As children, we've been taught to say "thank you" to everyone who gives us something, provides a service to us, helps us achieve one of our goals. As we mature, we also notice that it is much easier to say thank you when there is no conflict, when the gift or favor is offered happily with no resistance, and when it involves minimal effort on our part.

The courtesy of an acknowledgment or a "thank you" is often lost when we have to fight, scratch, and claw for each and every minor request. Tensions often flare, negative emotions are triggered, patience is diminished, all in the attempt to gain something we believe is rightfully ours. At the end of a contentious negotiation, we are so exhausted that we lose sight of the contributions made by each party, and even if we remember, may not have the energy to offer a heartfelt acknowledgment.

We know that giving thanks is something that is based on the rules for courtesy and for common sense. To counter the times when we are to mentally exhausted or emotionally depleted, keep in mind that the appropriate time to say thank you is with each and every interaction, no matter how productive. Here is a list of heartfelt thanks we give to the parties involved, when we say thank you for…

Bank representative –taking our call and helping us with our file today, the time you spent with me on the phone, the advice/feedback you gave me, ordering the BPO (Broker's Priced Opinion) appraisal, marking the file as complete, consulting with their manager, escalating the file.

Buyer's agent – for keeping up to date with this transaction and providing regular updates to their clients, for helping their client remain emotionally committed to the transaction, for finding a qualified buyer with the patience to wait for a short sale approval letter

Seller – for their cooperation in providing all the documents requested by the lender, for getting educated on the legal, tax, and credit consequences of a short sale, for facilitating the appointment with the BPO appraiser, for their participation in conference calls with the lenders

Listing Agent – for collecting and uploading all of the documents, for finding qualified and patient buyers and backup buyers, for their marketing efforts to advertise and prepare the home for sale

Appraiser – for coming out to the property and spending their time creating the report and submitting it on a timely basis

Buyer – for their patience and dedication to the transaction, for their work with their mortgage broker to get their pre-approval letter, and to get qualified for a loan once the approval letters are delivered.

Escrow/Title Officer – for their preparation of the estimated HUD-1 statements and final HUD-1 statements

Look out for our future blogs/articles from our Short Sale Leadership Series content. To view our blog updates, visit