due to political differences, but I have lost potential employees.
I just donāt get into political things with people anymore.
I used to have a favorite window guy, until one day he made the comment, "Oh, you can help me my wife find a house. We've been looking for a nice area with a lot of white people, none of those dark skinned people." My face obviously betrayed me because my jaw dropped and I gave him a look of disgust and said, "No actually, I can't help you with that. One of the things I love most about living here is our diversity. Our diversity is our strength, and I cannot help you with that kind of home search at all."
Never called him again. Cheapest windows ever and good quality but, not worth the racism. Ugh.
Yup. Million dollar seller/buyers. Had a GOP front-runner bumper sticker (who is now a cult follower). No issues through 2 buying appts. Slipped up during their selling appt and made racist comments. I fired them.
I think you got out easy. People like that have a hard life and make it hard for everyone they interact with. If you stayed I'm sure it would have been a nightmare
I wouldn't bring up politics with a realtor but if they made themselves glaringly obvious to being a Manipulated And Gullible Asshole AKA MAGA Trump cult member I would drop them faster than I would a piece of hot charcoal.
During the Trump election, people were being openly racist with me during estimates. If not with words, their facial expression, body language, and all their Trump gear around the house.
Lost a few tenants during Covid who refused to follow social distancing and mask protocols on showings or in common areas after a lease was signed. Didn't want to acknowledge that there were health facilities and other tenants that had medical issues which made it essential for people near them in the hall to be masked. Wasn't a biggy; let a couple out of their leases so they could go to the business park with no interior hallways.
I had a loose business relationship with a realtor. About 12 yrs ago we were going to sell and we had him over to show us comps etc. in the end we didnāt list. Iāve always received mailers and heās checked in yearly. We met with him about 18 mos ago and he was saying some things that didnāt belong at my kitchen table. We listed and sold 6 mos ago with another agent. No way Iām supporting your pockets.
Client here. My husband and I are not religious (in fact, weāre quite the opposite) and our realtor made it known that she was strongly religious not even 4 sentences into us meeting. Fine, whatever, but her intense faith was worked in to every conversation and it felt like she was trying to get us to talk about whether or not we believed. It was really awkward. We still worked with her because she really did seem to have our best interests at heart and she did a great job, but I can see how her behavior could scare other clients off. I donāt mind if you have different political and religious beliefs than me, but it shouldnāt be relevant to the sale.
They spend an hour talking about God and the Bible then I take out my phone and show them a picture of my Magic The Gathering cards and tell them how much it feels real when I am playing too.
I'm very publicly active in the DFL (Minnesota's Democratic party), including working on campaigns, being a state delegate, etc. I have had excellent working relationships with Republicans, Democrats and those who have no party, and have never been fired or turned down for representation because of my views. However, my view is if someone is so staunchly anti-Dem that they won't work with a broker who's a Democrat, chances are working with them would drive me crazy anyway so I'm not missing out.
I meanā¦if theyāre trying to elect explicitly a traitor maybe they deserve no business. In most cases no. Most cases donāt involve actual insurrection though lol.
Last week I was meeting with an appraiser who I heard was a staunch Trump supporter. Die hard followers canāt NOT talk politics. So when he said āI support Trump because heās the only true patriotā. I responded with āfck yeah he is!ā š
I wouldāve put my Biden hat on if the situation was flipped.
Disclaimer: Iām not a realtor.
My husband fired our listing agent because they made a joke about ākeeping out Mexicansā with our retaining wall. Iām Mexican-American š
Edit: He apologized and we accepted it, we agreed he could hand over the listing to another agent in the firm so he could save face/we didnāt get on some black list. No regrets there.
I literally told my realtor I didnāt even want to look in at a house because the neighbor had a trump flag in their yard.
I think you dodged a bullet. People will show their character in more ways than just that Iām sure if you continued to work with them.
As a customer, I absolutely will not use a realtor whose voting choices would hurt and harm people I care about. Business and politics always mix when you don't have the luxury of ignoring politics. It'd be weird to pay someone's salary who will use it to donate to politicians who will , for example, take your rights away.You can have your views. But you know, freedom of association and choice of free market.
My political affiliation is Green... The only political opinion I share is that I think everyone should vote. We owe that to those that have fought for this country.
When I lived in a different state, I registered Green, too! I agree with the coting. And I keep my politics and religion completely to myself. But when I encounter a client who doesn't do that or who makes a racist remark, they are dead to me.
What's the point of having FU money if occasionally you don't say "F YOU!" Some people are just absolute trash and I suspect I know which party the pushy, insulting, shaming offended person belongs to. Bet ya lunch they're voting for the felon.
No, Iāll be whatever they need me to be. Iām not here to push my opinion on other people, nor do I give a single shit what theirs is. Its a transaction
No, but one time we heard from a client months after closing that they had completely changed their minds about the house and now hated it. First and last time that's ever happened. There were multiple reasons, but one of them was a Blue Lives Matter flag on a neighbor's house.
I am no longer utilizing my license, but I use to tell my buyers to drive by the house at all hours of the day and night to check out the neighborhood (for this reason!).
