As a Realtor, Clients come to me in different ways. I have been in business long enough that most of my current Clients have come to me as referrals from past Clients. The second leading way I get new Clients is from my signs, which are distinctive and unique and draw attention.

One thing I pride myself on as a Realtor is my genuine concern for the welfare of my Clients. This is not just a ‘deal’ for me because it is a major life experience for them. I am sensitive to the fact that any major life change is a contributor to stress, and one of my primary goals is to help reduce, as much as possible, the stress associated with listing and showing and selling a home. On the Buyer side, there is often so much stress associated with financial issues and record keeping, so I always try to make it as fun and carefree as possible when we’re looking for homes and dealing with loan officers and inspectors and the myriad number of people involved in any real estate transaction.

So it’s always shocking to me when I get a Client who has worked with another Realtor previously, and the horror stories I hear about the inept handling of these Clients and their situation. One example was a recent couple who made an offer on a home with another Realtor and got through the inspection process.

After much discussion, the couple decided the problems associated with that home were not issues they wanted to deal with, and were too major to not even want to ask the Seller to fix them. They decided they wanted to terminate the contract as a result of the Inspection. Perfectly within their legal right to do so (it is the purpose of an Inspection to find out the ‘inner workings’ of a property).

When they told their Realtor they wanted to back out, he screamed at them that they could not do that. Puzzled, they asked him “Why?” He informed them, “You can’t back out because you will take food out of my children’s mouths!” I can’t even imagine how I would have reacted to anyone saying something like that to me, but after dealing with the emotional shock of such a statement, they not only backed out of that Purchase Agreement, they also fired their Realtor.

When they approached me a few weeks later, they were gun shy, and it became a re-learning situation to get them comfortable in understanding that THEY were the ones in charge of the purchase of their new home, and I was the one that was there to help these first-time buyers get the best house their budget could afford – no pressure, no guilt, no judgment.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Colorado Springs or the surrounding areas, please call Mimi Foster.