Thanks for the referral, I'll take it from here.

I was given a referral from a loan officer I know recently. He was a Realtor until this year, when he turned in his license to become a loan officer. We actually competed with one another at one point, as we both deal with the Hispanic community in the Greater Wilkes-Barre area. I don't know if his was the most fortuitous move, considering the shape of the mortgage industry these days, but he seems to be doing ok. I've actually sent him a couple of clients and he's done a great job of taking care of their needs, so he repaid the favors by sending me a client a couple of weeks ago.

Now, let me just say that he did tell me that this client was particularly hard to deal with, that she was extremely picky and it would be some work for me to get her into a house. I like a challenge and believe that I can work with anyone, so I gladly accepted the referral. When I gave her a call, I realized that she actually lives around the corner from me and has been my neighbor for 3 years now. I made sure to ask the right questions to find out what she's looking for, made the appointments for us to go see some houses and off we went every night for a week, looking for houses. She called me after a couple of days to tell me that we needed to change directions, that she had some changes in her life and needed to look for a different type of house. Life happens to us all, so it didn't really phase me at all.

I did some more research, made some calls the next day and had some appointments to see some houses. By the 4th house, she found one she liked and wanted to make an offer. I wrote up a very fair offer, slightly below list but representative of what the market value of the house is and submitted it on her behalf. The offer was rejected. Too low, they said. My client was a bit disappointed and, after discussing the counter offer (which was full price, no contingencies, as is) we decided to move on. I was glad my client took my advice and made this decision. I felt we could do better.

That's when I got the call from the LO. "What's going on with this offer? Why didn't you accept the counter? In that neighborhood, that's a good price!!" I explained the situation as it stood and told him that the client had made this decision, but yes, it was my recommendation to walk away from the house. He was incredulous. How could I possibly let this deal get away? I told him that this was the decision and assured him I would get my client a better house. He said, "OK, well let me know what you get." I hung up, wondering if this was my client or his and that he should have kept his RE license.

Two days later, while I was showing my client another house, which was bigger than the other, had a larger yard, had more off-street parking and the possibility for a future garage, was in better shape, was less than 1/2 mile from the other one and was listed at the same price that we got rejected for last time, my client said to me, "You can tell the LO that he was definitely wrong about that last house, you've found me the perfect one for me! He really had me doubting that decision." At first, I was very happy that I had found a better house, as promised. Then, through more discussion, I found out that this LO had actually called my client to try to get her to accept the counter offer on the last house, against my recommendation. In retrospect, I guess I have to laugh at this. Obviously this LO could see his hopes of a quick sale falling apart before his eyes and was trying desperately to save it. But, at what cost? I could have been very upset, but I'm not. I know I'm taking good care of my client and she has told me that I will be the Realtor she refers from now on.

I guess the moral of my story is: If you're going to refer someone, be sure you are referring the right person and have faith that they will take care of the referral. I would prefer that this LO didn't refer anyone to me if he isn't sure of my judgment. After all, when you hire a Realtor, you are paying for their judgment and guidance to help you make the right choices. I've had some clients ask me to do things that aren't illegal, but go against my morals and I've told tham that I couldn't do those things. This has only strengthened those relationships and grown my reputation as a Realtor you can trust to look out for what's right for my clients.

So, I say it again, "Thanks for the referral, I'll take it from here!"

If you are looking to buy or sell a house in the Greater Wilkes-Barre area and would like a Realtor you can count on to take care of your needs, give me a call or visit my website at www.wilkesbarrehomesales.com.