It’s a cold and rainy day when the interview with Arnold Zuidema, a real estate agent, takes place. The conversation occurs in a warm appartement with a lovely view on a street in Amsterdam. Arnold (we decided to be informal to each other) thought about everything to make the conversation as comfortable as possible: cookies, chocolate and tea. Suddenly he and I both felt that the real conversation could commence. But then comes the challenging part. Where to begin? What could you ask a real estate agent? The first question arises: why become a realtor in the first place? Arnold gets triggered by this question, smiles and starts to tell a story about his childhood.
“When I was young, a couple of houses in my neighborhood were for sale. There was one person who led groups of people into these houses. He disappeared for a time before appearing again and leading another group of people. I know it doesn’t sound interesting at first but there is a deeper layer. As a child I was deeply fascinated by this figure and curious about what happened in those houses. What did he do? Why did he lead them there? That curiosity was the beginning of this adventure.”
Vespa and wax
Curiosity, as a trait, comes up a lot in the conversation. Arnold traveled a lot around the world, climbed up from LBO to HBO and made it through a lot of internships. But I still cannot connect the dots between curiosity and being a real estate agent.
Arnold smiles again and explains it: “It is a versatile profession, diverse, and my curiosity is sated because of that diversity in experiences. When most people think about real estate agents, they think about a man on a Vespa, riding through town from house to house. He has a lot of wax in his hair and a slippery smile. As a real estate agent you’re not only working with houses. People often don’t realize that I’m working with deep emotions, finances, expectations, the economy, interior design and so on. This diversity of experiences is rooted in the fact that as a realtor I’m working with people and people are one of the most interesting things you’ll ever experience.”
Being sincere and being direct
The stereotype of a real estate agent bothers Arnold a lot. Further into the conversation he explains that this stereotype is portrayed by the media and, much too often, is also confirmed by realtors themselves. “It’s a stereotype I want to stay away from as far as possible”, he emphasizes. “I don’t look like a typical real estate agent. I don’t dress like it, I don’t talk like it and I don’t act like it.” He explains that he wants to proof that being a realtor could be so much more than resembling the stereotype. As a self-employed entrepreneur he’s free to make his own decisions. “No vespa, but a bike. No smooth talk, but clarity and honesty. I want to be as real and authentic as I possibly can.”
I ask him if clarity and honesty are core values of his work. He confirms it: “Honest and direct. I always tell my clients what I’m doing, what I will do and how I will do it. This means that I’m also honest when I’m convinced that someone shouldn’t buy or sell a house. He explains that sometimes a house fits the budget, but that the costs of renovation would be enormous. “Like a financial Sword of Damocles it hangs over you. I don’t want that situation for anyone and that is why it is important to be honest.”
It’s a house, not a McDrive
The next thought pops up into my head: Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth. They want to be stuck in their own illusions or notice only the positive side of things. Often, people feel violated when they hear honest advice. Does Arnold recognize this and how does he deal with it when something like that happens? Arnold smiles again, like he does so often in the conversation. To be clear: it’s not a slippery smile, or an arrogant smile. It is a warm smile and it looks like he recognizes what I’m trying to convey.
“Sometimes I don’t agree with a client or they don’t agree with me. That’s fine, because we can talk about it and achieve some progress. I take my clients seriously and they take me seriously. That is very important. I give my clients the space they need to tell their story and they appreciate that. Besides, personal attention, sincere attention, is one of the most important aspects of my job. It takes a lot of time, but it is crucial. People want to be heard, especially when it is about something as important as buying or selling a house. Their home.”
Arnold explains that it’s only one side of the relationship: “It’s not like people are driving through a Mc Drive, place their order for their house, take their order from the next counter and receive their new home. It’s not that simple.” He emphasizes that reciprocity is important. “A good and sincere understanding between me and my clients demands boundaries. I confront my clients with things they say and try to pull them out of their comfort zone. I think it is important that my clients take me seriously and listen to what I have to say. I’m not going to repeat everything over and over and when I make an appointment I assume that my client will keep it.
I do what I say
In this part of the conversation, Arnold repeats a sentence he already said a couple of times: I say what I do and do what I say. “That’s my creed. I explain to my client what we’re going to do, step-by-step, and how we are going to do it. This part is extremely important. It’s more difficult than it looks, because I want to make people happy, but I also have to keep my boundaries. I include my clients in the process that awaits them and they can count on me to guide them and say what I do and do as I say.”
To be truthful to his creed he needs to have enough knowledge on the subject. “Sometimes it seems like a side issue, but to me it is a necessary condition to be as good at my job as I want to be. Smooth talk won’t raise the fare.”
Not everything feels like home
After talking for an hour the biggest question arises: At what point do you think you’re a success? Arnold thinks deep about the question and sometimes it looks like a glimpse of his memories pass on to his facial expressions. Suddenly he gives a solid answer: “Sometimes people call me after we bought or sold a house, or they send me a message and they tell me how happy they are with the result. I cannot explain the strong positive feeling I get when I have these kind of personal conversations, but the sincere appreciation feels extremely good.”
He finishes his answer with a deeply felt experience: “You can make every place in the world your own, but you can’t make every place feel like home. Coming home is a feeling that comes up instantly when walking through the front door. You feel comfortable in your own skin, relaxed and free. My mission is accomplished when I can ensure that my clients get that feeling in the house they buy or if people pass on their home to other residents who continue the story of their home. That’s the moment I feel like a success.”