If I’m not writing, I’m selling real estate. Sometimes, when I reveal this to my artsy writer friends, I get a look of surprise or outright disbelief. My profession’s reputation precedes me. It’s no secret that a real estate makes the list of the Twenty Sleaziest Ways To Make A Living. I share the ticket with lawyers, prison guards, drug dealers, crime bosses, prostitutes, and Congressmen.
Really?
Yes children, your mother is a slime-ball.
But let me tell you about a day in the life of a Realtor.
At settlement last fall, I watched an older woman, wife, and mother slide her life across the settlement table with a worn set of keys to a younger woman, wife, and mother.
“It was a good house.” She bit her lower lip and tears welled in her eyes.
Her husband, crippled from a botched operation, his right hand limp in his lap, turned away, fighting tears, too. This man, who had every right to be bitter at his newly handicapped status, softened as his wife’s voice shook. He fought to keep his composure, refusing to look anybody in the eye, the pain etched across his strained expression.
“We had a lot of good times there.” She sniffled and pulled a Kleenex from her purse. “But, it’s just too much now.”
The young woman reached, her hand touching the older woman’s hand. “I’ll take good care of it,” she said, her voice soft and cracking. The two women looked at each other, tears in both of their eyes. In that moment, the hopes, dreams, and memories of one woman—her life—passed to the other.
And, I was there as a witness.
Sometimes we forget what a house represents. It’s more than a place to live. It’s where we create a life. It’s a place a family calls their home, until one day it becomes somebody’s else’s home. It’s borrowed and loved and then it’s gone. The people inhabiting it are only visitors passing through, transitory beings. The sticks and bricks hold something intangible, something that defines what it means to be human: a home.
Buying or selling a home is not just a financial transaction; it’s an emotional and symbolic beginning or ending, a definite marker in one’s life. As the gatekeepers, Realtors wave buyers and sellers through, pointing the way.
These are life-changing events real estate agents witness, events to which we’re made a party. We hold the distinction of being there. A buyer or seller invites us into his or her life to share in this—to shoulder the burdens and the joys that accompany passing the torch from one family to another.
We see people at their best and worst, in happiness and sadness. At the settlement table, a buyer celebrates a step into adulthood by purchasing a house or a young couple solidifies their commitment to each other by signing a mortgage together. Sometimes, a family is disintegrating and the house is the last tie that binds. Or a parent has died and siblings need to settle the estate, the house being the final remnant of their childhood. And, sometimes a house just becomes too much, like with my sellers. The weeks turn into years and the years into decades, and then it’s time to go.
That fall day, my seller shook hands with the woman who would borrow her home for a while, maybe a lifetime, but one day she, too, would pass it on to another young person. As we stood to leave, my seller turned and hugged me, her tears falling freely.
“Thanks, Heather.” She caught her breath and wiped her eyes. “Thanks for everything.”
I paused in her embrace, a lump forming in my throat.
So this is why I do this.
Sleazy or not.
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In the real estate business you learn more about people, and you learn more about community issues, you learn more about life, you learn more about the impact of government, probably than any other profession that I know of. Johnny Isakson
Do you associate certain stereotypes with specific professions? Have your preconceptions proven to be true or false in your actual interactions?
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Read the first three chapters of my novel, WHAT THE VALLEY KNOWS, HERE. I hope you love it enough to want to buy the book. Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Black Rose Writing. Happy reading!
“A taut, compelling family tale.” Kirkus Reviews
Till next time,
Heather 🙂
Troy…..be good to those people who have houses that have actually become a part of their lives….. Even though a house cannot love them back. Only the people who live in the house can love.
Excellent read. My house is my home. I know I’ll shed many tears when the time comes to move on.
I was told car salesmen were sleazy. Then my dad retired from the police force and became one. He most definitely wasn’t sleazy! And I, a special educator, should have the patience of a saint. When working with my very special students, I definitely do! But put me in a crowded grocery store and I’m not pleasant or patient! My husband now does the shopping………..
Thanks for sharing, Darla!
A good realtor becomes part of a family asked by that family’s family and friends to take them on the precarious journey of buying or selling a home. A good realtor often puts their lives on hold to meet the needs of their clients. Hardly a sleaze.
My favorite article to date.
I totally agree with you, Pam! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Love this article, you have really captured the emotions that go on when people are buying or selling and how we get to share that with them. Hardly sleazy !
Thanks, Marlene! You make the home buying process easy!
Thank you Heather! You expressed it beautifully. Many people do not understand the commitment, compassion & expertise many of us caring & dedicated Realtors provide to our clients. Many of us care deeply for those who trust us with this piece of their life.
Well said, Susan! I’m proud to work with colleagues like you!
Another great article, although I take exception to the the implication, by the picture, that guys with facial hair wearing sunglasses are sleazy. 😉
You are too funny, Robin! It was pretty hard to get through your settlement.
Beautiful words that I believe are important for some to hear. Thanks Heather!
Thanks Dawn! You are one of the most upstanding, honest Realtors I know! Thanks for reading.
It would be very hard to imagine that anything you do would ever be ‘sleazy’.
My daughter sold real estate last summer and called frequently to share the ways in which she was to discriminate (not that this occurs in all or any other offices). I told her that she is the only only one she has to live with. Well, fortunately, it was a summer job which she left with her integrity intact.
The thought of your food seems to be going to my hips!
Thanks, Geri! A short stint in real estate is good for everyone. My daughter and I are thinking about going vegan for Lent next week…maybe you’ll be able to share your favorite recipes with me.
Loved reading this. Thankyou Heather!!
Thanks, Eugene! Sell on!
Good one Heather! You know how much I love hearing all your real estate stories
I really like the blog today, never give up!!
This blog touches one’s heart! You capture the essence of homeownership!
Another good one, Heather! Keep fighting the good fight and debunking those myths!
So glad I (finally) checked in at your site, Heather. Entertaining and insightful, well-presented by your skillful writing. I especially liked the above post in its nudge for soul- searching by us all. Nice work.
Thanks, Susan! So glad you liked it. I hope to see you again at Lancaster Write Now.
Loved this read- I am so glad you and Troy are our realtors- You bring smiles to our family’s face each time we buy or sell a property- Thank u Friends-
Thanks, Denise! Glad we can help.