I attend school in the evenings. I am getting a degree in Theology. My Momma told me “God won’t make you any money. You need to get a real degree.” (Well she didn’t say it like that, but you get the point) But did I listen? Nope. I’m one of those Postmodern kids of the 90’s who still believes that taking a journey is rewarding in itself - even if there is no monetary reward at the end.

Despite the radical difference between Theology and Real Estate, I still strive to apply the lessons of one to the other.  Right now I am taking a class on Postmodernism. It’s very interesting. Just the word is interesting, “Postmodern.” It’s like we were modern, but we’re past that now. We’re not exactly sure what we are, but we’re definitely not modern.  Despite its difficulty to classify, there are some characteristics of post-modernity that generally hold true.  

- Postmodernism places value on the journey. Many of my clients are very interested in learning about the process of real estate. They don’t want somebody to do it for them. They want to be part of the journey. They want to be an integral cog in the process, so that when they get the house they want, they can say “I took part in buying this home.”  Contrast this to agent/client relationships of the past where the agent decided what homes to show their client, they drafted the paperwork and said “sign here,” and they moved their client through closing with directions rather than explanations. 

- Postmodernism distrusts authority. At one time you may have been able to say, “This is a good value for this house,” and your buyer would simply trust your judgement. After all you are a professional. This is no longer the case. Now, multiple factors must go into making a decision: 1.) What does the data say? 2.) What does my agent say? 3.) What do my friends and spiritual advisor say? 4.) and lastly and most importantly, How do I feel about it? 

- Truth is personal and it’s relative.There is market data, there are appraisals, there is the financial situation of the seller, and there are comparables; but none of this makes a bit of difference if the buyer doesn’t see the truth in them. Today’s buyer can’t be given the data and the data’s conclusion. They have to be given the data and make their own conclusion. To you the chicken farm next door might devalue the house by $10,000, but to the buyer it increases the value by $10,000. After all, they grew up on a chicken farm, and viewing one brings back fond memories.

- Postmodernism values community. It’s not just getting a good deal, but it’s meeting the seller of the house to learn about their kids and the experience they had in the home. It’s not just about advice from an agent, but its becoming friends with your agent. It’s not just about the lender, escrow officer, and agent doing their job; its about them doing their job as a team.

There are aspects of postmodernism that I don’t subscribe too.  There are definitely aspects of postmodernism that make the job of a Real Estate Agent difficult. But it is the predominate philosophy of my generation nonetheless, and if we as agents are to succeed in working with this generation, then we must understand it’s values.