What's the worst that can happen?

It always strikes me funny that folks are so tentative when they talk to real estate agents. Perhaps many people think that if they reveal what they can or cannot afford, they'll be embarrassed. On the other hand, I wonder what's the worst that can happen?

I imagine a real estate agent brainwashing someone into buying a house and then, six months later, someone realizes they hadn't intended on buying the house they are in at all!

In reality, what happens is we get your name, maybe follow up. If you can't afford the house you were inquiring about or you're just not interested... TELL THE LADY! It's OK. You're not going to hurt our feelings. We're not going to put you on a spam list where you get junk mail for the rest of your life.

I think one of the hardest things to deal with regarding the increase in email, blackberries and Facebook is that people aren't as personalized anymore. We have now been trained to use and discard more than ever. Few people have the personal skills to handle being direct and honest anymore. We feel we have to dodge, evade, and hit-and-run.