It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. If you have never heard of “ghosting” it is a thing. The word was invented to describe what can happen in dating relationships. One person in the relationship suddenly stops responding to text messages, email, Facebook and phone calls. There is no warning. The silent party is “ghosting”.
It can be quite demoralizing to have someone you were in a relationship with just shut you out and vanish. Ghosting is the ultimate silent treatment.
Ghosting happens to me all the time. It happens when real estate agents stop answering my questions and ignore all of my messages. It happened at least 4 times this week. I try not to let it slow me down. If there is a way around the ghost I will find it.
Management companies that work for homeowners associations are great at ghosting so is the St. Paul mayors office.
Sometimes I even know for sure someone is getting my messages and reading them but has chosen not to respond. It all seems kind of junior high to me.
Occasionally clients do it too. They decide that they really did not want to see the house that they asked to see and that I made an appointment and changed my schedule to accommodate. Sometimes these ghosts resurface hours or months later. I hope they don’t take it personally when I ghost them.
Home sellers occasionally start ghosting and we have to hunt them down. I that sounds ominous because it is. You don’t want to make me knock on your door or show up at your office.
I am so used to ghosting that when someone responds quickly or actually answers the phone I am stunned. Tongue tied even.
Ghosting is a thing. . . but I never take it personally.
