I just started my own blog, so I'll give myself permission to link to it here on Active Rain :)

http://jamesmcrealtor.blogspot.com/2011/10/doing-right-thing-real-life-lesson.html 

Humor aside, I couldn't help but share this experience with as many agents as possible, enjoy.

If you don't care to read the whole post (or have the time!), I'll summarize:

I have a roommate, & part of our arrangement is to take the kids to the school most mornings because our schedules work that way. This morning, a young girl had the opportunity to pick up & keep $2 another kid dropped.

With a little guidance from yours truly on the "how", she successfully figured out the true owner of the money and returned it. Impressive enough from a 9 or 10 year old.

On top of that, she had enough integrity to even return the receipt I had stuck to the back of a $5-ish Starbucks card (which I gave to her for her actions because like most of us I had ZERO cash). I didn't need it, but to take the time to run back from the bike rack to catch an adult heading for the crosswalk "just in case" was very impactful, so even though I have no idea what grade this girl is in or what her name is, I feel the need to announce her deed to anyone who will listen.

What struck me most today is that although she wasn't sure of the "how" to announce she found this money without making herself a target of the unscrupulous, she bravely stepped up to "do the right thing".

How many agents or affiliates turn off lights other agents left on at showings, check the thermostat in a vacant house, doors, windows, car windows of other agents' clients in the parking lot, open or close doors for strangers, or help pick up marketing supplies when someone trips in the office parking lot?

I hope the answer is most of us, & I've built many business relationships in my 7+ years so far that started that way, whether I was the receiver or the giver. Some examples:

On the downside, three locations I previewed attempted to preview just this week either had the lockbox missing, or so well hidden I couldn't find it - yet not one of the agents has returned my call yet, even though I have a ready-to-go cash buyer for that property. Really.

Yet, I remember my first fall as an agent, I was excited to go meet a new prospect at a property (I know! Live and learn. Anyway..) - I left my new leather jacket hanging on the back of my chair, and thankfully the administrator of the "drop-in" office was kind enough to notice, put it in the locked portion of the office and call me about it within an hour. She has retired with her husband, so I no longer run across her in my professional life, but I received a holiday card last year that all is well, with best wishes to me in real estate for the future.

Guess who I won't be eager to fill out a showing feedback form for and who's on my card list? Right! Seems so obvious, yet it's remarkable because it's less than a 100% occurance in all of life, not just real estate. All because of Doing the Right Thing.