The Similarities Between a Hawaii Real Estate Transaction and a Tennis Match – Game, Set, Match

I finally got back on the tennis court this week after being injured for almost a year. What an awesome feeling! Tennis is played at all levels of society at all ages. It is a great way to sweat, to have fun, and to network with others. While I was on the court, I was thinking of a few similarities of a tennis match with a real estate transaction.

A tennis match is intended to be continuous, just like a real estate transaction. Breaks are permitted only when forced by events beyond a players’ control, such as rain, a damaged racket, an injury, etc. These breaks could be compared to contingencies commonly included in Hawaii purchase contracts including, among others, the home inspection, the loan contingency, the appraisal, association documents, and deposits. Each of the contingencies open a window of time for either buyer or seller, which must be fulfilled according to the contract, or the contract may be nullified.

One major difference between tennis balls and types of agents, the balls wear out quickly in serious play and therefore, in major tournaments, they are changed after every 9 games. This comparison gets us to the confusing world of a “real estate agency.” What does this mean to home buyers? Simply put: “A real estate broker should have one and only one principal per transaction.”

Since I’ve been away from the tennis court for a while, I realize more match-play will help me maintain a winning attitude. I need to keep being mentally strong. I also need to be back physically fit, and keep working on my technique and tactical skills. All these attributes apply in a real estate transaction, starting from my first chat online, or face-to-face with clients and up to the closing table.

Real estate business and tennis are similar in so many other ways. Call me to discuss. If I don’t pick up my phone, I am either showing properties, or on a tennis court at one of the resorts on the Kohala Coast, or in Waikoloa Village. Selling real estate and playing tennis…that’s my Hawaii life!