“There’s nothing I can do,” she told us. “Sue the seller.” After trying to handle the problem with the seller, we ended up suing the seller — and the agent — and settling out of court.
Flash forward to around 2000, when my husband, Michael, entered the real estate business as an agent. A client of his called him after he represented them in purchasing a home. They’d discovered a gas leak at their home. My husband stopped everything he was doing and fought very hard to have their home warranty resolve the problem, which they did.
Another client contacted my husband after living in their home a year with a similar issue. He stopped what he was doing and, again, worked very hard to resolve their problem and did so.
I have more stories like these, but you get the picture. It has never occurred to him, in any case, that it wasn’t his problem.
He just did whatever he could to help.
I have watched him treat every client as a family member. When he represents people, they become his top priority. He gives a client the same time, effort, respect and professionalism whether they are purchasing a one-bedroom condo or a multimillion dollar estate.
If you asked him “what’s your commission if you sell so-and-so” (as I often do), he would answer, “I don’t know. Haven’t thought about it.”
I know — tough to believe — but very true. I have seen him in angst while making ethical decisions, getting my opinion, consulting others, and I have watched him choose “the right thing to do” with complete disregard to his (our) financial loss or gain every time.
As a result, his clients tend to send him gifts and kind words of appreciation at closing time, not the other way around.