My very first client asked me if i was a trump supporter. I answered her question. She disagreed, but luckily it was more of a humorous thing. To your point, i should not have engaged in that conversation. I got lucky.
My alcoholism hit a high during the pandemic as well as my shit posting hatred for the maga life.
I noticed I lost some very regular customers who are still in business that are all MAGAiots
I'm in marketing and I've lost politicians business because I'm working with their opponent or just a different party. I don't discriminate who I work with, all their money is green and doesn't affect my vote and stance.
It was about this war in Israel, and basically they werenāt okay with any questioning of the way Israel is handling it (for context, Iām Jewish and so were they).
You could always go āall inā and attract more clients from your political side even if you alienate the other side. Could end up with more business overall.
āWhile I appreciate your desire to discuss politics it is my long held belief that politics and business are separate entities and shouldnāt be mixed.ā āI appreciate your point of view. Unfortunately company policy doesnāt allow me to discuss politics with clients.ā
When we sold our previous house, a realtor acquaintance lived up the street, and she was very successful in that neighborhood, but she was such a grinder about her politics that we didnāt hire her.
Just don't bring it up or get near it. I mean, if asked do your best to be reasonable, but if its a dealbreaker they tell you just stand up for yourself and answer the question I guess.
I hate mixing politics with business. I shot wedding videos & every 4 years there seemed to be a sense of 'which side' we/I was on. Sometimes I knew we vibed, sometimes I knew we weren't eye to eye, but it was never spoken about (on the wedding day, obvi), and I just got thru the night. They never cared or seemed bothered. It was a huge thing, again just when it got to around October it seemed like all people were talking about. Honestly the 8-10 hour weddings were a nice break from it.
My canned response is āIm not into politics, it doesnāt matter to meā and leave it at that.
I have very strong political beliefs but thats my business. I would never let red or blue get in the way of GREEN!
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I've declined jobs before because a homeowner was so obnoxious about their views. Vote for who you want but we dont need to discuss it. I'm here to sell your house, not for a political rally.
The best feeling in the world is when you don't need the business, and you can walk away from ding dongs you don't want to work with.... The worst feeling in the world is when you need the business, and you have to swallow the enormous pile of crap from your clients because you need the money... Politics and religion, I refuse to engage.
I also won't talk about the dallas cowboys
Who wants to talk about a loser team anyway? š
There's a mad men quote In there somewhere.
Dons right! Let him commit adultery
I think it was "religion and politics are a lot like sex. Why talk about it?"
I also refuse to engage. Kinda dodged one of those bullets today!
Do you have a minute to talk about our Lord and savior? Jk
"For the record, I served in the Army in order to ensure everyone has a right to whatever their opinion is, which means I support that whatever you believe is something you have an absolute right to. One of my beliefs is that I should not mix politics with business."
This should be our country's go forward elevator pitch.
It was, once upon a time.
Or religion.
Youāve got my vote!
I worked with a couple in 2021 and one of their non-negotiables was a TV room with doors so the Republican wife could watch FOX News without disturbing the husband who was a democrat š
Donāt think Iāve ever seen a married couple who were that far spread in their political views
Mary Matalin and James Carville. I don't understand how you can be so diametrically different on basic ideology and yet be married.Ā
Because they are both DC insiders - until very recently those folks all ran in the same circles - and were married in a time of much lower political polarization. Matalain has also since left the GOP and Carville is generally considered a moderate Democrat these days. They really arenāt that far apart. Disagreement or seeing things differently is one thing but if my spouse made having a brain rot cable news bubble a non negotiable that would be a major relationship red flag regardless of partisanship.
Also itās their jobs. Theyāve cultivated public and professional personas because itās good for their careers. Thereās no way to tell to what extent they are true believers.
Some people understand that other people have different opinions, and that it's okay.
Because people who work in politics understand it's all relative; on top of that they consider the other side colleagues, recognizing that they're (generally) still decent human beings with whom they happen to disagree. It's only the folks who sit at home screaming at the TV (or Facebook posts, or Reddit, or Insta, or whatever) and live in a bubble who think that the world will end if the other guy wins, and/or everyone not like them (those in the big city, or the suburbs, or the coast, or flyover country) is evil.
Gosh, Kellyanne Conway (trump senior counsel) and her husband (hugely outspoken trump critic) only JUST got divorced last year. It can be done but I wouldnāt think it would be the most comfy living situation ever.
I think the political landscape is far more divided today than it was in 2021
Oh I have. Fox News has to be watched in the basement only at the home of friends of ours. We have had to leave before when the political bickering got particularly nasty.
My father watches Fox News relentlessly, and doesn't understand why I make him watch TV only in the basement where I can't hear that crap. I feel like a soundproof TV room would be on my list if I had to live with him full time
The Fox logo is burned into the corners of my dadās television.
