When I first started in real estate, like everyone I had a lot to learn. I tended to have long showing tours with lots of homes, the more the better hoping clients would see something they liked. I hadn't learned to listen very well and qualify what they were looking for at that stage. I got a call from a young couple who wanted to buy their first home.
This couple was one of my first clients, newly weds, both teachers who wanted to live out towards West Chester, PA. We arranged to meet one Saturday for a tour of homes. I think I had made about 15 appointments.
Saturday came around and we met at the first home, it became apparent pretty quickly they did not like it. It started to rain,and it was very dreary, little looked appealing.
We got to the second home, this too did not tick the boxes for them. As we approached the third home, in a development I had not visited before we climbed the windy hill in the development to this plateau with these lovely town homes arranged around some small green spaces.
I opened the door of the home for them and we went in, we looked at the home. They lingered, and wanted to see the basement a second time, then went upstairs for a second look. By now, I am looking at my watch thinking we are going to be late for our next appointment and thinking how this was going to throw the tour out timing wise. They came back down and even worse said, this is the one, let's go to your office and do whatever we have to do.
I had never had this happen before. So I asked them if they were sure, and didn't they want to see the other homes in case they liked one of those better. No, this is the one they said, they were certain.
So I took them to my office, sat them down, called the rest of the tour, before cell phones and canceled all the other appointments. Then we wrote up the offer, presented it, had some negotiations and they got the home.
I really liked this couple, who knew what they wanted and were sure this was the home for them. I thought in a few years they would be moving on. So I kept in touch. But time flew by, and they had two young girls who grew up in that home. Then two years I got a phone call they were ready to move to something bigger.
We had a little more of a challenge with the lower inventory, but once again, as soon as they saw the home they wanted, they knew it. And once again, this time needing to arrange a sale and a purchase to align for a smooth settlement we shepherded them through to settlement. I got a wonderful review and had a lot of fun with them and their two daughters. Who knows when they will move again or next time it might be one of their daughters who calls for help finding a home.
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