By Lisa O’Connell, Sales Representative, EXIT Landmark Realty, VA
As a REALTOR®, we work by commission. That means we don’t get paid until a house sells or a buyer buys and closes. All the time we spend home searching, driving around, submitting offers, marketing, advertising, and so much more, is done for free. So, when we are loyal to a client, we hope a client is equally loyal to us.
You see the success that REALTORS® post, like, “Congrats to my buyers,” “So excited for my sellers’ full price offer,” “I closed 5 houses this month,” and all that fluffy stuff. That’s all great – you should clap for that – I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, in fact, I know it was earned and deserved!
The flip side of the coin, though, is this. Recently I lost a buyer whom I took three months with. There are many details not worth including as to why, but the point is, being a real estate agent is not always sunshine and roses. I had another transaction going that was one problem after another, and I also had a buyer refuse to sign on closing day. The stories add up over time, they’re just not the ones we choose to share.
On the upside, I can fortunately say I have many times that have been positive and make me continue to do what I love. The young couples who just bought their first home, the many military families whom I get to help move to my area to serve at Quantico (Marines) or Dahlgren (Navy) and became friends with the wives, have lunches, and show them the area. Some of those homes were even purchased using Facetime from wherever they were being deployed!
I have been in the business a handful of years and each time I sit at the closing table, or pass over the keys, I can’t help grinning for them all; it never gets old. Even though lessons were learned on my part when I lost that buyer, these happy stories are the ones I remind myself of and share with the world, because who doesn’t love a happy ending?! With each client I learn more and more to make me a better person and a better REALTOR®.