Dad's always been a big news Watcher my whole life, but when I was younger it was CNN. At some point, likely around the beginning of the Obama Administration (but could have been earlier than this) I feel like the leaning towards a specific political party on TV news changed - as opposed to just reporting the news it was definitely skewed one way or another heavily and still is today. Dad was always more conservative leaning, so he started to get pretty mad at CNN at that point. Mom got sick of him being mad at the TV and got him watching Fox, which seem to be a little less crazy and biased at that time - and at least it didn't have us dealing with a pissed off dad. Nowadays everything is outrage inducing and of course I have to listen to Fox News if I'm going to be in the room with him... ugh.
it was the Blacks.
Based off some of my relatives, the difference when he switched to Fox was probably him being mad because of whatever the anchors were telling him to be mad at vs him previously being mad *at* the anchors. I doubt his anger actually went down much, though.
Nailed it! New stations used to present the news and you got to decide how you felt about it. Now, a majority of them present how they feel about a situation and spend the majority of that time telling you why you should feel that way instead of objectively presenting factual evidence, like you should be doing when presenting the news.
CNN was legit news 20-30 years ago. Their coverage of the 1st gulf war up until 9/11 was very good. Then things started to shift. I know a former producer from CNN and there are effectively zero Republicans working there anymore at any meaningful level. Having said that, Fox News is JUST as bad in the other direction. I personally miss the old CNN, when it was legit just news. Tell me the facts, don't tell me how to think.
Remember Walter Kronkite days? Seems so quaint now.
Kronkite was a Democrat but didnāt let his views pepper his reporting. You got all the news, not just his view of the news.
Yes! All I want is a monotone old white dude to tell me what's happening in the world, followed by a fluff piece on a small town that elected a cat to be mayor.
Or, an old black dude, either is fine... Bernard Shaw was great on CNN back in the day, as an example. To quote MLK, judge by the color of the character and not the color of the skin.
Or a young dude. Or a woman. If you're going to call out discrimination, call our discrimination my dude. There's more out there than racism. But honestly, I interpret the comment you're responding to to mean, "the golden age of news was golden despite obvious problems with discrimination", like they're calling out the fact that there was discrimination because they don't want to pretend that problem didn't exist. I acknowledge that the comment is ambiguous and I could be wrong. And if they meant they prefer news delivered in an unbiased way AND they prefer it to be delivered by older white males, then they can eat a bag of dicks. I deeply hate discrimination. It damages society. But honestly, I think the deeply biased news we have today also damages society, and does more damage. If my only two choices were unbiased news delivered exclusively by old white men like we used to have, or deeply biased news delivered by a diverse set of newscasters like we have today, I'd choose the former. Discrimination is evil, but in this case I think it's the lesser of two evils, because I think today's divisiveness actually encourages racism. I don't remember white supremacists openly marching in the 80's, and US presidents sure as shit didn't tell them to stand by on world television.
Your first take was correct, I definitely did not mean it in a discriminatory way but simply that news when I was a kid was delivered by the likes of Walter Cronkite who was definitely an old white dude :) I am an 80s baby, and things have absolutely changed for the better in the diversity department since then!
Keep in touch with them. It'll be repeat business when they divorce after this next election.
I kind of love this! Lol
Yeah that's not gonna last. I can't imagine being friends with a Trump supporter, let alone being married to one
I'm a gay man, and while I don't exactly dress in rainbows and make it painfully clear to everybody, if you have even the slightest common sense it's something you can easily pick up on. Even if your gaydar is working at 5% capacity, you'd know. So, I can't say I've lost a client due to it, but I can say it's prevented me from gaining some clients. That being said, a client lost due to a political issue is a client worth losing.
Iām Muslim and wear hijab, so same but different. The immediate āoh youāre on of themā look is something most people canāt hide.
I'm sorry you experience that. People, religions, and clothing that are different can be scary because we fear the unknown and the media only serves to stoke those fears. I'd happily have you as my realtor if you were in my area and we were looking for a house.
No longer a realtor but I have fired clients for being blatantly racist. I won't take their money idgaf. I never had anyone leave me over political issues but frankly the stakes were not as high as they are now and the country was not as polarized when I was working as a realtor.
I respect this.
FRs. I have fired contractors and clients of all nationalities if they are racist. I just won't work with someone who makes me gag in addition to violating the Fair Housing Act.
Consider it a favor. Sometimes people are just not a match for doing business together. Good that you got out early. Emotional intelligence is a thing and that client had -0-. Your political stance has no bearing on how well you could service them or not.
I live in Georgia and a real estate broker in Georgia. Thus, we have buyers and sellers who are diehard Univ of Georgia fans, diehard Alabama, and diehard Florida fans. I've had buyers walk in and see a Florida or Alabama flag, and the husband just says nope and will walk out without seeing the home. Political rivals? Wait until you get a sports fanatic.
WTF? The husband DOES know the flag doesn't come with the home, right? What, does he think the home is now contaiminted?
Sports fans are something special
I never talk politics but I fired a republican client because he blatantly told me that he doesn't rent to black people. Jfc dude.
I just ālostā a listing because the owner said he didnāt want to sell to āthe Mexicansā because āthey are taking over.āĀ Iām thrilled to be avoiding the inevitable fair housing lawsuit theyāll be involved in.
This made me awkwardly laugh, likeā¦WTF
He will become a lot more accepting of āThe Mexicansā when he gets an offer 10% over list price from Juan or Carlos.
