Doing Good, Over Being "Right"
Earlier this year I was called to a home by a Realtor I had done a lot of work with. Couple in their 50's, had lived in the house for over 20 years, raised their daughter, there, the whole 9 yards.
Lovely conversation on the phone, and a charming, funky house-right up my alley! When I got there, I liked them, and their house immediately.
By the end of the first meeting, several things became clear. Yes, they loved this house, but they were ready to move on, and willing to do what was needed to bring the house up to speed. But a good part of their excitement was based on 'finally' getting it to look the right way'.
He was a little too vested in the specifics and details of what I was suggesting, and wanted to talk about things that were WAY beyond Staging....had to gently remind them several times that we were there to get their house sold, not solve decorating challenges that stumped them for the better time of two decades...that there'd be time enough for that in their new home.
There were conditional things that needed to be taken care of first, so got them started with a plan, and things were moving along. Checked back a few weeks later, to confirm paint colors. Two more things became apparent. Work had slowed, almost to a stop, And he was ill. Seriously ill.
There was still floor dust all over the place, and they were living off-site during the work, so I met her at the house. The colors he liked were not appropriate Staging colors...there were both vibrant and pastels, colors they both had always liked, just couldn't ever figure out how and where to incorporate them into the house.
Midway through my Stager's spiel about the importance of picking the right wall color it hit me. I only wish I saw it sooner.
Took a deep breath and said to his wife-you know, he just wants to make this house right for you.
Immediately she told me she said she knew. And that she would never live here without him.
We both took a deep breath. Clearly there had been many conversations between them about things more important that paint color.
To keep my equilibrium, I went back to Stager mode, and explained once the repair, prep, and trim is done, VERY EASY to just change wall colors, if that's what they wanted, and told her to tell him I agreed with his choices. We hugged, and I drove home with a heavy heart.
This was about a month ago, and I've thought about them a lot. Today I head from my flooring contractor that work stopped, and he removed his equipment from the house, because my client wanted to be home. My heart is again, pretty heavy right about now.
Not telling this story to showcase any great communication skills or wisdom. In fact, to share the opposite. It was by grace alone I shut up and really listened, looked and really saw.
In today's world, and our jam-packed days, being right counts for a lot. But as real estate professionals, we just don't deal with people's houses and stuff, we deal with their lives. And often, doing good, over being right is the right thing.
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