Nobody ever told me, when I went in real estate, that I'd be going into a career that is so tightly tied to the emotional side of life.
If you think I'm wrong, just think back to that client you had who got upset over whatever it was. How about the one that absolutely blew his or her top over the AC return air vent that got put in the wrong place by the builder or something like that? Ever had a client get charged an extra $100 they weren't expecting? Talk about hitting a hot button! I've seen everything from red faces to tears over that one. I thought one deal was going to fall apart when the arrogant banker hit up a lady for a historical opinion fee that the bank wanted. Yes HE made HER pay for HIS bank's desire to see what the historical society thought. Hmmmm.
Occasionally I come across the following scene when out showing houses.
You'll recognize it as the "how tall are you now" lines that a mom and dad drew on the garage wall as their kids were growing up. Whenever I find this chart in a house I always wonder about that family.
- Where are they now?
- Why did they move from this house which they once loved?
- How in the world did this poor house get in this shape!!!
- Did the family stay together? Was there a divorce involved? If so, was it ugly?
- Why didn't they take the piece of wall with them? (It's usually in the garage somewhere)
- What memories were made in this house?
- Is the family better off today than they were when they lived here?
Call me sentimental, but the growing up chart always reminds me that this house was an important part of someone's life at one time. Sure, it might be empty and it might smell bad and the carpet might be old today, but at one time, someone loved this house. So I kind of like to think that my job - (call me weird here) is to honor the lives of those who came before by doing my best to represent the possibilities for the future. For example, could this house be a great rental where another family might measure their kids growing up against a garage wall? Maybe. How about a makeover? Is that a good idea for this house? Perhaps. Does the house have a next life? What might that life look like? Does that next life fit into this client's hopes and dreams for what he or she is pursuing?
When I look at empty houses that way, it helps me to keep perspective. It might not be the greatest house in the world, but it did play a part in the life of some family and it might just could do that again. It always reminds me that this job is really about helping people...not just about opening doors to houses.
It also reminds me to keep in mind that the people you have in your life matter. Remember, you don't get to keep them forever. They eventually outgrow the growing up lines.
Did you hug your kids today?
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