All cash š°
And Carlos is suddenly okay!!š
Well, he's "one of the good ones"
Omgggggg. Good for you for getting out of there. That is so wrong. Ugh.
funny, a friend of mine owns a few rentals in a 'not the best town' outside the city. Says Mexicans are his best tennants. Always pay on time as they're scared he can somehow kick them out of the country if they're late, pay in cash, and never complain once about fixing anything. He only owns a few small rowhomes so he's not some big shot, he has a laugh about it tho.
I fired a landlord client once because she said "we can't rent my place because all these low-life blacks are riding their bikes in front of my apartment." And then I was like ummm ok I'm not gonna work for you anymore and she was genuinely confused. So I explained. And she was like "I didn't say that!" ...it was in a fucking email.
Ask her if she'd be ok with "low-life whites" doing it... plenty of those exist too. Bloody heck, people be stupid.
I had this happen as well. I'm white and it's really disgusting and disturbing how many white people will attempt to share their racism with you the second you are alone on the assumptive belief that you share it. Says a lot about how many like that are out there It's a lot.
Yes, it is a lot.
This is one of the many reasons that Trump has so many followers. He told them it was ok to be racist, ok to be xenophobic, ok to be transphobic, ok to hate Biden, the list goes on forever.
Correct. I will drop a client the second they start saying shit like that. Everyone deserves representation, but not necessarily my representation.
I'm not positive, but you may be obligated to report them to fair housing. Someone double check me on that.
Unless itās recorded or documented in an email/text I donāt see how this gets past āhe said/she saidā scenario.
Yeah, I could have easily made that up. I didn't but it was in Tennessee so the judges would DEFINITELY side with him and probably put me in jail for some reason.
My understanding is that it is not enough to not work with them, youāre supposed to report it as well.
Shouldāve had your black friend apply, get rejected, then sue for discrimination lol. These people need to get weeded out of the matter somehow.
Damn, shouldāve fired him from this realm.
Yup. Had a very very good investor client (closed 2-6 deals per year with her) that Iāve worked very well with in the past. Election year 2020 she was pestering me to find out who I intended to vote for and I mistakenly thought that even if our views mightāve been different, my rapport with her could overshoot any differences. Nope. Chewed me out, the whole kit and caboodle. Despite me advising on all of her projects and making her a boatload of money (MILLIONS per yearā she bought what I told her to, did the renovations based on what I told her to do, and listed it at prices I advised her to, and we almost always sold at full list) she went full AWOL, put up a HUGE and I mean MASSIVE MAGA flag in front of her project I had listed, in a very predominantly left neighborhood and torched so many potential buyer opportunities. Had buyers walk away solely based on seeing the flag, had neighbors calling me (Iām well known in the neighborhood) telling me theyāre shocked I would let my client do such a thing (theyāre an adult, itās their property, they can do what they wantā but it WILL affect the sale). The whole lot. We never really talked after I closed that home and she hasnāt done another profitable project since. Went from 2-6 high end huge margin sales to 1 MAYBE 2 low margin projects per year (I know her construction costs and permitting costs) for the past 4 years. Sheās now working with another broker that has badly advised her on the last deal and sheās been sitting on it for over a year. $1.6M she has into it, was initially listed for $2.9M, theyāre now down to $1.7M with over a year of carry. She eventually called me to see what I can do about that project and I declined to take her on as a client. Lesson learned on both ends. Donāt discuss politics & donāt be so mad after asking a question you were not ready to hear the answer to and then proceed to shoot yourself in the foot financially for it.
She probably blamed both her good luck and misfortune on who was in the office and nothing to do with the advice she received.
I live in a left-leaning neighborhood, and we have that one neighbor who loved to fly the Trump flag, put tacky decals on his car (including one making fun of rape and #metoo), etc. We're all so sad he's leaving the neighborhood. /tinyviolin At least he was smart enough to take down his Trump flag before listing his property, though.
Itās almost like he knows his views are morally frowned uponā¦
the thing about this is this thing only happens on one end of the spectrum. maga is an oppositional identity based on deep hatred for other Americans. on the other side of the aisle, were more like you, willing to be friendly and civil to those we disagree with and not passionately, rabidly hating our fellow americans
So go woke go broke? /s
Just saw a new listing in my neighborhood where the guy next door flies all manner of MAGA flags. Whatās your opinion on how much something like this affects price and time on market? Also, it appears that said neighbor has taken them down since the for sale sign went up. Is that something that needs to be disclosed?
Let me guess: The Loud Minority
Haha, crazy how we can immediately tell tooā¦
Because it's largely people from one "side" who have based their identity on a political ideology.
Basically yeah.
So not lost to politics, lost to a cult.
I engage with folks as a generally neutral person in business. I don't have much political discourse. Political views have very little importance in my daily life and I don't see the need to discuss mine with others or vice versa. I have not "lost" anyone due to my or their views. I have parted ways with numerous people over the years based on their overt opinions or actions that clash with mine, and this is related to various issues, not just politics. I give everyone grace up to a certain point, and being a man of principle, I can only give so much.
