Crossing the Finish Line- and Getting Set Again!

It is hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that fellow blogger Elyse Berman referred a listing client to me here in New York. A terrific lady, the client had recently lost her husband and relocated to Florida. She had expired unsold with another broker, and I met her last September. There were circumstances around the file that made it no cookie cutter sale, but by December we had an interested buyer. Due to our lovely attorney state here in New York, fully executed contracts would not be completed until February. 

Like many other transactions, this was a short sale, so getting a buyer was just the beginning. The approval process took us every bit of the last 7 months- no picnic. It never helps to have a slow, unresponsive bank in a workout. But it does help to have a strong buyer agent and a motivated buyer on the other side and a skilled attorney on our side. Those assets we had in spades. Moreover, the seller was a person you like to fight for- decent, supportive, and cooperative. 

Finally, in late July the unconditional approval came through, and the closing was today. It was a long time coming.

That’s not the end of the story. There will be a part 2, as the client has listed her late mother’s home with me very recently as well. I can’t imagine dealing with the death of both a spouse and a parent in such a short period, and my heart goes out to this dear woman. 

When I met her to see the second house, I also met her nephew, who happens to be on the spectrum for autism. This hits very close to home for me- Gregory, our 6 year old, is also on the spectrum. My client didn’t know this, and we had a discussion about how autism had affected us personally.

She told me one thing that was remarkable: a Catholic school teacher by profession, she had dealt with students on the spectrum in her work. And once not too long ago, some students humiliated a student with autism (just hearing that makes my blood boil), making that poor kid very upset and distressed. My client, a meek woman in appearance and demeanor, then told me how she handled the bullies. 

And I still get chills. 

Her whole demeanor changed. She was Mama bear, and those boys were NEVER to harass that other student again, ever, and if she ever heard otherwise, GOD HELP THEM. Their job going forward was to watch out for him. Period. This was no grieving widow recounting the events- it was a mother, a teacher and an aunt looking out for the lost sheep. I wanted to hug her. 

It goes without saying that I won’t take the second listing for granted. And I will go to the mat for this lady, because I love people who fight for the right thing. I just eat that up. I really do. 

Anyone who says we just broker homes is nuts. We deal in humanity. We affect lives profoundly. That’s what we do. I am grateful to Elyse for the referral and support, and I look forward to hitting a home run for a great, great client.