The best compliment of all

In the Real Estate business, interactions amongst the different players involved in a particular transaction (i.e. Realtors in Charleston, WV, Realtors in Huntington, WV or a buyer you might represent), can sometimes be a dog-eat-dog world and if not handled right, a little blow to one’s patience of people. (Perhaps this could be a new real estate term used to describe Charleston, WV Real Estate or Huntington, WV Real Estate? The acronym, Patience of People= POP) From Realtor to Realtor interaction, to the “No Call, No Show” people (who you were supposed to show a house to and they just never showed), this business could certainly eat someone alive if they allowed it to. I must admit, sometimes it’s hard for me to see past these few “exceptions” that happen and I do let it bother me. It certainly is frustrating to spend or invest time into someone (sometimes even a friend), for them simply to disappear or find a house without your services. Guess what? That’s the name of the game in any business! With that in mind, my nature is to be positive and not let such trifling aspects of this business bring me down (Bret brushes shoulders off).
For every one bad encounter as described above, I have 10 more pleasant encounters with Realtors, clients and future friends. A few weeks ago, I was in one of those stages of getting “burned” and just when I was just getting beyond the “slightly irritated” level, I was reminded why to just “let it go.” (Enter one of the best words to hear on your behalf in real estate: REFERRALS!) I got a call (interestingly enough it was actually a text message) the other day to list a new house to sell in Huntington, WV. Considering I market all over the place, it is standard practice for me to ask where I was found. I was given the best answer a realtor could have…”So and so from such and such church was adamant about using you as our realtor” (Please note that these aren’t the exact words and obviously my former client isn’t named “so and so”. I feel anonymity is important in this story due to how the events played out and also to keep the story short and to the point). It turns out that not only was I referred to by my client, but I had beat out another member of the congregation that was also a realtor. It seems that her word and faith in me was that strong- what a feeling! It was rather comical because when I was at the house going through my listing presentation, the seller basically stated “you already have the job, we’ve done our homework on you” (or something to that effect).
As my time in the business of real estate in Charleston, WV and Huntington, WV ripens, the frequency of such “feel good” stories occur more often and always seems to occur right after I go through the undesirable cycle of “time wasters.” In business, as it is in life, I feel that in order to truly appreciate the good, you must acknowledge the bad and either accept it for what it is and move on or sit and sulk and let it consume you. I choose to “keep on moving.” Thanks for the referrals!
“When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others.” - Zig Ziglar