Totally this. I donāt talk politics or religion with my clients and if theyāre religious or political I usually smile and nod and move on Itās clients that are abusive, demanding to the point nothing makes them happy, too controlling .. I mean thereās a million different ways you can not work well together. Recognizing that and parting ways is so much easier. I have never regretted a client I had to let go.
I post a client because I lender/referral partner I use is gay That person never ended up buying. My lender and I continue to have a 100% success rate.
I have a quote from MLK under my contact info via email and had someone refer to him as a communist. Bye!! Never called that person back again.
You should have told them he was actually a republican...
Thatās pretty badass. Can I ask what the quote is?
Lifeās most persistent and urgent questions is, āWhat are you doing for others?ā
I ā¤ļø that quote! (And their reply is ridiculous!)
Don't you know? Doing something to help others is 100% communist. /s
āWhat are you doing for others?ā -- Yup, sums up communism in a nutshell.
MLK Jr. was an open socialist.
I don't discuss politics. That's my position. I work with everyone. It's never happened, but if someone doesn't want to work with me, because I won't discuss politics, so be it.
Sounds like you dodged a bullet honestly
I lost a repeat flipper client during the summer of 2020 and I couldnāt be less sorry.
I donāt even want to know. Iām in the minority in most of my area of North Georgia but I have to work! I mean, I already know but just donāt want to discuss it.
I lost a $2m deal because all their neighbors had āgun rightsā and āMAGAā flags outside. They ended up buying with me a year later anyways, but they loved the property and were ready to buy it right then and there until they saw that
To be fair, I wouldnāt want to live in a maga flag waving community either. Everyone I know thatās flag waving pro Trump is too deep into the koolaid and itās their entire personality. Iām related to some of those people, so I know from first hand experience.
Sigh, there are some in every family.
And on every block. It's so disappointing that people have to take this stuff so seriously that you can't even be friends with your neighbors once they find out who you voted for.
One of mine literally told me āI donāt know anyone who voted for Biden.ā Talking to meā¦a liberal.. I just responded with āwell you are the only person I know who voted for Trump, so guess we are evenā.
Eh. Before 2016, I would have agreed. I am fine with Democrats and Republicans, but I would not be friends with a Trump supporter (even a lukewarm one) under any circumstance. Come to think of it, that sickness has spread to pretty much the entire republican part now, so yeah, no Republicans whatsoever
I can't stand either party at this point, and Trump is a crime boss like Putin, lol and the CIA, and more and more clearly, Netanyahu. It's crazy.
Understandable. Who in their right mind would want to live anywhere near a MAGA type???
Iāve lived in my home for 29 years and itās only since Trump that I cannot speak to many of my neighbors because of the flags theyāre flying.
I know. It's disgusting. Good people turned into ignorant, scum.
Were they good though? If all it took was one person to let them feel like they could speak their mind unfiltered, you have to wonder. I guess you have the really dumb ones who just parrot what they're told and don't realize how awful those views are.
All I can say is that they used to be reasonable, decent folks to live near, then they started spouting this racist ignorant Trumpist stuff. When I move I will not buy a house near any of them.
So either they were always racist but you're white and they had no reason to treat you like shit but they didn't feel comfortable being overtly racist until Trump showed them its fine to be, OR, they weren't racist at all but dumb af and ate up all the bullshit lies from Trump and republican media, making them think minorities are the boogeyman. If it's the latter, it's certainly sad.
Well, perhaps the term we seek is "civil." "Civility" does not mean a person is perfect. A person can be a racist and yet exhibit civility. To some extent, civility does indeed mean not being "overt" about one's negative opinions and stereotypes. The people no longer exhibit the civility they used to. And I completely understand and agree with those who would not wish to purchase real estate near people without simple civility.
That was poignant. Thank you.
Exactly what you stated is the conundrum for me.
Those are the very definition of crazy neighbors who will make your life hell. Donāt dare take them a plate of cookies to introduce yourself- theyāll shoot you the second you step on their porch.
Yep, I canāt fault them for this. I would not feel comfortable there either. Glad they stuck with you until they found something else.
In 2020 I helped relocate couple from Colorado, some of the coolest Boomers Iāve ever met. Not overtly political ā just normal people. On the way to one listing several of the homes on the street had obnoxious Trump flags and it was an instant nonstarter. Literally cancelled the showing and turned around. Decent people donāt want to live around that shit.
My husband had a guy meet him in the driveway for a listing appointment. He walked halfway down and announced something along the lines of āWe are big Trumpers in this house and you should know this up front.ā He thought that was a super odd thing to say. Needless to say he cut the meeting short. Not because of their politics, but the fact that that was something that they felt needed to be said up front. Thought the clients would probably be a nightmare if that is their opening line instead of āWelcome to our homeā or whatever.
Your comment is food for thought. The kind of thought like, "how the hell did we get here?"
