Sometimes When You Do the Right Thing...Good Things Happen

Every so often, a listing agent is faced with a situation in which the answer is not found in the listing agreement - or in anything related to the listing agreement.  Though it is much easier to say "no", I submit to you that we often need to dig deeper and say "yes" whenever possible.  This is especially true when saying "yes" helps you sleep better at night because you did the right thing and didn't leave someone hanging.

I have a client who is also a personal friend.  A few years ago, I helped her and her family sell their home and subsequently buy a new one.  She called to ask me to list her parents' home soon after her mother passed away.  The house was listed for about five months before we had an offer, cash (woo hoo!) and closing in three weeks.  The garage and house were full of her parents' things.  We were able to find an estate sale company to sell the items with the sale scheduled the week before closing.  All good, right?

Well, it would have been good if the estate sale company didn't cancel three days before the scheduled sale.  My client called me in a panic.  It was too late to find another company to handle the sale.  So I told her, "Well, we will just need to do it ourselves."  Fortunately we found someone to price the items prior to the sale.  I could not leave her with nobody to help her, not when we were so close to closing!

But then everyone was mad at me...especially my family.  My husband had to step up and handle the kids and I explained to them that I had to help out because it was simply the right thing to do.  I got lots of grumbles but, hopefully, it hit home.  Especially when you hear what happened next.

Fast forward to the estate sale.  My job was to collect money and make sure items didn't walk out.  A young lady came up to me and asked if I would accept $30 for the coat rack instead of $40.  I responded, "You will need to ask my client over there.  I am just the agent who sold the home."

"You are a REALTOR®?  My parents are looking to purchase a home."

I took her information, called her the next day, met her parents, and found them a home.  They closed four months after the estate sale.

Sometimes when you do the right thing, good things happen.  Sometimes, REALTORs® are asked to do something that is not in the listing agreement.  That doesn't mean we still shouldn't help out when we are able to, as long as it isn't illegal or unethical.

Robin Husney, your North Carolina real estate specialist