Sometimes, while showing property, an empty house can really speak to me.
I am probably more prone to nostalgia than most, but I confess to pangs of sadness when coming across those tell-tale signs of days gone by. Maybe it's a forgotten, left-behind toy in the back yard, or a teenager's beaded closet door in an empty room, or the god-awful purple shag carpet that at one time lit up a young girl's face.
These items often tell us that, not only have mom and dad and the kids left the house, they have moved on from a special time in their lives.
I have six kids, ages 13 and under, and I am painfully aware that there will be a day when my wife, Jennifer, and I downsize. Maybe we will overlook a dirty, half-buried toy truck in the corner of the yard. Maybe a buyer's agent, or the next owner, will discover this forgotten, neglected toy which at one time served as the focal point of a young child's life.
With another Christmas looming, I think back to my own children's history, beginning the day my wife met me in an Atlanta parking lot 14 years ago, handed me a bib, and told with a huge smile that we were expecting.
I am also reminded, though, that ours is a PERSONAL, UNIQUE AND VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PROFESSION. We get glimpses into people's lives that other professions don't. Clients turn to us amidst death or divorce, or maybe because the last of the children is off to college.
We are home sellers, but we are so much more. We are friends and professionals in time of need. A HOUSE ONCE TOLD ME THAT.
Comments(10)