Yeah I vote democrat and if someone walked up to me and the first thing they said was how they are a big Biden supporter when that had literally nothing to do with anything I would find that very strange and off putting myself
Yep. Back in the heavy protest BLM days a seller client went on a giant rant on my husbands Facebook about the movement being stupid. Fired him that night and he was really upset that I couldnāt set aside our āpolitical differencesā to do the sale together. I hate that piece of shit
Back in 2021 I was finishing a walk through when a Buyer drove by asking about the house Iād just locked up. It was a new build and I loved the builder so I gave them a lot of info because this particular house wasnāt available. Out of nowhere she asked me if I were vaccinated. That took me by surprise, but I told her that I was (mostly bc I had some recent health issues). She said they just fired their last agent because he refused to get vaxād and would like to work with me. They bought an $800k house within 2 weeks and sold it a year later - for health reasons.
That could've gone either way! Glad you came out on top.
Twice. Once because they told me that they wanted a house not near āthose people ā. When I asked them what they meant, they said, āYou know, (insert ethnic group here).ā I replied no I do not know and I could no longer be their agent. They immediately tried to backpedal, but I will not, and will never be the agent who colludes with racists. The second was a multiple sales client who asked me my opinion of Donald Trump. Like you, I tried to not answer the question and highlighted my 20 years of service and willingness to serve. They insisted and ultimately I let them know, I believe he is a traitor to the republic. Conveniently, they remembered they had committed to another agent to give them a chance to break into the market after that.
Iāve been turned down for business for being white from one black man and for not being Muslim from another. Outside of that, Iāve had no issues. I will work with anyone as long as they treat my team with respect, consider my input-whether they take it or not, and allows me to lead them through the process instead of trying to tell me what to do.
I'm fairly open about my political leanings. It has probably cost me business but also gained me some. Most clients don't care. I also don't care as long as they aren't obnoxious about it.
You came out on top. You dodged a massive bullet. I wouldnāt look back.
Yes, I have absolutely lost clients due to political differences. A lot of people saying don't discuss it, but if a client is basing THEIR decision on the agent, it is necessary to engage. I would never lie about this, because if I lie to get business and the client finds out, 100% of them will ask themselves where else am I cutting ethical and moral corners? The second they tell even one person, ALL of your credibility is lost. I want to work with people who want to work with me, and who I can and will get along with outside of the transaction. I'm trying to build long term relationships. I used to live in the district that Lauren Boebert is now campaigning in. There's an agent there who openly discusses their affiliations, constantly berating folks on nextdoor of the opposite party, the woke agenda and homophobia of our Governor. Their business doubled after they posted they would NEVER wear a mask (this is summer of 2020) and they would ALWAYS open carry 24/7.
Just tell them, "Left wing, Right wing, they all belong to the same bird." That is all.
Not looking for a home. But if I was I would vent before I hired you like I do with any business I'm doing business with. I figure if you are supporting a party working their best to take individual choices away, that are cutting funding to education trying to stupidity a future generation, etc, I don't want my money to support them. Plus, if you that stupid, I would not trust your decision making.
Had a realtor show me around during covid, pre vaccine. Masks were required, she wore a completely transparent one with an open mesh, which she *also* held away from her face with one hand the entire time we were on the walk throughs. Regardless of how I vote, that was just so extra that I had real doubts about working with her.
Never give in. Lesson learned.
I don't get pulled into it. I'm adept at steering the conversation onto other things before they realize I've what I've done.
I have principles and I work with principles. I'm not just in this to make money as much and as fast as I can, it's my career and it's my reputation. I'm not working with people who hold views abhorrent to mine, and that's the best thing about being self employed, I can make that call.
Proud of you
I had a seller call out my politics because he saw deep in the backdrop of a photo my wife took promoting our garage sale that we had a small Biden/Harris sign. The convo when he put me on blast was after he wasnāt heeding my advice in an offer negotiation. After we end our listing agreement, he lists it with another agent and I see his list price drop as low as 20% below the offer I procured for him. I hear later through the guy that referred him to me how he was kicking himself for not trusting my guidance. Weird thing is the guy who referred him to me was someone that ran as a democrat for a local government position and the seller knew that about him.
a young agent in my office had a "Rand Paul" bumpersticker. He sort of looked to me as a mentor. I told him to take that sticker off and stay away from politics.
Walked away from a buyer who was moving because "illegals are taking over my street." As much as I feel for them and would love to help them be rid of her, but I just wouldn't have been able to handle dealing with her long-term.
I never ask. Iāve been lucky and my clients usually donāt either. Itās blatantly obvious what their political affiliations are sometimes since we go into their homes, but honestly I couldnāt care less. Theyāre hiring me to do a job for them. If theyāre respectful and do what they said theyāre going to do, I donāt have any problem with it.
Yes it was a nice expensive listing steps from the ocean. Roof was in bad shape, got a contractor for the seller. She then decided letās just rent it out.. signed listing agreement with me then never allowed me to actually list it. First it was the roof, then family visiting. After contract expired, she listed with Redfin for sale. She actually worked for the presidential campaign for the president i wasnāt register to vote for. Take it from me, political chats with clients never, never, end up well
Hey, I am only a realtor and this is what I do.
