How many of us have helped a first time buyer realize their dream of home ownership? And been there to calm their nerves and ease their concerns? What a wonderful feeling when you see them step inside "their own home".
But it doesn't always work out like we think. I left a client's home the other night with a feeling of disappointment... not having sold their home. A neighbor across the street called out to me as I was loading my signs back in the car, "Are you their realtor?" I answered back that I was as he sternly replied, "I want to talk to you..."
Uh-oh! At that moment all I really wanted to do was crawl back home with my tail between my legs when he said, "I want to thank you for what you did for those folks. If I know of anyone looking to buy or sell a home, I want YOUR card. You stepped in when they needed someone and you have touched their lives in a big way and I appreciate it!"
I was reading the newspaper a few weeks earlier and saw this young family's home was listed as a foreclosure to sell on the courthouse square within the next month. I went down to see them and ask if there was anything I could do to help them...not bringing up their foreclosure issues.
"As a matter of fact, we've been meaning to call you but we just didn't know where to start." ...and they told me their situation.
Knowing my neighborhood as I do, I knew we had a good chance of selling their home quickly if they wanted to get out and not have a foreclosure on their record. That was my goal, sell this home, find them something cheaper to rent until we could get them back on their feet... and sure enough, two days later, a full price offer came in - with a closing date before the courthouse square sale.
It turned out they were so far upside down, we couldn't take the deal. In fact, we had to pull the home off the market but their mortgage company realized they were serious and actually gave them a phenomenal pay back plan. This was a plan they had not offered them before but was a real workably option. It just took us getting on the phone and telling them that we had a full price offer and still could not get the deal done.
So, I plan to continue to go out everyday with my heart, doing what I can to help others. I know you've all heard that "if you help enough people get what they want, you'll get what you want".
I do know I sleep so much better when I know someone's life if better because of something I tried to do for them... even if I didn't earn a commission. I have referrals coming in now just from doing the right thing.
Comments(0)