Paying it forward

One Saturday morning, I received a text message from Susan (not her real name), asking to see a house for the second time, now that Susan’s husband was in town. I met them at the house (not my listing), and we looked at it. The following day, Vickie Ordway called me, and she told me the back story to that house viewing: The house was listed with Vickie’s company, RE/MAX. That Saturday, Susan had first called RE/MAX, and since Vickie was on floor call, Vickie prepared to arrange a viewing of the house. But Susan let it slip that she had already seen the house. Vickie asked her who had shown her the house, and Susan told her it was me, and, in fact, I had shown her several houses. 

It was then that Vickie did something that surprised me: she didn’t ask Susan if she had a Buyer’s Brokerage with me – that is truly what I expected her to do. And then, when Susan would have said no, I would have expected that Vickie would show Susan the house, and hope to be the one to put in an offer on her behalf. Because, after all, I do not have a Buyer’s Brokerage with Susan. That is the letter of the law. 

But this is what Vickie actually did: she told Susan that it sounded like to her that she was already working with a Realtor, and she should call me first to see if I could show her the house a second time. And that is why Susan asked me that Saturday morning to view the house a second time. 

Monday morning, Vickie called me to share what had happened. She said she was sick and tired of buyers taking advantage of Realtors’ time and efforts, and she was not going to allow that to happen anymore. Vickie respected me with that deed; she respected our chosen profession more than she wanted to take a cheap chance at a quick commission.

That really made an impression on me.  

A few days later, I received not one but two emails from an interested buyer. He wanted to show me how sincere and eager he was to view one of my listings. I called him, and during our conversation, I asked him, was he working with a Realtor? “Well, not really, I mean, there is one Realtor who has shown me a few properties, but we aren’t really working with each other,” was his response. I told him it did sound like he was working with a Realtor. Then he told me that the Realtor (with whom he was not working) was going to meet him that evening with some more properties. I told him he needed to stay with his Realtor, and talk to him about signing a Buyer’s Brokerage, to take full advantage of everything his Realtor would be able to do for him. 

But I didn’t follow through like Vickie did with me, and I am sorry for that. I didn’t ask the buyer who that Realtor was. I should have; and then I could have called that Realtor and shared with him what the buyer said to me, and my response – that I respected him; that I respected our chosen profession more than the possible cheap chance at a quick commission.

So, Vickie: I am writing this letter instead, to “pay it forward.” Thank you for what you did that Saturday morning. 

Aija Shrader 
aija@ronborders.com
www.AijaShraderRealtor.com