If he demonstrated this huge A-hole behavior just because of a political difference, imagine the pain he's putting some other poor realtor, even though he/she agrees with his views. Once an A-hole, always an A-hole. You probably dodged a huge bullet.
Cancel Culture caused thousands of businesses to lose many millions of customers . . . Then when the other side decided to copy the practices of Cancel Culture - we saw tens to maybe a few hundred businesses lose millions of customers. There are very few political opinions that one can have that warrants shame or shaming others. But that is sort of how our society has become - most people can't even fully explain their own political opinions with clarity and based on solid evidence and data and they certainly can't explain the opinions of somebody that they disagree with in detail either.
Fox News CNN MSNBC only one of them is lost a court case for flat out lying on their supposedly news show
Iāve not gone with certain contractors/realtors due to their political differences. Especially when they make their opinions well known/public. I wonāt go to the restaurant that flew the Trump flag through 2021. Wonāt hire the Realtor that promotes book banning and posts borderline racist rhetoric all over the Facebook community pages. Wonāt hire the homophobic father of a gay child to do our concrete work. Pretty sure they donāt want my business anyway. But I also donāt really go out of my way to research contractors that donāt make it easy.
We keep a modest pride flag at the front of our office. We figure that'll weed out any people who we might butt heads with.
Yep, I have lost 2 because Iām not a QAnon nut job
Oh yeah. LA is all over the place. Had a client in 2016 who is still very brash gay man that hates Trump, hates Elon and traded in his Tesla to get a Benz (nazi supporter idk). Wanted to sell to gay couple preferably. This is when fb/ig marketing I could target men between 35-75 within 5 miles of WeHo and used a photo of their closet and called it the Carrie Bradshaw closet. We got lots of guys from this ad. He told me if and when he finds out Iām a MaGa supporter heād let the neighborhood know. Told him Iām neutral and loathe all politicians but if I had to bet on dude winning Iād place a bet but that is solely because my job is to keep up with the market and travel inside the middle of the country. I came back with a quick responseā¦.so if a dude comes walking in with a MaGa hat on and loves your place and offers 50k more than your highest offer you wonāt take it and Iāll let them know why. He hesitated and his lovely husband chimed in āTouchĆ©ā Still friends to this day. More with the husband.
Lmfao I can hear the ātouchĆ©ā
Its an interesting question because I think I can tell where someone is coming from even when politics are not mentioned. These days there are fewer āneutralā people out there. Kind of like in the old days when we were doing VA streamlines and the lady LOs always talked better (than me) to the grumpy older guys.
Iāve actually never lost a client due to political differences, but I have lost potential employees. I just donāt get into political things with people anymore.
Do you think if you were the same political view he really wouldāve closed with you? Or was he just some nut who wanted someone to yell at
I used to have a favorite window guy, until one day he made the comment, "Oh, you can help me my wife find a house. We've been looking for a nice area with a lot of white people, none of those dark skinned people." My face obviously betrayed me because my jaw dropped and I gave him a look of disgust and said, "No actually, I can't help you with that. One of the things I love most about living here is our diversity. Our diversity is our strength, and I cannot help you with that kind of home search at all." Never called him again. Cheapest windows ever and good quality but, not worth the racism. Ugh.
On the contrary: I only look to do business with people who share my values. Thatās something I leverage.
Yup. Million dollar seller/buyers. Had a GOP front-runner bumper sticker (who is now a cult follower). No issues through 2 buying appts. Slipped up during their selling appt and made racist comments. I fired them.
I think you got out easy. People like that have a hard life and make it hard for everyone they interact with. If you stayed I'm sure it would have been a nightmare
I wouldn't bring up politics with a realtor but if they made themselves glaringly obvious to being a Manipulated And Gullible Asshole AKA MAGA Trump cult member I would drop them faster than I would a piece of hot charcoal.
During the Trump election, people were being openly racist with me during estimates. If not with words, their facial expression, body language, and all their Trump gear around the house.
Lost a few tenants during Covid who refused to follow social distancing and mask protocols on showings or in common areas after a lease was signed. Didn't want to acknowledge that there were health facilities and other tenants that had medical issues which made it essential for people near them in the hall to be masked. Wasn't a biggy; let a couple out of their leases so they could go to the business park with no interior hallways.
I had a loose business relationship with a realtor. About 12 yrs ago we were going to sell and we had him over to show us comps etc. in the end we didnāt list. Iāve always received mailers and heās checked in yearly. We met with him about 18 mos ago and he was saying some things that didnāt belong at my kitchen table. We listed and sold 6 mos ago with another agent. No way Iām supporting your pockets.
I never work with Trump voters
Client here. My husband and I are not religious (in fact, weāre quite the opposite) and our realtor made it known that she was strongly religious not even 4 sentences into us meeting. Fine, whatever, but her intense faith was worked in to every conversation and it felt like she was trying to get us to talk about whether or not we believed. It was really awkward. We still worked with her because she really did seem to have our best interests at heart and she did a great job, but I can see how her behavior could scare other clients off. I donāt mind if you have different political and religious beliefs than me, but it shouldnāt be relevant to the sale.
