In July, Inman gazes at the glitter and glam of the luxury real estate market. Snapshots of the country’s top luxury markets, advice from leading agents, features on what affluent homeowners want now and a breakdown of the top sales of 2023 (so far) are all in the cards leading up to Inman Luxury Connect, Aug. 7-8 at the Aria in Las Vegas. Make plans to join us now.
Any buyer or seller can be challenging, with expectations that far surpass the normal, run-of-the-mill definition of client service. Now add millions of dollars to the purchase price, and you may be looking at a completely out-of-touch luxury client. One who thinks that your commission makes you their personal servant or, worse yet, their emotional punching bag.
We wondered just how different the rich are from the rest of us, so we asked you to tell us all about it: What’s the most outlandish request a luxury client has ever made of you? Did they expect 24/7 personal attention? Impossible terms for their purchase or sale? Did they want you to pick up the tab for expensive repairs or upgrades? Were they just completely out of touch with the process? Here are your stories:
- Would not let me list their home until I found a metal detector to search for gold and other treasure hidden in the backyard of a property they never lived in.
- I was an agent about 20 years ago and worked mostly with first-time homebuyers. I was referred a high-net-worth individual who had just moved back to the area and was renting. She would insist that I pick her up each time we went out looking at homes, even though it was about 30 miles out of my way (round trip). She also always insisted that I come up for tea each time I dropped her off. She would proceed to tell me stories about her family and show me pictures. After some time, I realized she was just lonely and I was happy to oblige her requests. After a time, I got to know her pretty well and we remained in touch for some time. Sometimes, people are just looking for connection.
Now it’s your turn. Tell us your wild luxury client stories in the comments.
