Not All Referrals From Another Agent Are About Real Estate

Not All Referrals From Another Agent Are About Real Estate

I received the most unique referral inquiry of my real estate career yesterday.  A well-known Florida agent with a successful international real estate practice contacted me, asking for my assistance in helping one of his clients.

This agent is aware of my background as a symphony musician and theater/studio orchestra conductor prior to becoming a real estate practitioner.  And it turns out that his client owns a particularly rare and unique violin.  So the agent called me to inquire if I could come up with a list of names of stringed instrument appraisers who are capable of authenticating and evaluating such a rare instrument.

I'm not a violinist (the French horn is my instrument), but I do know where to obtain excellent resources when such a question arises.  So I turned to a Minnesota Orchestra friend and colleague, bassist Robert Anderson, for suggestions.  Bob didn't fail me and I was able to share with my Florida friend some valuable information on the subject in question.

There are similarities between appraising a rare, historic antique violin and valuing a unique historic home.  We sold a $1.5 Million estate property on Madeline Island two years ago (351 Old Fort Road, LaPointe, WI) that was, in its own way, a historic, "collectible" home.  Both require unique skills, a breadth of experience and the ability to identify specialized resources that make the valuation process a success.

Whether a property is a "Strad" or something considerably less expensive, all homes are unique properties.  It's not always easy to find comparable sales to use as a resource for pricing a new listing.  Knowing how to value a unique or exceptional property is where expertise comes in handy.

As with real estate advice and valuation, the ability to recommend other resources, such as knowing who to contact for advice on antiques, furnishings, collectible art, even rare musical instruments, is knowledge that can be very valuable to real estate professionals and their clients.

I didn't mind being asked to help with this particular question, even if it didn't result in a real estate referral.  Some calls from colleagues are about being helpful, even being considered the "go-to" resource for a wide variety of issues.  The agent who calls to ask you a question and gets the assistance they need from you will remember you later on when they have a referral to send to a qualified agent.