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During an open house I was hosting, I was approached by two children holding hands. The boy told me he was 10 years old and his girlfriend was 9. They said they were getting married and were looking for a home. The house they intended to buy needed to be on this particular block, they said, because its where they lived and they weren’t allowed to go farther without an adult. They also wanted a pool because they were both taking swimming lessons.
Since one of their dads was accompanying them, I played along and let the kids look around the house. After the tour, the budding couple said they had each selected (separate) bedrooms. They said the house was nice but the microwave over the stove would need to be relocated because neither could reach it. They took my open house flyers and said they would discuss the $500,000 list price with their parents. It was the easiest “sale” I never made. I sure hope they come back in 15 years or so! —Chris A. Paradiso, Watson Realty Corp, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Honoring a Seller’s Dying Wish
I was giving a listing presentation to a prospective seller, who was pleased with the list price I suggested for her home. She thanked me profusely for providing regular updates on the local market and for dropping off an American flag each 4th of July. But the meeting took a somber turn when she told me: “I’m dying of leukemia. My children will need help selling the house when I’m gone. I’m going to put your contact information in my will so they know who to call.”
I was tongue-tied and humbled that she thought of me in this difficult time. Over the next year, I occasionally ran into her around town. Then after she passed away, I was contacted by her 18- and 19-year-old children. They asked me to list her home, knowing I would treat the family with the utmost integrity and professionalism. It was almost as if I became a custodian in their time of grief, helping them not only sell their home but also heal. —Shiraz Ali Peera, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Tucson, Ariz.