I Made $100 From The
Referral
This is part story and part shameless pitch for your referral. I think as you read this you'll see that pretty clearly. Real estate is first and foremost about relationships. Relationships with our clients and relationships with other real estate professionals. Most of the time it is also profitable financially....but occasionally it's not, and that's ok too.
A couple months ago I heard from an agent in another part of the state with a referral. She relayed how long she had worked with this couple to find a home. It had been several years of developing the lead and a great deal of time driving them around. But then they decided they were moving out of the area. Part of the situation is that they needed some help with the closing costs and would I be willing to give them a 1% credit in escrow.
Sure...it's a lead I wouldn't have had, so why not.
I went to work. We looked around and found a property that seemed to work perfectly. This darling little couple were in their late 70s and had been married almost 60 years. They were using their savings to find a home that they could afford with just their social security.
Mid-escrow....tragedy struck. The wife passed away.
Suddenly, everything was confusing. To make things worse, their loan turned out to have issues as well.
Bottom line....I ended up putting almost all the commission into the deal to make it work for all parties. The sellers and their agent also put a great deal of cash into the transaction. But we got the husband the home.
The referral agent and I split the remaining commission.....about $200 worth.
We also shared the tremendous satisfaction of helping someone through the hardest time of his life.
Referrals are precious....we are trusting our clients' well-being to another we really don't know. This was one of my favorite transactions, and I only made $100.
p.s. The shameless pitch for referrals? I will care for your clients, but ideally...I'd like us all to make just a little more? $$ :)
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