As National Housing Month comes to a close, REALTORS® reflect on what matters most in their business: their clients.
In a relationship business like real estate, creating memorable experiences with clients is the cornerstone of what agents do. Buying a home is one of the most important investments a person can make, and it’s a REALTOR’S® job to help them navigate this journey in the best way possible. Agents aren’t just finding buyers homes; they’re changing lives.
This National Housing Month, two of RISMedia’s Rookie of the Year participants, the 2023 Midwest Region Rookie of the Year and a 2022 finalist, share their most memorable experiences with homebuyers.
Kelly Sand
REALTOR®️
HomeVest Team – CENTURY 21 Morrison Realty
2022 Rookie of the Year Finalist
“My team helped a client a couple of years ago, and we will never forget the experience. Their story starts with their daughter, who was the FIRST in their family to seek higher education. Now, I’m not implying that college is the best or only way to go—there are so many professions we need that don’t require higher education, and there are so many talented people who can seek their future outside of formal higher education. What I want to stress is that many of us reading this at least had it on our list of options after high school, or it’s on our children’s list of options. In this instance, no one else in their family ever thought they COULD go to college. They were born into a situation which made them believe it was out of their grasp—something that other people did. It turns out, they unfortunately had the same belief about homeownership. When their daughter died a few months into her freshman year of college due to a previously unknown medical condition, they were devastated. This started them down the path of thinking about legacy and what they could do to honor her and live more like her. One of those things was buying a home. Our team, along with their lender, analyzed their situation, helped them overcome a few minor obstacles, and now they wake up every morning in a home that’s theirs.
“Every day, we help people get to their next chapter, and it’s our privilege to educate people about the possibilities before them and that they are in control of choosing the setting. It uplifts them, the friends and family around them, and generations to come. Our real power lies in showing people what’s possible.”
Heather McColaugh
REALTOR®️
BF Realty
2023 Midwest Region Rookie of the Year
“This is the coolest story of these buyers finding their dream home in Loveland. My buyers grew up here, and now they have two little boys with another on the way and wanted to come back home. I was working with them for probably eight months trying to find them a home that fit their criteria. We found them an off-market home through a friend of a friend who saw these people cleaning out with a pod dumpster up and thought ‘Maybe they’re moving?’ Yes, they were moving, but the house is not yet listed. These buyers found out about this house strictly through just observing.
“The sellers had an agent all ready to go. I called the agent and I said, ‘Hi, I have this darling family—could we have the opportunity for them to come into town for literally one hour and look at this house before you market it online?’ The agent agreed. The buyers drive into town, they see the house and fall in love. We wrote a strong offer right then—over what the sellers wanted because I had to give them motivation to not list it. We got the house for them that day, got it under contract and closed in a month. One of the cool parts of this story is there’s still not a house on the market that I’ve seen that would’ve fit their criteria and price points.
“The moral of the story is you have to have everybody that your buyers know also looking for them. Not only does your agent need to fight for you to keep looking for off-market opportunities, but all your friends. Have your buyers tell everyone they know where they want to live, and if they see signs of moving to send out a flare. It just might work out.”
