There’s a window here Pen,’ I said, ‘and that window is gradually closing.’  It’s a cliché, I know, but there’s a reason why such phrases are employed, and I was using this one to emphasise certain time constraints. Pen’s couple had been promising an increased offer for months now and their prevarication was beginning to irk even the ever-calm Gigi.  ‘Tell them to put up or shut up,’ she suggested with uncharacteristic curtness.  And I wasn’t exaggerating about the closure of the window: this particular client can change his focus swiftly and he’s not a seller by nature.

We come across wildly varying characters in our line of work.  This is, of course, a startlingly obvious statement to make yet it still surprises me.  Cultural differences, nuances of language, sheer gall (what some may describe as chutzpah), laziness, deceit, professionalism, good will, support, the gambit of good and bad can knock both the wind out of you or have you celebrate human nature.