We recently closed a transaction that included the biggest mistake I’ve made since becoming an agent in 2004.

Mistakes happen – everyone makes them. Sometimes they’re little mistakes, and sometimes they’re big ones. I’ve made mistakes before, plenty of them. Some of them have even cost me money to fix. This was one of those. This one was a big one. A massive one. And there was no one to blame but myself. It was a mistake that cost a lot of money to make right for my client, and created a lot of unnecessary stress and angst to every party involved. Then COVID-19 hit, creating even more stress and confusion for everyone as we navigated through that. 1157 Fort Chiswell, Max Meadows VA – listed by Nest Realty and Kelly Griffin.

Finally, closing day – and it all falls apart again. The original moving company didn’t show up to move our client, even though they’d confirmed the day before they’d be there. Company #2 stepped in, then decided a few hours ago they wouldn’t be able to do it, either. I’m thankful for colleagues who stepped in to help, to offer assistance with equipment, and strong legs. I’m grateful for a client who, despite my earlier misstep, stayed with me to the very end, and texted a view of her mountain view the morning after closing.

6258 Allison, Hiwassee VA. Listed by Nest Realty and Dwight Atkinson.

I say all of this, I guess, to highlight that real estate is messy. And humans are involved, so mistakes happen. How we respond to those mistakes makes all the difference. In this case, my mistake wasn’t insignificant. It created a problem for three different parties, and making that right for everyone was the right thing to do. It was painful, we got a little lucky, but in the end it all worked out.

I’m doing an “autopsy” on this transaction, and let me tell you, I’ll be learning from this one.