Sometimes revolutions occur over many years. Sometimes sudden events create unexpected conditions that become catalysts for rapid social change. This period of required social distancing, due to Coronavirus, has forced us to give new technology our full attention.
Although the foundation of our work as Real Estate agents is personal relationships, developing trust and handshakes, this historic moment obliges us to look ahead. We are learning to be grateful for celebrating a sale in a conference call; on Skype, or making a sales agreement between parties that have never met. Even the signing is done with the signature box on Adobe Acrobat!
We recently read a disturbing post on social media in which a real estate agent was complaining about a recent negotiation with a non-Italian client. The client had sought to take advantage of the vulnerable moment in Italian history, and make a low offer on a property; presuming the seller would be desperate. His response? He quoted an old proverb: “Sui cadaveri dei leoni festeggiano i cani… Ma i leoni rimangono leoni ed i cani rimangono cani” [When lions die, dogs celebrate. But lions stay lions and dogs stay dogs.]
Our experience with international clients has been quite different. We are pleased to share a recent experience with you: Using e-mail, electronic documents, and Skype calls we happily concluded a negotiation for the sale of a beautiful cottage in the Sienese countryside, near Montepulciano, in Tuscany. Our American clients, R. and G. [for privacy], decided to maintain a verbal agreement we had made months before the Coronavirus situation unfolded. Perhaps, it was precisely this civility that convinced the owner, B.F. [for privacy], to accpet the offer. R. and G. [for privacy], along with many of their colleageus and acquaintances from other countries, adore Italy, and continue to dream of owning property in our beautiful homeland.
Italy, and especially Tuscany, is a place of unique richness and magic. It offers inspiration and sustainability to it’s residents within; even amidst an experience as difficult as the Coronavirus. We will return to our long-standing social traditions, but in the meantime, we, at Best Realty, are not stopping, and we are making technology’s assets our new best friends!