The battle was fierce. Volley after volley back and forth all day long and into the evening. The longer things stayed this way the more people got involved, the more damage was done, and the more confusing the ultimate outcome. It was dangerous, people were getting hurt and there was no resolution in sight.
It was a mess, and all happened behind the safety of their email. When people finally decided they had enough and began talking, it was rough. Feelings were hurt, trust compromised, and misunderstandings ran amok. And it happens every day.
"I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete." (2 John 1:12)
Contrast the above experience we have all witnessed with a situation I had just this past weekend.
I received two texts late on a Friday night. One from our Home Loan Specialist and one from a realtor they were working with in Wisconsin that randomly, I happened to be friends with. They both asked if we could talk in the morning to discuss an issue. I connected with each of them separately Saturday morning, got a grip on the situation, and asked Eddie Gonzalez, our underwriting leader if he had time for a quick call. I then got a haircut. Afterward, I talked to Eddie while he was at swim practice with his daughter, and I was getting much-needed coffee creamer and eggs at the grocery store. While we talked it through, he developed a plan of resolution. I drove home, called both the HLS and realtor, and set their minds at ease. A young, soon-to-be-married couple is buying their first home.
I imagine the size of the mountain would have grown if we had allowed this molehill to be addressed over email. Instead of preparing for a closing celebration, we would be unraveling who shot who, who messed up, and who to tar and feather at the gates of town. Eddie stepped in, and we talked one-on-one, got through the noise, and developed a plan. All before breakfast, before the end of swim practice, and before most people even thought about email.
In the wise words of John above, be sure to not allow the deception of the pen or keyboard to take your eye off the ball.
Meet face to face, talk one-on-one, and remember what is most important.
In our business, it is the family trusting us to get into a home. In your family, it is each other. In life, it is the truth of God himself. Then our joy will be complete.