Okay, so it's Friday, late afternoon, when my office phone rings. It was the relocation department asking me if I could show some condos tomorrow. Seems the original agent was busy and couldn't help this client, and they need to reassign him. Sure, I say. I'm trying to build my business. Their loss, my gain.
So I get the information, call the customer only to find out he is a rental. And I'm supposed to show him properties in the morning? Hello? I've had NO time to prepare. I don't do rentals very often and with no time to prepare, it's next to impossible with rentals being a premium in our area.
So I go to speak with the agent who was first assigned to this customer. He fills me in and it wasn't that he and his partner couldn't help this customer, but rather a huge misunderstanding. Seems they have been going back and forth for awhile and it just isn't working. After another phone call to the agent's partner, I find out which properties the client is interested in. I decide I am going to show these units because I gave my word to the customer that I would. After that, well we will see what happens. I call relocation and give them heads up to what they already know, that he is a rental, but he's going to buy soon. Well we will see on that one too.
Saturday morning comes and I go out to meet the customer and his family. I could only show one property because the second never returned my calls. So I explain this to the client and he begins to tell me what he is looking for and his expectations. Not too bad, I think. I apologize for not having any other properties to look at, but given the short notice. He is not upset with this, but reiterates what he and his family are looking for. We agree to meet again next Saturday with more properties to show -- provided I can find them.
We speak midweek, and I have found 3 properties that fit his criteria. Saturday comes and I am waiting at the first property. Finally I see my customer coming, a few minutes late. He apologizes profusely, telling me his son got sick in the night and wife had to take him back home to see their family doctor. We look at the property and start to leave for the next, when out of the blue I ask where he's staying. He tells me and I tell him I'll meet him there and he can ride with me. Much easier that way since he doesn't know his way around. Besides, I'm starting to warm up to this guy.
We go to place number 2 and number 3 and they get worse as we go. Finally we go to my office where I supply him with map of the city, relocation packet (everything you could possibly want to know about the area) and some other information I give my buyers. We drive around a bit more and then I take him back to his temporary housing.
By the end of the day, I know I have made a client for life. Yes, today he's a renter. But in a short while he is going to buy. I have no doubt that he will be loyal to me. You see, he wasn't born an American. He chose to be an American. He told me he came to this country with little more than strong dreams and lots of drive and ambition. He doesn't have the greatest job in the world, but it's not the worst either. But he is so proud of it. You can tell by the way he talks. And America? This guy and his family love America. He told me he misses his friends but not his country because he has no opportunity there. He said that so many people in our country don't understand what they have. And he's right. We take it for granted that we are going to go to the grocery and they will have what we want. We take it for granted that if something breaks, we can get it repaired or even replaced. We take it for granted that tomorrow is going to come and for the most part we'll get through it with little trouble. Not so where he comes from.
We think everything is so expensive here, yet in his country people survive on $500 - $600 a month. Yes, I said a month. All my client wants is a decent living for his family, and he's willing to work for it and embraces being an American and all (good and bad) that goes with it. He's happy to pay taxes because it means he has something, whether it be a job, a house or a car. I know from listening to him, he's loyal to those who help him. I know as well, that he will help me grow my business, if I treat him with respect.
We were only together about 3 hours, but I learned enough from my client and new friend to last a lifetime. I was reminded of why I'm proud to be an American. And I learned that while I started out being indignant about being handed a "rental" customer with almost no notice, I ended up being glad he and I crossed paths.
The next time I get a call I'm not so sure about, I'll bite my tongue and remember I'm in this business to help people, whether they rent or buy. Making a living is a bonus I get for doing a good job.
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