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You might be a Work-From-Home Realtor-Mom If...

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston

Just a laugh for any of you that have "assistants" on your team at home! :-)

 1.)    If you have ever had your toddler say, "Look at my picture, Mama!" and looked up to realize that his new piece of art was on the back of p.3 of your latest Offer To Purchase and Contract.

2.)    If you have ever had your baby crawl over and turn the computer off in the middle of writing a contract.

3.)    If you have ever had to hide in the garage during a phone conversation with a client so that they couldn't hear your kids screaming in the background.

4.)    If you have ever had your sitter bail on you right before an inspection and had to hold your child back from crawling under the house with the inspector.

5.)    If you have ever searched the house for your name tag before a listing presentation only to find that it had become the latest teething toy.

6.)    If you have ever shown a house to a young, expecting couple and couldn't help but make a mental list of everything in the house that would have to be baby-proofed.

7.)    If you have ever shown a house where there was evidence of toddlers and you wanted to find the mom selling the house and just hug her because you knew the pain she went through to have the house ‘show' that well.

8.)    If you have ever arrived at a meeting with a client, pulled their folder out of your briefcase and had a graham cracker fall out.

9.)    If you have ever had your child color postcards for you in a creative approach to farm a neighborhood.

10.) If you have ever come home from a rough sales meeting, had an offer not be accepted, etc. and came home feeling down, but right away two pudgy, sticky hands wrapped around you and a little voice said, "I love you, Mama."

Mary Pope-Handy
Christie's International Real Estate Sereno - Los Gatos, CA
CRS, CIPS, ABR, SRES, Silicon Valley

I think it was in about 1994 I was showing high-end homes (about 1.5 mil then) to a lovely couple when I heard the wife giggling in the back seat. She had found a stash of tiny dinosaurs in the door handle area. My "visual sweep" of the car had missed those. Oops. Luckily she was a mom and only thought it was funny.

Aug 30, 2008 08:37 AM
Hope Goss
Ventura Property Shoppe - Ventura, CA
Ventura Real Estate

Thanks for that - nice to know that others have to hide in strange places in their home so that their client doesn't hear the kids screaming and the dogs barking, etc.  By the way, when my youngest was about 9 months old i was working on a contract on my laptop and he wanted to be the one in my lap.  I moved from the coffee table over to the floor a few feet awy to hurry and finish and my little one crawled over and somehow launched himself at me and hit the laptop headfirst.  My little guy was just fine, but I wasn't able to finish that contract because the blow fried my hard drive!

Aug 30, 2008 08:39 AM
James Engel
Keller Williams Realty Beverly Hills - Beverly Hills, CA
KW Beverly Hills

One of my more memorable moments was when I was using the paper shredder and unknown to me my little guy restocked the shred and do not shed piles during my absence. I still am looking for the deed to the piece of land I own somewhere in AZ

Aug 30, 2008 08:40 AM
Sarah McLamb
Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston - Garner, NC

LOL! Thank you Mary, Hope, and James! Your stories made me laugh and gave me comfort that I'm not alone! Long-live parents that are agents! :-)

Aug 30, 2008 08:43 AM
Brooke Shepherd
Keller Williams Clients' Choice - Colorado Springs, CO
Speak With Honesty~Act with Integrity

Thank you for the good laughs!  Being a mom/dad and a realtor can be so great because you are your own boss.  Make it to those field trips and class parties that most people can't get off work to make it to.

Brooke

Sep 03, 2008 04:39 AM
Mandi Perkins
Pioneer Title Agency - Pinetop Lakeside, AZ

Sarah that's just  so funny! I've actually taken my kids to show property on several occasions. Buyers never minded but I had a seller (other agent's seller) who did mind. I think they just hated children. Needless to say my buyer didn't purchase that home!

Sep 03, 2008 11:08 AM
Jennifer Mallory
Keller Williams Hudson Valley Realty - Nyack, NY
Nyack NY Real Estate Broker Associate

I have a couple, too!

* If you've ever arrived at a listing presentation, looked down at your shoulder, and realized you have a little round mouthmark of baby cereal on it.

* If you've ever had a child take off her shoes and jump on a bed when you're showing a home.

* If your child has ever told you she'd prefer to live in the new $2.5 million mansion you just showed with her because your house is too "old."

Thanks, Sarah, for the smiles. I saw myself in all 10 of your comments.

 

Sep 03, 2008 11:20 AM