The Heart of the Matter

I’m analytical…
sometimes to the point of being overly practical or too direct.

But I’m not uncaring! Oh, to the contrary (and this is where I lose a lot of outwardly “feeling” people – usually women, sorry ladies!) when I care for a person, project or cause WATCH OUT! I don’t show my care, love, concern with hugs, sweet soothing words, or gifts. I show it by going to battle. I will do anything I can to achieve the objective. Nothing illegal, unethical, or dishonest, but trust me: there’s still a lot of room in what’s left that is uncomfortable and unpopular!

Consider the soldier we all like to celebrate. “Support our Troops” – but why? Because those men and women sign up to do what we won’t do – what we don’t even want to think about. They do it for low pay, lower living conditions, and no promise of success. Society says they are honorable; they are celebrated. As they should be! But often it’s in lip service only.* We do it because it’s the “thing to do.”

This doesn’t happen in the world of real estate, banking, or finance. In this circumstance the “thing to do” is to resent. Those of us in this world – whether in the trenches or the penthouse are seen very differently. Money has been demonized, yet we all use it; need it. And still, those of us who help others achieve their goals or meet their financial needs are viewed through the same lens as money. We are labeled as Arrogant, Insensitive, Greedy, Overbearing, and even Predatory. I usually just roll with that, because, well – I’m no good at being very social & likeable anyway. I’m much more concerned with being effective than with being liked. So much so that I typically don’t even know what anyone thinks of me unless they need or want my services. Ok, ok…enough of that.

Sometimes a person and their situation comes along

All this to say: Sometimes a person and their situation comes along and turns all that on its head – revealing the soft human side of me that I usually hide from myself, let alone anyone else. This happened. This actually happens a lot, but it REALLY happened recently.

There was a client in need. In need of wrapping up loose ends before he is taken from us too soon. In need of knowing that one of his last big “ideas” was a success. In need of knowing that his wife would have the resources she would need when he is gone. In need of someone he could trust, rely on, and like (most of the time!) to handle things. He allowed me to be that person.

I didn’t know or understand the full scope of what I had signed up for when we listed his property, but we had worked well together before, and I genuinely liked him. So onward we went.

The full story is long and meandering, so I won’t go into all that – but here’s the crux: Because of his need, I did, said, and created things I never would have considered. I fiercely protected his property, interests, and preferences – even some relationships by being the one who took many of the mental & emotional hits. You would think he already had more than his share with his terminal condition – but no – the obstacles, delays, and disappointments kept coming out of the blue! And we handled them. And we moved forward.

Finally, only days after he returned to his home from the hospital, now with hospice in place, we were able to see this finished. Only days after he said his last goodbye to me. Only days after he could no longer communicate with me. The deal closed. That sounds so anticlimactic, and I guess it is. I mean – isn’t that what I do? Sure. But not like this.

The Heart of the Matter

The heart of the matter is the bitter sweetness of knowing that I had done my job. The Honor of knowing he was glad he had chosen me. The Humility of having urged, begged, and persisted in getting the seemingly impossible done in a wildly unreasonable timeline by unapologetically advocating for him with all the other parties involved. The deep Appreciation for my colleagues as they bent over backward, worked late, sought approval for exceptions to meet the needs of this unique situation. And ultimately, the Satisfaction of knowing there is a wonderful young couple, hoping to raise a family in the home they just bought. Knowing they were shielded from all the near misses, and almost didn’t happens that were looming just as they were stepping into their future. The Satisfaction of knowing my seller had one less thing to think about; one less worry as he is cleaning up his earthly balance sheets. The renewed Faith in goodness, continuity, and equity.

Compare those with the stereotypes above: Arrogant, Insensitive, Greedy, Overbearing, Predatory Vs. Honor, Humility, Appreciation, Satisfaction, Faith.

A Challenge

If you live in a home you didn’t build with your own hands, pay for with cash, or inherit from someone who did, I would like to challenge you to rethink how you think about those of us in the Insurance, Real Estate, Mortgage, Banking, and Finance industries. We do what others aren’t willing to do, and really don’t want to know about. We do the “un-fun” and unpopular. We do what we must to help your dreams become your realities. We even do it with heart ♥

 

Thank You
A special thanks to inspectors, appraisers, insurance agents, adjustors, loan officers, underwriters, processors, closing agents, title agents, Realtors®.

An eternal thanks to all our United States Servicemembers! Past & Present
*This is is still far better than how our service people were treated during the Vietnam era. Please keep in mind, I come from a long line of active/retired/veteran military members including my husband. In no way am I intending to diminish their service or sacrifices. This is used strictly for illustrative purposes.