Real Estate: It's a Team Sport

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you're fully cognizant that there is that little game called the Super Bowl coming up this weekend.

Through all the relentless media hype surrounding Super Bowl XLVIII, the end result of the game will not boil down to what Richard Sherman does or doesn't do to the 'ducks' Peyton Manning throws. No, the end result will ultimately be determined by which team performs better. Who practiced harder. Who has the better game plan. Who wants it more.

It comes down to the team. From the owner to the coaches to the players to the water boy, it's how the team plays together that determines who wins the game.

What in the world does all this have to do with real estate?

Real estate is a team sport too.

As an agent there are times you probably feel like the lone person out there on that gigantic playing field we call real estate. There are times where you'll feel like a quarterback, looking into the eyes of a charging defensive lineman that is about to flatten you.

But you are part of a team. It's like a football team, but different. Let's take a look a the players on a real estate transaction team.

The Quarterback. Almost universally considered the leader of the team, the quarterback is the key player on a football team. The QB touches the ball on every offensive play and leads the team on the field. The quarterback of the real estate transaction team is the real estate agent.

The Kicker. Kickers don't seem to get a whole lot of love. They are only involved in a few plays in any given game. They don't score touchdowns, they don't make bone-crushing tackles. They can be heroes or goats with one game-ending field goal attempt. Ever had a lender shank the loan at the last second and lose the deal? How about a great lender than pulls it out and punches one through for a game winner? Think of the lender as your kicker.

The Wide Receiver. Receivers flit about the entire field, cutting left and right, trying to get open. They are constantly examining every crack in the defense for an opening. They cover a lot of territory and have to have an understanding of a lot of different things -- pass patterns, defensive sets, understanding the opponent. Your home inspector is the wide receiver of your real estate team, covering the home and looking for weaknesses.

The Running Back. There comes a time in virtually every football game where the quarterback hands the ball to the running back, and the QB is probably thinking, 'Please don't fumble. Please don't fumble. Just bring this game home!' The running back is your appraiser. Hopefully your appraiser takes the ball and plunges ahead. And doesn't fumble on the goal line, ending the transaction.

The Offensive Line. Those power players on a football team -- the quarterback, running backs and receivers -- need protecting. In a football game you've literally got bodies flying all around you, and it's the offensive line that protects the players. In real estate, it's your attorneys and title companies that do the heavy protecting. Like an offensive line, they are digging in and blocking bad things from happening.

The Coach. Yes, it's the players on the field -- in other words, the agents -- that need to execute to help determine the outcome of the game. But for any good team, there is planning, training and practice. The coach leads this effort on a football team and the broker does it for the real estate team.

The Support Staff. Major college and professional football teams probably have more staff than players. Assistant coaches, equipment managers, travel coordinators, doctors, back office people, advertising and marketing agencies, you name it, there are a lot of moving parts behind making a football team its best. In the real estate space, you've got your office support staff, vendors and suppliers. They are the ones that help provide the equipment and support to team.

The Owner. In any given football game, there's usually a moment when the cameras will cut to the owners' box, where typically the team owner is hunched over, studying everything happening on the field. The owner is the boss, the one paying the bills. Real estate transaction teams have owners too and that is your client. Don't forget who really pays the bills.

See? Football and real estate aren't all that different. Bodies flying, people getting pounded, highs and lows, cheers and jeers.

As the quarterback of your 'team,' you are the leader. But you can't do this alone. No one QB can win a game by themselves. They need teammates, coaches and support staff too -- just like you. Surround yourself with good teammates, listen to them and help them, but still provide direction, and you'll make your 'owner' -- your client -- happy.