A Trip Down Memory Lane My Most Cherished Sale Ever
Of all the homes I’ve ever sold, the home shown above in Parker, TX was my most important and certainly most sentimental. The year was 1998 and I’d just left a 14-year career as a commercial broker to get into residential. I’d never sold a home before and as a “lone wolf” residential broker, no one had ever heard of me or my company. You can tell my logo from back then had that commercial/industrial look you see so often.
The reason this sale is so special to me is because it was my very first. It launched my career as a residential real estate agent.
These homeowners responded to a postcard I’d sent out introducing myself. I went into the listing appointment completely honest about my lack of residential experience and that might have taken them back. But I think they also saw the determination in me.
I recommended a listing price quite a bit below what they wanted and that alone could have cost me the listing. Now I had two things going against me, no track record in residential along with the recommendation they list for a lot lower than what they were expecting. However, they gave me a shortened listing period to see what I could do and we went on the MLS at their suggested listing price of $169K.
By the time my listing renewal came up, I didn’t have a thing going on the home. We hadn’t had an offer or even the slightest interest in the home. I felt sure it was price-related. How was I going to convince the sellers to renew my listing and lower the listing price at the same time. Even today, that’s always a tough conversation to have with sellers. They could have just assumed I wasn’t doing my job or too inexperienced and switched agents but fortunately, they didn’t they agreed to lower the price to $159K and renew with me. Not long after we sold the home.
It’s not always the biggest or most expensive home sale an agent has had that holds a special place in their heart. It’s often their very first. It tells them “I can do it”.
As a final note, I’m giving a talk at the Keller Williams Allen office on Monday the 12th from 9:00 until 11:00. I’ll be talking about the art of negotiations, lessons I’ve learned, and sharing some of my experiences. You’re welcome to come if you’re interested.
