Why Flip Flops Are My Shoes of Choice.
Kathleen Daniels has a fun challenge this month that asks us to recall one of our most embarrassing moments with clients. BTW, there’s still time to enter and 
share with us your most embarrassing moment.
One moment that I had conveniently chosen to forget came many many years ago during my one year stint as a real estate agent and with my very first buyer client.
Back then, we had no cell phones but relied on pagers. Agents dressed as you expected a professional to dress, which often meant heels of some sort.
My first client was a very sweet young couple whom I’d been fortunate to get through floor time. Oh, and they were a cash buyer too! All of the other agents told me how lucky I was to have a cash buyer for my first client. They had been referred to our agency through their church. I can’t remember the connection, but I remember choosing my words very carefully around them.
My first client- off to show them homes and gee, this should be pretty easy.
The night before I’d gone over every listing at least twice. Highlighted all of the showing instructions. No GPS in those days but I knew where to go.
The First House
You know what they say about the best laid plans? Yep, you know where this is going.
Where’s the lockbox? The listing sheet just mentioned “Side of the House.” What it didn’t mention was that it was on a pipe on the side of the house with a 4 foot hedge in front of it. I’m about 5’ 2 ½ inches tall; I did have heels on but it was still a reach.
“Can we help you” said the sweet couple.
“Oh no… I’ll just stand on this thing here and I’ll get the key in a few minutes.”
Ok… reached the lockbox and now have the key in hand. Pay no attention to the newbie real estate agent with leaves in her hair.
The alarm-Oh I knew the code. Had it memorized. What I didn’t know was that the alarm panel was on at the back door by the kitchen which was about as far away from the entrance as you could get.
“Kathy, don’t forget to turn the alarm off as soon as you can.
You don’t want the police calling you.”
So, as I sprint across the floor through the entry, living room kitchen and back door…. in my heels…. you guessed it.
SPLAT
Now, to my credit, I did manage to turn off the alarm in time after I pulled myself up from the floor and checked to make sure that everything that was supposed to be covered still was.
Thankfully my very sweet couple came running in as soon as I fell and after making sure I was ok, we all laughed until it hurt.
While this was not the house for them, I did find them a cute first home. And not just because they were my first clients but because they laughed with me, they had a very special place in my heart.
Grace has never been my middle name.
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