Smoothing the Buying and Selling Process: A Key Function of the Intermediary

Managing the Relationship Between the Parties

One of a real estate intermediary’s most important contributions is maintaining a workable relationship between the buyer and seller. If negotiations collapse, all the effort invested in the transaction may be lost. In some cases, a sale fails not because agreement was impossible, but because the agent lacked the tact or commercial skill needed to manage the relationship.

An experienced intermediary can make negotiations more productive. After speaking separately with each party, the agent often understands their negotiating room, their critical requirements and the points on which they may be flexible. The agent can then help one party reconsider a minor issue in exchange for a concession that matters more.

This role becomes especially important when either party changes position during the formalization of the sale. Such changes can trigger disputes between the buyer and seller and place the intermediary under pressure. At that stage, the agent must act as a patient facilitator, keeping communication constructive and helping the parties return to achievable terms.

Case Study: Rosa L.’s Chalet

In one transaction involving a price-controlled villa in an area with limited supply and strong demand, the parties signed a private sale contract containing deadlines for several required arrangements.

Later, both the seller and buyer appeared to discover alternatives they considered more attractive. Each changed their approach and sought to make the other responsible for ending the transaction. The resulting conflict included accusations that the intermediaries were responsible because certain deadlines had not been met. Competing agents also complicated matters by presenting another property to the buyer and alternative purchasers to the seller.

Direct intervention by the lead agent proved decisive. Through patience and careful negotiation, the agent reconciled the parties’ positions and enabled the sale to proceed.

Although the transaction closed, the conflict left both parties dissatisfied, and neither returned as a client. The experience illustrates an important distinction: completing a sale does not always mean preserving the underlying client relationships.

Lessons for Intermediaries

• Understand each party’s priorities, limits and areas of flexibility.
• Address changes of position before they become personal disputes.
• Keep communication focused on workable solutions and agreed obligations.
• Use patience and tact when a transaction becomes emotionally charged.
• Measure success not only by whether the sale closes, but also by whether trust survives the process.