When I first got started in real estate down here in sunny Naples, Florida my mission was to break into the luxury market. I knew it was going to be competitive but truth be told I HAD NO IDEA how competitive in fact it really was.
I did everything I could think of to obtain my first million plus dollar listing. After all, I wasn't new to the real estate game I was just new to Naples. I did open houses for other agents, cold called, sent post cards, got involved in the community. I had a lot of close calls but to land that first listing was brutal.
After doing a completely insane marketing campaign (10 different marketing pieces every three days) to for sale by owners and expired listings I finally got my first real call back. It was from an Attorney out of Chicago who had his 1.8 million dollar home on the market for over 3 1/2 years and had since recently expired again. He asked a few questions and agreed to allow me to preview the property while his cleaning lady was at the home.
I was SO NERVOUS when I went to the house. I remember thinking to myself, geeez Shannon pull it together, you're not even meeting with the homeowner! When I got to the front door I was greeted by Barbara who had known my prospect personally for several years. She showed me through the whole house and talked about how great my prospect was and his wife before she had passed away. See, this was "her" home in Florida. She had always wanted a home in Florida and after many years they finally purchased a lot, built this magnificent house and not too long after she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. He didn't even like to come down anymore because the memories of her were too painful for him to bare.
As I was walking through the home I noticed everything was in near new condition (much because it had hardly been lived in). The master bedroom and bath was the last part of the house we looked at and as I was walking through the master bath I noticed this tiny plastic giraffe on a little ledge next to the shower. It was a weird place for a nick nack and the nick nack didn't really belong but it was at that minute I knew I was getting the listing.
Giraffes in my family have a special meaning. My sister gave birth to the first little boy (after both sisters had 9 little girls together) this making 9 nieces and 1 nephew. Unfortunately, little John was born with an irreversible birth defect and he died 10 short days later. It was the worst family tragedy we ever experienced.
A few days before John's funeral, I was with my sister helping her shop for something to wear (she was probably trying to keep her mind off her pain). She spotted a little silver necklace with a tiny little giraffe on it. She held it up for me to get a closer look and asked, "Do you think John would've liked giraffes"? I said, "Oh he would've loved giraffes". So there's the connection.
I did get that listing...and 8 months later I sold it. I got both sides. :)
Barbara called me while she was packing up all of my client's things to have shipped back to Chicago and said, "I was asked to give you a call to see if there's anything in the house that you wanted".
I thought about it for a little bit and said, you know, there's a little giraffe in the master bathroom. I'd love to have that if he doesn't mind parting with it. She sounded as if she didn't know what I was talking about and said she'd get back to me.
A few weeks after closing I walked into my office one day to see Barbara sitting in the lobby. She apologized for taking so long to get "him" to me and in her hands was "John" the giraffe. It was one of the best closing gift I ever received.
He sits between my computer screens at work everyday and reminds me whatever's going on...it's going to be ok. Isn't it cool how sometimes we just know?
;)
Links;)
Tags (Tag Cloud);)
Archives
Really great story. I like John. He has a good face. He looks like the perfect office mate. Did your client ever tell you why John was sitting by the shower?
So sorry about your little nephew. That's heartbreaking.