Had an interesting thing happen to me over the weekend and wanted to recount it for you. It’s one of those things that happens to you as a real estate professional once in a while and really reminds you of why you work so hard and study the market so much …

Playing the part of a buyer is a young couple who is moving into the area, buying their first home together and getting married. Not all happening in the same weekend of course, but stressful nonetheless, and complicated by the fact that the market is picking up and a number of the homes they were interested in had suddenly gone off the market. Time was of the essence, and none of the homes we were seeing were really resonating with them.

Enter the sellers – I had set an appointment with them last week to discuss the potential of listing their home, and had to postpone a couple of days. They are moving out of the area, have a young child and another on the way, and are faced with moving to an area of the state where housing prices are even higher – hard to swallow on one salary, and the stress of preparing the home for sale and all that loomed ahead of them was all a little overwhelming.

See where this is going? I had told the buyers about the home, but stressed I had yet to see the inside. They knew where it was in town and liked the outside, and every house we saw they compared to this one. Something about it just kept drawing their attention, so I took one of them over and showed her the house. Everything about the house just made our buyer feel as if she was home, and we discovered an instant rapport with the seller that just gave us the warm and fuzzies all over. She took some pictures to show her fiance and we immediately headed back to the office to write an offer. The next day the offer was submitted to the shocked sellers, who accepted and are now able to begin shopping for a new home with a signed Contract in hand, giving them tremendous buying power. And the buyers will soon take ownership of their new home in Blacksburg and begin making it a place they’ll always remember fondly.

I’ll be the first to admit real estate agents get a bad rap sometimes, and for good reason. Take your pick, you’ve probably heard it all:

* My Realtor didn’t listen to what I wanted
* he put his own interests ahead of mine
* I could never get my agent to answer the phone
* She put a sign in the yard and we never heard from her again
* Insert negative comment here …

It’s a sad commentary on the state of our industry, unfortunately, which highlights the need for higher barriers of entry and more accountability from all of us, REALTORs and consumers alike. But the story above also highlights how diligence and hard work can make things pay off for buyer and seller – and REALTOR – as well.

If you’re in the market for an experienced team of agents who will listen and get action for you, then let’s talk. There’s no obligation on your part, we’re just talking. I think you’ll find the difference is immediately noticeable … until then, welcome to the area, buyers, and all the best as you move on, sellers. You know who you are …