I love it when clients become friends. This usually only happens when there had been mutual respect during the transaction. If I was treated like a professional and, in turn, treated my clients in a similar way, then more often than not, a friendship can take the place of what was once just a business relationship.
I have found that when it comes to real estate, there is an assumption amongst certain people that they can do this job. Lawyers, for example, often think they can also handle real estate transactions. Sometimes they can, but you know the old adage: the guy who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client? The same can be said for real estate. Just because you passed the bar, does not mean you know all the ins and outs of a real estate purchase or sale. I know because I’ve passed the bar. It might make you a lawyer but not a broker. When a client allows me to do what I do well, when he takes my professional advice, when she listens to what years have experience has taught me, when people who hire me do so because they trust me, it makes for a much smoother and happier transaction for all concerned.
Last night my wife and I were invited over to a client’s house for dinner. This was Matt and Stacy’s first home purchase and they were excited to bring us in to show how it looked now that they’ve moved in. They wanted us to know how happy they were there and to thank me for making one of their dreams come true: homeownership. They had worked with a few other brokers in the past and for one reason or another dropped out of a few potential purchases. When they decided that enough was enough, that they were truly ready to buy, they asked me to represent them and I was happy to do so.
Last night, over a delicious homemade dinner served on fine china inherited from Matt’s grandmother, we were sitting in their dining room and heard the story of how they decided to work with me. They had come to many of my open houses and had met me on numerous occasions but during most of these visits, there were many other people around and they didn’t have the chance to really chat. Then, one Sunday about six months ago, they admitted to coming in to one of my open houses because they had hoped to eat one of my wife’s homemade brownies that she bakes for my new listings. They came to the open and were happy to see that not only were fresh brownies awaiting them, but there were very few people around. They reintroduced themselves to me, we had a nice moment to talk about the kind of house they were looking for and the rest, as they say, was history. My wife and I were listening to this nice story in their new dining room, amazed at how sometimes all that is right in the world comes together to make everyone involved happy. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it deserves a clink of wine glasses and toast of congratulations.
I have a feeling there will be more dinners in our future and nothing would make me happier, knowing that with all that can go wrong in the world, it’s really nice when things go so thoroughly right. It was beyond heartening to see these two lovely people find the happiness in a home that had previously eluded them and on top of that, a new friendship has been formed.
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