In real estate transactions, buyers and sellers bombard their agents with questions: What does this contract clause mean? Will a title issue delay closing? How does a tenant's lease affect the sale? Most agents feel pressure to answer instantly, but Jerry Larkowski, Managing Broker at ESQ. Realty Group, LLC in Little Rock, Arkansas, believes that pressure causes more harm than a simple admission of uncertainty. Larkowski, a licensed attorney since 1991, learned this lesson not in a courtroom but on the campaign trail. In 2006, he ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives and lost. During that race, he knocked on more than 3,000 doors from January to mid-May, meeting voters and facing countless questions. He noticed that many politicians would talk in circles when they didn't know an answer, but he chose a different approach: 'I know a lot, but I don't know the answer to that question, but I'm going to go find out, and I'm going to get back to you,' he says. 'And then follow up and do it.'
That philosophy now guides his real estate practice. After 35 years as an attorney, people expect Larkowski to have all the answers. When he admits he doesn't, the reaction is often surprise. 'They think, wow, he doesn't know it. Most people like him would just make up an answer,' he says. 'I think it commands respect. And when you start losing respect with people that you are trying to sell something, you might as well just give up.' For consumers, the implication is clear: an agent who guesses on matters involving title, contracts, deadlines, or legal obligations can cost you thousands. A vague, long-winded answer filled with 'I think' is a red flag. Instead, look for an agent who says what they know, names what they need to confirm, identifies who they will ask (an attorney, title company, or lender), and gives you a time frame for follow-up.
Larkowski's path to this insight began with public service. In 2003, after election problems in Pulaski County, he was appointed to the Pulaski County Election Commission and quickly became chair. He helped hire a new director and implement new processes. The experience taught him about public scrutiny. 'If it went south and if it went bad, nobody would hesitate to blame you,' he recalls being told. 'So you better dance in the glory of it doing really, really well.' That lesson in accountability carried into his real estate career. His background in law, public service, and real estate is detailed on his About Me page.
The broader significance for the real estate industry is a shift away from the pressure to appear omniscient. In a field where missteps can have legal and financial consequences, honesty about the limits of one's knowledge is not a weakness but a risk-management strategy. Larkowski's approach suggests that clients value transparency over false confidence, and that trust is built through follow-through, not flawless recall. As he puts it, nobody expects you to know everything, but they do expect you to be honest about it. A confident guess can cost a client thousands; an honest 'let me find out' costs them a day. That trade-off, he argues, is one more agents should embrace. For more information about ESQ. Realty Group, LLC, visit esqbrokers.com.
