Not just in the Okanagan, but everywhere, real estate news is teeming with statistics, numbers and charts. You can find sales stats from any realtor on the block. But there is one “metric” that is often overlooked or not mentioned. There are also no charts on it.
Allow me to share about that other metric which is not tracked or spoken of, though clearly shows the other side of professionals in the real estate world, through a slightly different lens. How many of us professional agents do CARE and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the people we are working with.
Yes, negotiating, writing strong contracts and due-diligence are all part of a REALTOR’s day, especially here in the busy, Penticton BC, real estate market. But then there is another set of nuances which comes with the job. It’s everything outside of and in between the accepted offers, possessions, celebrations and big cheques.
Literally today when I was at the Penticton Community Centre pool, sitting in the sauna, an old acquaintance asked me if I love what I do. It has been a while since someone asked me that. I paused, not in hesitation, but to experience in my heart and what my mind already was ready to authorize my mouth to spit out for an answer. With a big grin and heartwarming enthusiasm it was an obvious answer - YES, I do love it.
Of course, the office environment and the Team you work with plays a big role when we love what we do. Culture is important. But so is your company’s mission and goals. When the mission is clear - to impact people you meet in a positive and meaningful way, achieving your goals is easy. That's a big focus here at neuHouzz Real Estate Group - ensuring we're delivering the absolute best client experience to those in the Okanagan Real Estate Market. After all, I can tell you from experience, it’s not the accolades or awards you receive for the number of properties sold or volume in dollars achieved that a realtor remembers. It’s the meaningful impact on people you make and leave with them while helping them through challenges of what many would say is arguably the most important transaction in their lives. Allow me to share some of those short stories from personal experiences.
We don't just get calls from clients in Penticton, BC. Sometimes, the calls we get aren't even from clients in the Okanagan. Every now and again we get calls from another province - sometimes even, it's another country. This one came from Nova Scotia. It was a son in his late sixties whose mother just passed away in Penticton. There was no other family anywhere in the Okanagan and the son, not being able to take time off or having the ability to come out, needed to facilitate the sale of the property as Executor of The Will. We promised; we will assist. After several weeks of non-stop handling the cleaners to wash down the heavily smoke-covered walls, then bringing in painters, landscapers since the property had not been managed in a long time along with multiple trucks removing personal items - the property went on the market. It sold for roughly $45-50k more than it would have if it was just left to be sold as is. All of that at no additional cost to the Seller. “Understatement” in the Seller's words, “I feel grateful that you could help through this difficult time and make it as painless and easy as possible for my family”.
Another one here in Penticton, where an 86 year old single lady, my Seller, had to be out of her 6,000 sq ft house completely on the day of possession, forgot to pack the rest of her personal items after the first moving truck packed up the day before. The morning of possession the Buyer’s real estate agent was calling me at 8:30am. Meanwhile I am with my Seller at her new residence she is moving to, and the Buyer’s agent is telling me that there is a “truck” load of stuff still in that monstrous house and her Buyers are on their way from Alberta to arrive later that afternoon. After taking a bit of a beating on the phone by the Buyer’s agent and then canceling my multiple appointments in my calendar that day, alongside 3 movers and the Buyer’s agent, God bless her, we all spent 7 hrs loading a 26 ft moving truck with items from the 3rd floor and the basement of that house. The buyer’s arrived to a complete mess and I had to put them up at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre for two nights since we still had to line up the cleaners to clean the home for the new owners. I don’t believe in haunted houses…but this one haunted me for a while, lol.
This one was exceptionally hard emotionally on our 96 years young, Seller. She lived for 40+ years in their home here in the Okanagan and in the last few years, following her spouse's passing she needed to be moved to assisted living on the coast. The closest person to her was her niece. While looking for her Aunt’s new spot on the coast, the niece had lost her husband. Loss of the spouse, work, helping her Aunt and life in general, none of this stops or pauses. The spot opened up on the coast and within 48 hrs our Seller was taken away in a Ford Taurus chariot to her new castle, and our Team was left with the prep of the sale of the house where 40+ years of memories and items were accumulated and left behind. Tapping into our network of trusted, local, Okanagan vendors we made arrangements to have the property cleaned. Helped move many personal belongings out of the house. Finalizing the curb appeal for a couple of days with the landscaper's help, the sale of that property was a great success with no headaches to the Seller. It seems everything falls in place when you take on the attitude where you promise - we will make this real estate thing, easy on you.
These are just a few of my own experiences as a real estate agent here in the Okanagan. There are many other real estate agents who, without ever compromising, deliver an exceptional service to their clients. I have heard those stories and am proud to say that yes, REALTORS do CARE.
How do you find these amazing real estate agents? Interview a few. Ask questions and read “between the lines”. Use the internet and read the Google Reviews to hear what people who worked with them say about their services. Don’t just hire the one who gives you the highest list price. Because if you hire the one who has the right values and strong operating principles as their compass, they will fight tooth and nail to get the highest price for your home.