Recently, I helped an older lady sell her north Austin home so that she could move closer to her family elsewhere in Texas. She was referred to me by an agent in San Angelo. He mentioned that she was recently widowed. I had a little trouble connecting with her initially, which was my own mistake. Basically, I waited an extra day to call her. By the time I did call, she was concerned that I might not want to help. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. During our first in-person meeting, we really hit it off, and I was excited to help her with all aspects of selling. She agreed to use my home stager and took my advice on pricing, and the home was under contract within 3 weeks.
We moved through the sale, despite a series of setbacks (repair issues, loan issues for the buyer, etc.). It was a roller coaster ride for a few days, but we closed on the original expected date, which was a minor miracle.
Having been "in the trenches" together, the seller and I became good friends and we even discussed praying for the outcome. She hugged me when the transaction was complete. She moved away to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.
The chances of us ever seeing each other again are probably somewhat slim, and I think we both recognized that. This tends to make things slightly awkward when you part ways after the closing. In a nutshell, I will miss talking to her, partly because she really was a new friend, and partially because she was calm and centered most of the time, despite having been through a tough year after losing her husband suddenly. Her faith was inspiring to me.
I guess it made me reflect on the nature of our business, which really is all about developing relationships. I know that this is a little trite, but it sometimes goes beyond merely making people trust us. Often times, I end up with sincere friendships in this process.
Part of developing these types of relationships involves some measure of loss when my new friends move away.
Have you experienced this feeling during your career?
Part of the reward from treating clients in this manner is that they're typically very loyal and they will return if the need arises, and send their friends and family as well. I probably need to do a better job of reminding them on this last point (e.g. "If you know anyone else looking to buy or sell a home, have them call me. I'd love to help.").
Just a few stray thoughts on a Saturday morning. Thanks for reading!
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