A few weeks ago, Heejin and I received one of the most grating, threatening and inflammatory emails we have ever received. It was so extreme that we were completely taken aback and were discussing legal action, when I decided to call the Realtor before replying with a similar email.
Here is the kicker: The Realtor had no idea she was being threatening or inflammatory. She was shocked when I told her how we perceived her email and she further told me that she was “just trying to mimic [my] language.” I about fell out of my chair.
This was just another very stark reminder of how emails do a very poor job of conveying the necessary tone or emotion, and sometimes even meaning. It was also a reminder how very important phone calls sometimes are.
At JVM, we always pick up the phone whenever we convey anything that might have an emotional impact. This includes all bad news such as an appraisal coming in low, or a loan denial, or very tough condition requests.
We also all but insist that we speak to borrowers either by phone or face-to-face before we get started with the loan pre-approval process. We have discovered that no matter how straight forward and “techy” borrowers might be, an initial phone conversation is necessary to establish trust and a healthy relationship.
Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(925) 855-4491 | DRE# 01524255, NMLS# 335646
