Being A Part of Peoples’ Story

Real Estate is a “people business.”  What are homes if you don’t have people living in them, and businesses if you don’t have people working at them?

The other day, I got a phone call from an elderly lady who was requesting information on a condo she was interested in purchasing.  I couldn’t email her the info she wanted because she had no computer or internet access in her home.  So I did it like realtors of years past – printed everything out and delivered it to her door.

She was a sweet lady and it quickly became apparent that what she really wanted was somebody to talk to.  Her husband recently passed away and she was feeling lonely.  We had a good conversation about real estate, and a great conversation about her life, her past and some things she is currently struggling with.  I was a bit amazed at how she opened up her story to me, but thankful that I was able to connect with her, engage her, and hopefully encourage her a bit too.

In the end, she told me, “I like you young man and when I am ready to move, I want you to list my house and help me buy another.”  Though I was happy to hear this, I could tell from our conversation she wasn’t really ready to move anytime soon.  But perhaps an even better compliment was the trust she placed in me as she invited me into her story!

I love the business side of real estate – the investing, financing, legal/risk management, and transaction management.  But I am continually surprised at the way it often places me in the middle of peoples’ lives; even in the middle of some challenging and emotional times of transition.  I count it a privilege not only to be trusted with the business of real estate, but to be trusted with part of my clients life story!