In December 2008, I received a referral from Heidi Sheldon at Options for Seniors. She had just met with Neal McLaughlin and asked me to give him a call. Neal had flown into town from Georgia to help move his parents into assisted living, which is Heidi’s specialty. Neal needed to sell his parents home and wanted advice on staging and pricing. He also needed to find someone he could trust to handle the sale while he was back in Georgia.
Within a week of our first meeting, I helped Neal stage the home and the day returned to Georgia, the home went on the market for sale. Within week, I showed the home to a nice young family. They feel in love with the home and by the 13th day on the market, I helped this family complete an accepted purchase and sale agreement for the home. The escrow went smoothly and we closed in the end of January.
Here is the testimonial I received from Neal and photo of the home:
“I was extremely satisfied with my experience with you, Tony. Your approach to the initial marketing with the attention to details and honest approach to market placement was outstanding. The marketing follow up with internet, fliers and feedback was great. Keeping the seller, me, up to date was very important.
Your dedication to a professional and personal approach to real estate transactions is apparent and quite obviously led to success with a quick sale.
Once again, I appreciate the service you provided for my parents and myself in the selling of their home. I wish you continued success.”
Sincerely,
Neil McLachlan
Here is a photo of the family who purchased the home. (Unfortunately their son was not with them, as he was off skiing) They asked me to take a picture of them in front of the sign, so they could send it off to all their friends. J
So what about this story makes me love my career? There are many things, but here are a few reasons:
1. The foundation of a referral is trust. When Heidi recommended me to Neal, she put her name to me. She did so, because over the last two years I have known her, I have given her good reason to trust me and my skills as an agent. When I take great care of her referrals, it makes Heidi look good and serves to deepen our relationship. It also gives her great confidence the next time she has the opportunity to refer me!
2. Serving people when they are in need. When Neal came to town, it was a very stressful time for him. He had to help his parents into assisted living (his mom was entering hospice), he had to sort through a lifetime of their possessions and decide what to ship to Georgia, what keep in the home for staging and what to dispose of. Neal also had to feel comfortable that he could manage the situation, while being in Georgia. I really enjoyed educating Neal as to the process and what he could expect. I also liked doing what I could to make this burden light for Neal. Lastly, following up on all the details, so Neal could sleep at night while being several states away.
3. Helping people achieve their dreams. I do not just sell houses; I help people to achieve their dream of home ownership! I love homes – they are where friends come together and where families are nurtured! Neal’s parents had lovingly cared for the home, while mostly original, it was in impeccable condition. The Buyer had fallen in love with the home and could see raising their family in it! It was great to be able to help someone else to purchase it, who was also excited to own it and would care for it as well as Neal’s parents did.
4. Positive feedback. We all want to know that what we do matters! Testimonials like the one Neal wrote, makes all the hard work worth it. Yes, I was paid well to sell the home, but if it were only about the money, I would choose an easier career. For me, it is knowing that I made a difference for my clients and that I stand out in my profession!
Fortunately, I am blessed with a stack of testimonials like Neal’s. For this reason and many others, I still love Real Estate sales after 20 years. If I can help you or someone you care about, with a real estate dream, feel free to contact me at 425-466-1000.
Posted By:
Tony Meier
Eastside & Seattle Realtor
EastsideHomesBlog.com
EastsideHomes.com
Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource
tony@eastsidehomes.com
