What we do is important

I recently attended a viewing for a family friend’s mother, who also was my client. She purchased a home with my representation about 16 years ago. I have stayed friendly with the family over the years, just doing the day-to-day things that people do in their daily lives. Occasionally, I would see “Peg” at the nearby bus stop and I would pick her up to save a fare and usually drop her off at church.

She lived a long life and raised five children on her own. Just recently, she was a passenger in a car accident and she suffered injuries that made her final weeks very uncomfortable before passing. But what I was most amazed at and humbled by, was walking through the receiving line at the viewing and having each child tell me a story or remembering how important that home she purchased was to her. She had many parties for her kids and grandkids in her home and was on a first-name basis with the local beer distributor. When their trucks would damage her lawn, they would quickly fix it, and when she needed some beverages for her party, they would gladly hand deliver to her home.

When she looked for a home, we made sure that the bus stop was an easy walk from the home, as she utilized public transportation her entire life. When she went home under hospice care, it was important to have her kids there on air mattresses with her and she made it a point to be taken outside to enjoy her yard.

I left that viewing with a few tears in my eyes and I was reminded that what we do as Realtors® does make a difference in people’s lives. I wish that we could all spend a little more time remembering that basic idea. We are not just participating in a real estate transaction. We are providing professional guidance and care for an individual or an entire family that will have repercussions for many years to come.

It was so much better to be recognized as someone who provided some great years in a home to a lovely lady and friend, than just the real estate agent.