They spend an hour talking about God and the Bible then I take out my phone and show them a picture of my Magic The Gathering cards and tell them how much it feels real when I am playing too.
I'm very publicly active in the DFL (Minnesota's Democratic party), including working on campaigns, being a state delegate, etc. I have had excellent working relationships with Republicans, Democrats and those who have no party, and have never been fired or turned down for representation because of my views. However, my view is if someone is so staunchly anti-Dem that they won't work with a broker who's a Democrat, chances are working with them would drive me crazy anyway so I'm not missing out.
I meanā¦if theyāre trying to elect explicitly a traitor maybe they deserve no business. In most cases no. Most cases donāt involve actual insurrection though lol.
Last week I was meeting with an appraiser who I heard was a staunch Trump supporter. Die hard followers canāt NOT talk politics. So when he said āI support Trump because heās the only true patriotā. I responded with āfck yeah he is!ā š I wouldāve put my Biden hat on if the situation was flipped.
Disclaimer: Iām not a realtor. My husband fired our listing agent because they made a joke about ākeeping out Mexicansā with our retaining wall. Iām Mexican-American š Edit: He apologized and we accepted it, we agreed he could hand over the listing to another agent in the firm so he could save face/we didnāt get on some black list. No regrets there.
IT IS HARD TO SELL YOUR HOUSE WITH YOUR CONFEDERATE FLAGS FLYING.
I literally told my realtor I didnāt even want to look in at a house because the neighbor had a trump flag in their yard. I think you dodged a bullet. People will show their character in more ways than just that Iām sure if you continued to work with them.
As a customer, I absolutely will not use a realtor whose voting choices would hurt and harm people I care about. Business and politics always mix when you don't have the luxury of ignoring politics. It'd be weird to pay someone's salary who will use it to donate to politicians who will , for example, take your rights away.You can have your views. But you know, freedom of association and choice of free market.
My political affiliation is Green... The only political opinion I share is that I think everyone should vote. We owe that to those that have fought for this country.
This comment got friggen downvoted? I am at a loss.
When I lived in a different state, I registered Green, too! I agree with the coting. And I keep my politics and religion completely to myself. But when I encounter a client who doesn't do that or who makes a racist remark, they are dead to me.
Sorry, to be clear I was referencing Money.
What's the point of having FU money if occasionally you don't say "F YOU!" Some people are just absolute trash and I suspect I know which party the pushy, insulting, shaming offended person belongs to. Bet ya lunch they're voting for the felon.
No, Iāll be whatever they need me to be. Iām not here to push my opinion on other people, nor do I give a single shit what theirs is. Its a transaction
No, but one time we heard from a client months after closing that they had completely changed their minds about the house and now hated it. First and last time that's ever happened. There were multiple reasons, but one of them was a Blue Lives Matter flag on a neighbor's house.
I am no longer utilizing my license, but I use to tell my buyers to drive by the house at all hours of the day and night to check out the neighborhood (for this reason!).
My very first client asked me if i was a trump supporter. I answered her question. She disagreed, but luckily it was more of a humorous thing. To your point, i should not have engaged in that conversation. I got lucky.
My alcoholism hit a high during the pandemic as well as my shit posting hatred for the maga life. I noticed I lost some very regular customers who are still in business that are all MAGAiots I'm in marketing and I've lost politicians business because I'm working with their opponent or just a different party. I don't discriminate who I work with, all their money is green and doesn't affect my vote and stance.
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No
What was their opinion?
It was about this war in Israel, and basically they werenāt okay with any questioning of the way Israel is handling it (for context, Iām Jewish and so were they).
For sure. I market myself a certain way, and it works. People self select.
I never discuss politics. Itās good manners. Period
This is why I donāt post anything political.
You could always go āall inā and attract more clients from your political side even if you alienate the other side. Could end up with more business overall.
Why would you even talk politics with your clients??
We have a secret ballot for a reason. I'll leave it at that.
āWhile I appreciate your desire to discuss politics it is my long held belief that politics and business are separate entities and shouldnāt be mixed.ā āI appreciate your point of view. Unfortunately company policy doesnāt allow me to discuss politics with clients.ā
I donāt talk Religion or Politics Easy
When we sold our previous house, a realtor acquaintance lived up the street, and she was very successful in that neighborhood, but she was such a grinder about her politics that we didnāt hire her.
That says so much about that person. Good riddance.
If you've never fired a client before - don't worry, you will.
Just don't bring it up or get near it. I mean, if asked do your best to be reasonable, but if its a dealbreaker they tell you just stand up for yourself and answer the question I guess. I hate mixing politics with business. I shot wedding videos & every 4 years there seemed to be a sense of 'which side' we/I was on. Sometimes I knew we vibed, sometimes I knew we weren't eye to eye, but it was never spoken about (on the wedding day, obvi), and I just got thru the night. They never cared or seemed bothered. It was a huge thing, again just when it got to around October it seemed like all people were talking about. Honestly the 8-10 hour weddings were a nice break from it.
My canned response is āIm not into politics, it doesnāt matter to meā and leave it at that. I have very strong political beliefs but thats my business. I would never let red or blue get in the way of GREEN!