“Why do you keep asking more and more questions?” he asked me as we sat down to dinner at the end of the day in a local restaurant. “The land is cheap, I'll sell it to investors at a profit, there will be profit from management as well, and in the end a new neighborhood will rise here. Relax, it'll be fine...”
We went on eating quietly for a few minutes, and then moved on to talk about the new series that had come out on Netflix. My reservations about the venture he had presented and the plans he had drawn up continued to bother me, and I decided to let the professional opinion, based on experience and white hair, sleep on it for a while.
The next day, on the drive to the meeting at the notary's, I raised the subject again. “It doesn't make sense to build a neighborhood of more than 500 villas without a single public building and without a green area or a playground, not to mention the distance from the city.”
“Tell me, why do I have to worry about that? What's the municipality for?” he asked.
“It's exactly like having to give up part of the area for roads and sidewalks. If you want the project to sell, there are things you need to make sure are there, like a green area and a playground, a kindergarten, and maybe a small shopping center,” I answered. I saw a look of understanding, but I still hadn't managed to persuade him.
This was a developer for whom this was the first large project he had planned, and in a foreign country at that, and who had come to me on the recommendation of the Israeli lawyer who accompanies him in all his deals in Israel. At every step since the beginning of our joint work he had doubts. I found it hard to earn his trust, even though he seemed impressed by the professional ability with which I dealt with the land sellers and the notary.
At that point I understood that I had planted the seed of skepticism and now had to let it sprout and let go. I did not return to the subject until we were back in Israel.
About a week after we returned to Israel, his lawyer called me and asked to invite me for coffee.
“Listen, I don't know what you did, but he doesn't stop praising you and your professionalism. He came to consult with me about your comments on the plan, and I completely understand your position. I think I managed to persuade him to accept your recommendations.”
Stories are based on real situations, with identifying details changed. Not legal advice.
Translated from the Hebrew original. עברית