In this episode, Leigh’s guest, Gary Balanoff talks about the importance of managing the relationship between developers and agent—Gary will also share his crazy story about the time an indecisive couple asked him to see more than 80 homes, before making a decision that would cost him his commission and a little bit of his sanity. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:39 – Leigh welcomes Gary Balanoff 00:52 – Gary has been in real estate for 33 years 01:10 – Gary worked as a broker for 18 years, and has lasted this long because he enjoys the process of working with buyers and sellers 04:06 – A pastor was moving to town and needed a place in one area but the availability wasn’t great 04:20 – They looked at more than 40 homes but there was always something wrong with each place 04:38 – After looking at all the homes, the pastor eventually decided to call it quits—they decided to rent so Gary set them up with the rental manager. However, Gary kept looking 05:02 – After 6 months, they resumed looking, and considered another 40 homes—more than 80 total now!—but again, told Gary there was just something missing in each home 5:26 – Gary said those were the only ones that fit in their price range and they decided to rent for another year 06:11 – Two months later, Gary closed a deal with a young couple and was welcoming them to the community when he asked if they had met their neighbors—they said YES, and dropped the pastor’s name! 06:48 – Three months before that, Gary had shown them that particular home 07:04– Gary went to the model center and asked why he did not receive his commission 07:28 – He was told that the couple signed the contract 40 days after they signed the 30-day registration period 07:51 – As a new home builder, they need the cooperation of agents 08:20 – Two months after that, the company declared bankruptcy and the builder went out of business 09:02 – Leigh says buyers and builders do not understand what value a realtor brings when they are buying – they serve as a 3rd set of eyes and ask the questions others may not think to ask 10:01 – Gary had a chance to work again with the young couple    10:40 – They spotted a new development and told the agent they were working with Gary and the agent called him 11:01 – Gary was present for the actual contract writing to make sure they got everything they were really looking for—he also helped them with the move-in process and Gary got an extra bonus on top of his regular commission 12:01 – The builder was kind enough to recognize that Gary was working with them and put him on the contract 12:15 – The bottom line is to be proactive in your relationships with all people 12:37 – Leigh says the main task of an agent is to make sure the clients is protected, that they have quality construction and a good location 13:18 – Gary says to always do the right thing by your client—if you make sure you take good care of people you’ll do well 14:38 – Gary always asks his client how they want to be represented 15:19 – Gary thinks there is a decline in the overall ethical standards as people are leaning on the state standard of transaction brokerage and clients do not get the first-class service they deserve 16:01 – Mess with a client’s finances, and you’ll get sued (and lose) 16:36 – Gary says he knows a productive realtor who is easy to work with, Gary always asks if they have a flexibility in price and the guy says to give him an offer and he can make it work 17:18 – They got a deal for $255k from the original $275k  18:18 – Gary says the guy was so willing to work with him, he thinks he might be a marketplace farmer, taking advantage of sellers 18:32 – Leigh offers that the guy might have been given instructions by his client that time was more important than the price, but agrees there are agents who will short sell their cl