Clientology

I think it is time to share a little about my new career, on occasion referenced in previous posts. I am a realtor....at the same time the most rewarding and most devastating career option known to man, or in this case woman. A lesson in oxymorons, a pendulum swinging from fabulous highs to lowest lows, an ongoing experiment in clientology. And no, I don't know if clientology is a word, but it should be....the psychology of the agent/client relationship.

There is agency law to protect the public. There aren't any laws to protect the heart of the real estate agent. Because we routinely put heart and soul and time and talent and money out there, well, let's just say we frequently set ourselves up for heartache.

This week though, I am experiencing the rewarding side of clientology....and loving it. A buyer client whom I first met over a year ago decided at that time not to purchase. But many, many months later when the time was right for her to buy, she came back to me. She didn't forget the hours we spent or the research we did or the many houses we toured. She didn't forget the investment I made in her.

This client is amazing. I wonder if she knows how she has inspired me. She is a devoted single mom. She works. She is finishing her undergraduate degree and plans to get her masters. She has run a marathon. She is a veteran. She is young, beautiful, bright. She is absolutely unstoppable. And this week she will be a homeowner. She gets it. She gets me. She knows I have and will move heaven and earth to help her take this huge step. All I ask is that she deal with me fairly and honestly.

That she has.

I wonder if she knows how much I value knowing her. I wonder if she realizes what a lesson in loyalty she has taught me. I wonder if she knows that I will actually truly miss the househunting and the conversations and the time spent with her.

There have most assuredly been "lows" in my job and my life lately. A very challenging housing market, clients who seem to find it easy to be less than honest, personal crises, oh the list could go on. But this particular client has made me at once forget all the bad stuff and remember me why I thought I wanted to be in this crazy business to begin with....why I thought I would be good in it. She has reminded me what a special experience it is to help someone achieve the "American Dream." She has reminded me about trust, about integrity, about loyalty. She has inspired me to be a better agent and to build even stronger client relationships.

I wonder if she knows that she has shown me the very best of clientology. And, just as we stand to leave the closing table, and I am thinking it doesn't get any better, she looks at me and says, "Do you ever look at houses just for fun?" This is a really good day to be a real estate agent!