A key element to Maslow's hierarchy of needs is that it is a hierarchy, namely that the baser needs must be satisfied before the higher needs can be met. A salesperson scrabbling to make a living might be willing, to satisfy his or her physiological needs, to sell anything to anyone, even encourage someone to go into dangerous debt with a mortgage he or she can ill-afford to buy an overpriced or unsuitable house. A person who lives in an unsafe community might enter into such an agreement, to earn enough money for his or her own immediate self-interest to move out of that community. The foolishness of buying a home on such a basis in the long-term is difficult to appreciate when short-term needs are not met on a physical level. Only when the salesperson's bestial instincts of food and shelter and safety are satisfied can he or she think about truly receiving love, much less helping the customer.

This is not simply a reason to mistrust hungry salespeople living only on commission, because this mentality is also reflected in the customer's mindset. The customer will not care about buying a home if even more basic needs such as food are consumed on a hand to mouth basis. To be safe, an individual might be willing to live in a cold community, hostile to children or his or her racial group. To be safe, the buyer might...

To receive love from a salesperson, a woman might agree to an unwise purchase, to receive momentary approval and to see a smile on the real estate agent's face.
Even on a basic level of the individual sales moment, needs must be met. How many home sales were lost, because the couple saw the ideal home at the end of the day, with tired and cranky children, and swollen feet? How many less than ideal homes were sold because the owner had the foresight to bake fresh cookies when the couple was visiting, thus creating a loving ambiance of an ideal home?

For the sale of a mortgage to truly facilitate Maslow's goals, however, all needs must be met -- the seller must be physically satisfied, feel safe the home is on the market, like the seller, feel he or she is trusted by the seller, and strive to match the correct community with the seller, just as the seller must feel physically and mentally safe, have a reasonable sense of trust in the seller and personal self-esteem, and wish to create a better living environment for both him or herself, and eventually the community at large when he or she becomes a part of it.

Works Cited

Gwynne, Robert. (1997) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM